2021 Draft Notes

ROYALS 2021 DRAFT NOTES 1985 & 2015 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS | 1980, 1985, 2014-15 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS | 1976-78, 1980, 1984-85 AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST CHAMPIONS | 2015 AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL CHAMPIONS RD PICK PLAYER POS HT WT DOB CLASS SCHOOL HOMETOWN 17 Frank Mozzicato Ellington, Conn. 2 43 LHP 6-3 175 06/19/03 HS East Catholic HS (Conn.) Overland Park, Kan. Ben Kudrna CBB 66 Peyton Wilson RHP 6-3 175 01/30/03 HS Blue Valley Southwest (Kan.) Hoover, Ala. 3 78 Carter Jensen Kansas City, Mo. 4 108 Shane Panzini 2B 5-9 180 11/01/99 SO University of Alabama Spring Lake, N.J. 5 139 Eric Cerantola Oakville, Ontario, Can. 6 169 Dayton Dooney C 6-1 210 07/03/03 HS Park Hill Senior HS (Mo.) 7 199 Noah Cameron Poway, Calif. 8 229 Ryan Cepero RHP 6-3 220 10/30/01 HS Red Bank Catholic HS (N.J.) St. Joseph, Mo. 9 259 Parker Bates 10 289 Shane Connolly RHP 6-5 225 05/02/00 JR Mississippi State University Arecibo, P.R. 11 319 Brennon McNair Tyler, Texas 12 349 Tyson Guerrero 2B 6-0 190 08/21/99 JC J2 Central Arizona College Huntersville, N.C. 13 379 Patrick Halligan Magee, Miss. 14 409 Caden Monke LHP 6-3 220 07/17/99 JR Univ. of Central Arkansas Chehalis, Wash. 15 439 Vienna, Va. 16 469 River Town SS 6-1 180 02/11/03 HS Carlos Beltrán Academy Mt. Olive, Ill. 17 499 Anthony Simonelli Baton Rouge, La. 18 529 OF 6-1 205 11/16/97 5SR Louisiana Tech University Winchester, Va. 19 559 Luca Tresh Safety Harbor, Fla. 20 589 Harrison Beethe LHP 6-2 175 02/13/99 SR Virginia Tech University Fort Worth, Texas Odessa, Fla. Cam Williams SS 6-1 175 09/15/02 HS Magee HS (Miss.) Oak Park, Calif. Jack Aldrich LHP 6-1 188 02/16/99 JR University of Washington RHP 6-6 230 10/04/99 JC J3 Pensacola State College LHP 6-3 170 09/02/99 JR University of Arkansas OF 5-11 181 07/08/99 JR Dallas Baptist University RHP 6-2 200 12/23/98 SR Virginia Tech University C 6-0 193 01/11/00 JR NC State University RHP 6-5 220 04/03/98 5SR Texas Christian University SS 6-2 195 02/07/98 SR University of Texas LHP 5-11 204 06/12/99 SR Tulane University FRANK MOZZICATO | LHP ROUND 1 | NO. 7 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-3/175 B/T: L/L DOB: 06/19/03 SCHOOL: East Catholic HS (Conn.) HOMETOWN: Ellington, Conn. Ê Recorded 30.1 consecutive innings without allowing a hit during his senior season at East Catholic, including four consecutive no-hitters. Ê He turned 18 years old on June 19 and was the second-youngest player selected in the first round, six days older than Carson Williams. Ê As a senior, he led East Catholic High School to the 2021 Class M State Championship with a 17-strikeout performance in the title game. Ê He’s the second-highest Connecticut prep player selected in the history of the draft, following Bobby Valentine (5th overall to Dodgers in 1968). Ê Frank is the fifth Connecticut high school player selected in the first round of the draft, and is committed to the University of Connecticut. Ê He’s the first left-handed pitcher to be selected with the Royals’ first pick since they selected Brandon Finnegan 17th overall out of TCU in 2014. Ê Became the fourth player selected seventh overall by the Royals, joining Kyle Snyder (1999), Dan Reichert (1997) and Joe Vitiello (1991). Ê Royals have selected in pitcher with their first pick in three of the last four drafts, following Asa Lacy (4th in 2020) and Brady Singer (18th in 2018). BEN KUDRNA | RHP ROUND 2 | NO. 43 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-3/175 B/T: R/R DOB: 01/30/03 SCHOOL: Blue Valley Southwest HS (Kan.) HOMETOWN: Overland Park, Kan. Ê Named Gatorade State High School Player of the Year as a senior and pitched a three-hit shutout in the Kansas 5-A state championship game. Ê Led Timberwolves