Photo Courtesy Surprise Royals
The 2017 draft class is nearly complete with Monday, July 3rd being the final day for any drafted players to sign. Recently, the Royals finalized deals for prep pitchers Marlin Willis Jr. and Tylor Fischer.
@NathanRode: If RHP Tylor Fischer starts finding the zone, look out. Super loose, flexible. Low 90s. VG feel for CH. Texas A&M recruit.
The signing of Fischer was a surprising one to me as I figured his Texas A&M commitment was strong for the prospect that was ranked #181 overall by Perfect Game. Both players are strong additions to the farm system that has added some young prep arms the last couple of drafts in the late rounds in these two and Malcolm Van Buren from the 2016 draft.
@CaliKusiolek: Malcom Van Buren 90-93 w/ two-seam life; firm tumble CH 85-86, 11-5 w/ decent break. Physical, long build. Dillon Tate look to delivery.
Making Waves
Little second baseman Esteury Ruiz is bringing his big bat to the AZL this year and is off to an outstanding start. Last year, Ruiz put up the best season in the DSL by a Royals hitter since Jorge Bonifacio played there in 2010, which
I’ve written before. It’s just six games, but Ruiz is proving he might not be long for Arizona, hitting a pair of home runs with three doubles and a triple in his first five games. One person in the business comped him to Alfonso Soriano with his quick twitch athleticism and ridiculous power from a small 6’0 160 lbs frame.
@billazbbphotog: Lots of good prospects in the AZL this year, but keep an eye on #Royals 2B Esteury Ruiz. He can hit and has impressive power for his size.
His impact bat could actually be worthy of the Royals Top 10-15 prospects right now even though I didn’t rank him in my latest rankings despite placing him at 27 prior to the season. Sometimes being conservative with young guys can prove to be a mistake.
