KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have long valued high school prospects, but a run of them have failed to pan out. So the past few drafts have been full of college pitchers, and that trend continued with the first-round selection of Texas A&M standout Asa Lacy.
Now, the Royals have a farm system stocked with pitchers that could hit the majors in just a couple of years, and could form the backbone for a team trying to return to the World Series after back-to-back appearances in 2014 and '15.