to 22-3 record as senior, going 9-1 with a 0.99 ERA, .130 opponents’ average and 100 strikeouts to just 11 walks in 57.1 innings. Ê Recorded three shutouts as a senior, did not allow an earned run in 12 postseason innings, and is committed to Louisiana State University. Ê He’s the highest-drafted prep pitcher from the state of Kansas since Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) went fourth overall to Colorado in 2016. PEYTON WILSON | 2B COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND B | NO. 66 OVERALL HT/WT: 5-9/180 B/T: S/R DOB: 11/01/99 SCHOOL: University of Alabama HOMETOWN: Hoover, Ala. Ê Started in all 58 games as a sophomore this season and hit .290 (72-for-248) with 23 extra-base hits (9 HR), 10 stolen bases and an .812 OPS. Ê Led Alabama as a sophomore in runs (46), stolen bases (10), hits (72) and doubles (13) and five of his nine home runs were leadoff shots. Ê His brother, John Parker, played quarterback at Alabama and his other brother, Ross, was a 10th-round pick by the White Sox in 2010. Ê Graduated from Hoover High School (Ala.) in 2019, where he was a two-sport athlete as a catcher in baseball and played football his first three years. CARTER JENSEN | C ROUND 3 | NO. 78 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-1/210 B/T: L/R DOB: 07/03/03 SCHOOL: Park Hill Senior HS (Mo.) HOMETOWN: Kansas City, Mo. Ê Attended nearby Park Hill Senior HS in Kansas City, Mo., the same school attended by Andy Ashby, who pitched in the Majors for 14 seasons. Ê Named Perfect Game Preseason All-American as a senior this season and is committed to play baseball at Louisiana State University. Ê Last offseason he worked out at Premier Baseball Kansas City, where he hit against pro pitchers, including the Cardinals’ Dakota Hudson. Ê He’s the highest-drafted catcher by the Royals since MJ Melendez was selected in the second round (52nd overall) out of Westminster HS (Fla.). SHANE PANZINI | RHP ROUND 4 | NO. 108 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-3/220 B/T: R/R DOB: 10/30/01 SCHOOL: Red Bank Catholic HS (N.J.) HOMETOWN: Spring Lake, N.J. Ê Went 9-0 with a 0.91 ERA in 61.2 innings as a senior at Red Bank Catholic High School (N.J.) and recorded a single-season record 115 strikeouts. Ê He’s the highest-drafted player out of Red Bank Catholic High School (N.J.), surpassing Ryan Kalish, selected by Boston in the ninth round in 2006. Ê Joins David DeJesus (2000), Bo Jackson (1986) and Mike Macfarlane (1985), among others, as players selected by Kansas City in the fourth round. Ê Panzini, who will turn 20 years old in October, after graduating high school this spring, is committed to play baseball at the University of Virginia. ERIC CERANTOLA | RHP ROUND 5 | NO. 139 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-5/225 B/T: R/R DOB: 05/02/00 SCHOOL: Mississippi State University HOMETOWN: Oakville, Ontario, Can. Ê Recorded 24 strikeouts over 17.1 innings in 10 appearances (4 starts) as a junior for the NCAA College World Series champs at Mississippi State. Ê Was selected by Tampa Bay in the 30th round of the 2018 Draft and was selected in the eighth round of the 2016 Ontario Hockey League. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Ecole Secondaire Catholique Sainte-Trinite in Ontario, Canada, where he played baseball, hockey and volleyball. Ê In 2015, he pitched for the Great Lake Canadians program and was coached by former big leaguer Adam Stern, a Royals’ amateur scout in Canada. DAYTON DOONEY | 2B ROUND 6 | NO. 169 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-0/190 B/T: S/R DOB: 08/21/99 SCHOOL: Central Arizona College HOMETOWN: Poway, Calif. Ê Transferred to Central Arizona in 2021 and hit .376/.452/.706 this season, reaching the championship game of the Junior College World Series. Ê Named a First-Team Freshman All-American