Top Rule 5 Draft Targets for Royals to Consider
The Kansas City Royals have had a slow offseason thus far on the transactional front, mostly placing an emphasis on hiring new coaches and making a couple of internal roster moves here and there. The arrival of the MLB Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, however, presents an opportunity for an external addition.
With that said, Kansas City's 40-man roster remains at full capacity as of the publishing of this article. That means that in order for a Rule 5 pick to be added to the 40-man roster, someone else would have to be taken off. If that happens, the Royals will have the chance to pay $100,000 to select a player and bank on that proverbial lottery ticket paying off. Prospects T.J. Sikkema and Anthony Veneziano are at risk of being poached in the draft, but what about a few players the Royals would benefit from considering? Let's take a look.
1. Jayden Murray — RHP, Houston Astros
Jayden Murray was involved in a three-team trade that saw him go from being in the Tampa Bay Rays' minor league system to becoming a member of the Houston Astros organization. In just over 76 Double-A innings this past season pre-trade, the 25-year-old righty posted a 2.83 ERA across 15 starts. In six starts with the Astros' Double-A affiliate, his K/9 improved from 7.66 to 8.56 but he also surrendered more walks and saw his ERA jump to 4.28 as a result to close out the year.
Murray is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher, and the former offering can reach the mid-90s as needed. The latter pitch works beautifully off the fastball when he's at his best, and he also has a changeup that he goes to on occasion (although it grades out much worse than the others). With his 26th birthday coming in April, it's reasonable to assume that Murray will be pushed through his next team's minor league ranks with purpose. His ceiling as a long reliever or possibly even a starter remains intact despite him not being protected by Houston, and Kansas City would be wise to have a conversation about him.
2. Antoine Kelly — LHP, Texas Rangers
Antoine Kelly is one of the most interesting players among this year's crop of Rule 5-eligible prospects, and for both good and bad reasons. He just turned 23 on Dec. 5 and is oozing with potential, which is evident in his fastball-slider duo. Kelly can get the fastball up near the high-90s as a lefty, and the slider is dangerous when controlled. With a long frame, the aforementioned heater and an ideal complementary offering working in his favor, Kelly's upside as a major league pitcher is obvious.
On the flip side, Kelly's lack of control is an issue. While he posted K/9 figures of 11.57 in both High-A and Double-A in 2022, his BB/9 numbers (5.14 and 9.16, respectively) were off the chart. Kelly is a wild pitcher who struggles to hone in and find any sense of consistency in his ability to throw strikes and limit those walks. Durability is also a question with him, which also doesn't bode well considering how young he still is. The 2019 second-round pick is oozing with potential, although it remains to be seen if he can live up to it.
3. Andres Chaparro — 3B, New York Yankees
On one hand, Andres Chaparro will turn 24 next May and is an underwhelming defender at the hot corner. Additionally, the highest level of professional baseball he's played to date is a 64-game stint with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate this past season. He also doesn't walk a ton, so there are reasons to not be enamored with his profile. On the other hand, there are some reasons to really buy into that profile as well.
Across 271 plate appearances with the Somerset Patriots in 2022, Chaparro slashed .289/.369/.594 with a 158 wRC+. On top of that, he posted an eye-popping .305 ISO with 19 home runs and 16 doubles while also keeping his strikeouts in check (19.9%) and not having a crazy-high BABIP (.299). Chaparro's numbers back up his breakout, but it wasn't the greatest sample size and there are still question marks about his future. Kansas City has been looking for a right-handed bat and/or someone who can play third base, though, and perhaps Chaparro's 1.371 OPS in 50 plate appearances against lefties this year was enough to catch their eye.
Read More: Assessing Royals’ Options After Sliding in MLB Draft Lottery
Jordan Foote is the editor-in-chief of Inside the Royals, as well as the deputy editor of Arrowhead Report and a producer for Kansas City Sports Network. Jordan is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media with a minor in Sports Administration. Follow him on Twitter @footenoted.