The Kansas City Royals made five selections on the first day of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, including University of Florida right-handed pitcher, Brady Singer, with their top pick, 18th overall in the first round.
Singer went 11-1 with a 2.27 ERA (24 ER in 95.0 IP) and 98 strikeouts in 14 starts as a junior and was named the 2018 SEC Pitcher of the Year while leading the conference in wins and ERA.
With the 33rd overall pick, which the Royals received as compensation for Lorenzo Cain signing with Milwaukee, Kansas City selected another right-handed pitcher from the University of Florida, Jackson Kowar, who went 9-4 with a 3.21 ERA (33 ER in 92.2 IP) and 91 strikeouts in 15 starts as a junior this season. In 2017, Kowar earned his first career save in Game 2 of the College World Series Finals vs. LSU, recording the final five outs to clinch the first national title in school history.
With the 34th pick, which the Royals received as compensation for Eric Hosmer signing with San Diego, Kansas City selected Daniel Lynch, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Virginia. The 21-year old went 4-4 in 13 starts with a 3.96 ERA (39 ER in 88.2 IP) and 105 strikeouts (10.6 K/9) as a junior this season.
In the Competitive Balance Round A, the Royals selected Kris Bubic, a left-handed pitcher from Stanford University, with the 40th selection overall. Bubic went 8-1 with a 2.62 ERA (25 ER in 86.0 IP), 101 strikeouts (10.6 K/9) and a .199 opponents’ average as a junior this season. He was named the Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year in 2017, going 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA.
In the second round (58th overall), the Royals selected Jonathan Bowlan, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Memphis. He had 104 strikeouts in 85.0 innings (11.0 K/9) as a junior this season, including a school-record 18 strikeouts vs. South Florida on April 28, the most strikeouts in a NCAA Division I game this year. He is the son of Mark Bowlan, who threw the only perfect game in Memphis history in 1987.
Five selections within the first 58 are the most by Kansas City since 1999, when it owned six of the top 58 picks in the Draft. In 1992, they had five of the top 44. The Draft continues tomorrow with rounds 3-10 starting at 12:05 p.m. CT.