in 2019 as the University of Arizona, where he hit .323 (52-for-161) with a 1.013 OPS and 53 RBI, which were the third most by an Arizona freshman since 1976…hit 10 HR, becoming the first Arizona freshman to do so since Brad Glenn in 2006. Ê Played for Mankato in the Northwoods League in the summer of 2019, but played in just 13 games in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Poway High School (Calif.), where he lettered all four years in baseball at shortstop and was the team MVP as a junior. NOAH CAMERON | LHP ROUND 7 | NO. 199 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-3/220 B/T: L/L DOB: 07/17/99 SCHOOL: University of Central Arkansas HOMETOWN: St. Joseph, Mo. Ê Recorded a 2.57 ERA (8 ER in 28.0 IP) with 31 strikeouts (10.0 K/9) and two walks (0.6 BB/9) in four starts as a sophomore during the pandemic- shortened season in 2020…made three starts in the Northwoods League last summer before undergoing Tommy John Surgery last August. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Central High School in St. Joseph, Mo., where he was a three-time First-Team All-Conference pitcher and first baseman. Ê Was a four-sport athlete in high school: played punter in football, goalie in soccer, shooting forward in basketball and pitched in baseball. Ê He’s the fifth player—and third pitcher—to be selected by the Royals out of Central Arkansas in the last four drafts since 2018. RYAN CEPERO | SS ROUND 8 | NO. 229 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-1/180 B/T: R/R DOB: 01/22/03 SCHOOL: Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy HOMETOWN: Arecibo, P.R. Ê Hit .357 (10-for-28) with a .419 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage in 10 games with the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. Ê Attended the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy and was signed to play at Wichita State before committing to Florida Southwestern State College. KANSAS CITY ROYALS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ONE ROYAL WAY | KANSAS CITY, MO 64129 | ROYALSPRESSBOX.COM | ROYALS.MLBLOGS.COM | @ROYALS_PR | @ROYALRUNDOWN

PARKER BATES | OF ROUND 9 | NO. 259 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-1/205 B/T: L/R DOB: 11/16/97 SCHOOL: Louisiana Tech University HOMETOWN: Tyler, Texas Ê Earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors and led the conference in on-base percentage (.471), while ranking among the conference leaders in triples (4, 3rd), RBI (62, 4th), batting average (.346, 6th) and hits (79, 7th)…led all players with a .406 average in conference play. Ê Played in 226 games at Louisiana Tech University, most in program history, and started each of the last 201 games to end his collegiate career. Ê Led the Bulldogs in RBI in each of his last four seasons, including 28 in 2020, which led all Conference USA players during the shortened season. Ê In five seasons at Louisiana Tech, he hit .309 (243-for-787) in 226 games with 49 doubles, 32 home runs, 194 RBI and 22 stolen bases. Ê Graduated in 2016 from Robert E. Lee High School (Texas), and earned All-East Texas State honors as a senior, when he hit over .350. Ê Joins Whit Merrifield (2010) and Mark Ellis (1999), among others, as players selected by Kansas City in the ninth round. SHANE CONNOLLY | LHP ROUND 10 | NO. 289 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-2/175 B/T: L/L DOB: 02/13/99 SCHOOL: Virginia Tech University HOMETOWN: Huntersville, N.C. Ê Made 21 appearances (6 starts) as a senior at Virginia Tech this season and ranked second on the team in strikeouts (81) and third in innings (63.0). Ê Pitched at The Citadel from 2018-20, including four starts as a junior during the pandemic-shortened season, in which he had a 3.29 ERA. Ê Joins Richard Lovelady (2016), Greg Holland (2007) and Mike Sweeney (1991), among