The Kansas City Royals made eight selections during the second day of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, seven of which were from the college ranks. In total, the Royals selected: four pitchers (2 right-handed, 2 left-handed), three outfielders and one infielder.
With their first pick on day two, the Royals selected second baseman Kyle Isbel in the third round (94thoverall) from UNLV. Isbel, 21, earned Mountain West All-Conference First Team honors as a junior this season, ranking third in the conference with 14 home runs and fourth with a .357 average (85-for-238). He joins Khalil Lee (2016), Eric Skoglund (2014), Wil Myers (2009) and Danny Duffy (2007) as recent third-round picks by Kansas City.
With their fourth-round pick (122nd overall), the Royals selected outfielder Eric Cole from the University of Arkansas. Cole, 21, hit .318/.414/.543 (81-for-247) with a team-best 13 HR as a junior.
In the fifth round (152nd overall), Kansas City selected left-handed pitcher Austin Cox from Mercer University. Cox, 21, had 124 strikeouts in 87.2 innings as a junior (12.7 K/9), the second-best DI strikeout rate this year, trailing only South Florida’s Shane McClanahan (14.1 K/9), who was selected 31st overall by Tampa Bay.
The Royals selected right-handed pitcher Zach Haake (pronounced “hockey”) out of the University of Kentucky in the sixth round (182nd overall). He made 15 appearances (6 starts) this spring, after going 8-1 with a 2.52 ERA (22 ER in 78.2 IP) and 91 strikeouts (10.4 K/9) at John A. Logan Junior College in 2017, where he ranked as the No. 6 JUCO prospect by Perfect Game.
With their seventh-round pick (212nd overall), the Royals selected Tyler Gray, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Central Arkansas. Gray, 21, earned Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors this season, going 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA (36 ER in 97.2 IP) and 116 strikeouts (10.7 K/9), including a school-record 15 strikeouts on May 4 vs. Abilene Christian.
In the eighth round (242nd overall), Kansas City selected outfielder Jackson Lueck out of Florida State University. Lueck, 21, hit a career-high and team-leading 15 HR as a junior this spring, after earning ACC Championship MVP honors as a sophomore in 2017.
The Royals selected outfielder Kevon Jackson out of Queen Creek HS (Ariz.) in the ninth round (272ndoverall), their first high school selection of this year’s Draft. Jackson, 17, hit .364 with 24 steals in 29 attempts this season.
To end the day, Kansas City selected left-handed pitcher Austin Lambright out of the University of Central Oklahoma in the 10th round (302nd overall). Lambright, 23, is a fifth-year senior transfer from Abilene Christian University, who missed the 2016 season due to injury.
Additional notes on all 13 players selected by the Royals through the first two days are attached. The draft concludes with rounds 11-40 tomorrow, beginning at 11:05 a.m. CT.