others, as players drafted by the Royals in the 10th round. BRENNON McNAIR | SS ROUND 11 | NO. 319 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-1/175 B/T: R/R DOB: 09/15/02 SCHOOL: Magee HS (Miss.) HOMETOWN: Magee, Miss. Ê Named Co-Player of the Year in 3A Baseball by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, after batting .527 with 39 runs, 43 RBI, 12 doubles and 11 home runs at the plate, and pitched to a 6-2 record with 65 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA in 54.1 innings on the mound during his senior season. Ê Graduated as valedictorian of his senior class at Magee High School in Magee, Miss and has signed a letter of intent to play at South Alabama. Ê Joins Mark Quinn (1995), Joe Randa (1991) and Kevin Seitzer (1983), among others, as players to be selected by the Royals in the 11th round. TYSON GUERRERO | LHP ROUND 12 | NO. 349 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-1/188 B/T: L/L DOB: 02/16/99 SCHOOL: University of Washington HOMETOWN: Chehalis, Wash. Ê Ranked third among qualified Pac-12 pitchers and led his team with a 2.96 ERA (18 ER in 54.2 IP) as a redshirt sophomore this season. Ê Spent the 2020 season at Lower Columbia, where he went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 20 strikeouts in two starts, including 15 Ks in a 6.0-inning start. Ê Was a two-way player at Washington State in 2019, where he went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA (14 ER in 34.2 IP) in 19 outings and hit .277 (26-for-94). Ê Graduated W.F. West High School (Wash.) in 2018, where he earned Evergreen Conference MVP honors as a junior in 2017 after posting a 1.02 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 27.1 innings…that included a 15-strikeout game, a no-hitter and a 12-strikeout game to lead his team to the 2A state title game. Ê As a high school senior in 2018, he went 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA and threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the third-place game of the State playoffs. PATRICK HALLIGAN | RHP ROUND 13 | NO. 379 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-6/230 B/T: R/R DOB: 10/04/99 SCHOOL: Pensacola State College HOMETOWN: Vienna, Va. Ê Went 7-3 with a 1.87 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 81.2 innings at Pensacola State College in 2021, and was named First-Team All-Panhandle Conference. Ê As a freshman at George Mason in 2019, he tied for the team lead in wins (4), was second in starts (11) and third in innings (57.1) and strikeouts (34). Ê Graduated in 2018 from George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Va, where he was named First-Team All-Conference as a junior and senior. CADEN MONKE | LHP ROUND 14 | NO. 409 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-3/170 B/T: L/L DOB: 09/02/99 SCHOOL: University of Arkansas HOMETOWN: Mt. Olive, Ill. Ê Went 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA (14 ER in 34.0 IP) and 42 strikeouts (11.1 K/9) in 27 relief appearances this season at the University of Arkansas. Ê At Arkansas he was teammates with Robert Moore, son of Royals’ GM, Dayton Moore, and played with 2020 second overall pick Heston Kjerstad. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Mt. Olive High School (Ill.), where he had 100 strikeouts in 66.1 innings, including 57 strikeouts in 26.2 innings as a senior. Ê Ranked as the No. 1 left-handed pitcher in the state of Illinois by Perfect Game in 2018, and his dad, Chris, was the head coach at Mt. Olive HS. RIVER TOWN | OF ROUND 15 | NO. 439 OVERALL HT/WT: 5-11/181 B/T: L/R DOB: 07/08/99 SCHOOL: Dallas Baptist University HOMETOWN: Baton Rouge, La. Ê Hit .326 (76-for-233) with 10 HR, 51 RBI and 20 steals in 59 games as a junior this season, and is currently playing in the Cape Cod League. Ê Spent the first two years of his collegiate career at LSU Eunice, where he hit .508 in 20 games as a sophomore for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country before the season was canceled…made 55 starts as a freshman in 2019 and led the team with a .535 on-base percentage. Ê As a freshman at LSU Eunice in 2019, he became the fourth freshman in school history to earn an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Zachary High School (La.), where he was a four-year letterwinner and named Class 5A First-Team All-State as a senior. ANTHONY SIMONELLI | RHP ROUND 16 | NO. 469 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-2/200 B/T: R/R DOB: 12/23/98 SCHOOL: Virginia Tech University HOMETOWN: Winchester, Va. Ê Went 5-2 in 13 starts this season and his 3.92 ERA (29 ER in 66.2 IP) ranked second among Virginia Tech starting pitchers. Ê Attended St. Johns River State as a sophomore in 2019, where he earned NJCAA DI Pitcher of the Week honors, after throwing a perfect game and a no-hitter in a span of three starts…began his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina in 2018, where he went 3-1 in nine outings (6 starts). Ê Graduated in 2017 from Millbrook High School (Va.), where he went 8-1 with a 0.57 ERA and 71 innings in 49.0 innings during his junior season. LUCA TRESH | C ROUND 17 | NO. 499 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-0/193 B/T: R/R DOB: 01/11/00 SCHOOL: NC State University HOMETOWN: Safety Harbor, Fla. Ê Hit a career-high 15 home runs with 43 RBI and caught all of NC State’s 56 games behind the plate this season as a junior. Ê He is the cousin of Tom Tresh, who won Rookie of the Year in 1962 and was a three-time All-Star and a Rawlings Gold Glove winner with the Yankees during his nine-year career from 1961-69…Tom’s father was Mike Tresh, who played 12 seasons with the White Sox from 1938-49. Ê Graduated in 2018 from Clearwater Central Catholic High School, where he hit .380 with nine doubles and three home runs as a senior. HARRISON BEETHE | RHP ROUND 18 | NO. 529 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-5/220 B/T: R/R DOB: 04/03/98 SCHOOL: Texas Christian University HOMETOWN: Ft. Worth, Texas Ê Made 14 relief outings over the last two seasons at Texas Christian University, after being selected by Milwaukee in the 39th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of North Iowa Area Community College, where he was the No. 4 prospect in the state, according to Baseball America. Ê Attended Arlington Heights High School (Texas), where he hit .352 as a senior and earned four varsity letters during his high school career. CAM WILLIAMS | SS ROUND 19 | NO. 559 OVERALL HT/WT: 6-2/195 B/T: S/R DOB: 02/07/98 SCHOOL: University of Texas HOMETOWN: Odessa, Fla. Ê Set career highs with 20 doubles, 12 home runs and 51 RBI while batting .295 (61-for-207) with a .990 OPS in 61 games this season at Texas. Ê Played at San Jacinto College as a sophomore in 2019, where he led the team with a .341 batting average, after transferring from Dallas Baptist. Ê Graduated in 2016 from Gaither High School (Fla.), where he went to the 7A State Championship and was selected in the 39th round by Seattle. Ê He is the son of Reggie Williams, who played in parts of four seasons with the Angels (1992, 1998-99) and the Dodgers (1995). JACK ALDRICH | LHP ROUND 20 | NO. 589 OVERALL HT/WT: 5-11/204 B/T: L/L DOB: 06/12/99 SCHOOL: Tulane University HOMETOWN: Oak Park, Calif. Ê Led Tulane starters with a 3.70 ERA (34 ER in 82.2 IP) this season and recorded 96 strikeouts (10.5 K/9) to just 23 walks (2.5 BB/9). Ê Spent one season at Santa Barbara City College in 2019, after transferring from Santa Clara University, where he pitched in 2018. Ê Graduated in 2017 from Oaks Christian High School (Calif.), where he was a Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American as a senior.