Royals Select 10 Players on Third Day of 2023 First-Year Player Draft

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals completed the final day of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday, selecting 10 players to cap a three-day period in which they added 21 players to the organization.

In total, the Royals selected 11 pitchers, four outfielders, three infielders, two catchers and one two-way player. Of their 21 picks, 15 were from the college ranks and six were high school players.

In the 11^th round (319^th overall), the Royals selected left-handed hitting outfielder Jared Dickey from the University of Tennessee. He hit .343 (118-for-344) in 103 games during his sophomore and junior seasons, including 12 homers and 52 RBI in 63 games this year, when he earned All-SEC Second Team honors.

With their 12^th-round pick (349^th overall), the Royals selected right-handed pitcher Logan Martin from the University of Kentucky. Martin recorded 30 strikeouts over 26.1 innings in 9 appearances (8 starts) in his only season with Kentucky, after spending the first three years of his collegiate career at Sewanee University, where he was named SAA Pitcher of the Year in 2022.

In the 13^th round (379^th overall), Kansas City selected right-handed pitcher Ethan Bosacker from Xavier. He went 8-3 with a 3.49 ERA (38 ER in 98.0 IP) and 101 strikeouts (9.3 K/9) in 16 starts this season, after missing 2022 due to injury.

With its 14^th-round pick (409^th overall), Kansas City selected left-handed pitcher Mason Miller from Florida Gulf Coast University. As a junior this season, Miller went 2-0 in 7 starts, all of which FGCU won, including his start on Feb. 25 vs. UMass Lowell, when he recorded 5.0 no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts.

In the 15^th round (439^th overall), the Royals selected right-handed pitcher Chase Isbell from Auburn. Isbell went 3-1 with 2 saves and 42 strikeouts in 33.1 innings (11.3 K/9) this season in 23 appearances (1 start). He spent his first two seasons at Samford, where he led the team with a 2.32 ERA (8 ER in 31.0 IP) in 2021 and tied for 2^nd in the conference with 7 saves. He graduated from Springville HS in Alabama, the same school that Casey Mize attended, and was teammates at Auburn two seasons ago with Royals 2022 3^rd-round pick Mason Barnett.

With their 16^th-round pick (469^th overall), the Royals selected right-handed pitcher Josh Hansell from Arizona State. Hansell spent the last two seasons with the Sun Devils after beginning his collegiate career at Wichita State. His father, Greg, was drafted by Boston in 1989 and played professional baseball for 16 seasons, including four years in the Majors from 1995-97 and 1999. Greg was the Player to be Named Later in a 1998 trade that sent him and Shane Mack from Oakland to Kansas City for Mike Macfarlane.

In the 17^th round (499^th overall), Kansas City selected left-handed pitcher Connor Oliver out of Miami (Ohio). Oliver pitched for four different schools in four seasons, including Texas Christian University in 2022, Wabash Valley College in 2021 and Wichita State in 2020. As a senior in 2023 with Miami (Ohio), Oliver recorded a team-best 3.89 ERA (34 ER in 78.2 IP) in 14 starts with 102 strikeouts (11.9 K/9), which ranked 2^nd in the conference.

With their 18^th-round pick (529^th overall), the Royals selected catcher Stone Russell from IMG Academy (Fla.). Russell hit .436 (34-for-78) with 35 RBI in 25 games as a senior and was named a Perfect Game Preseason All-American. He is committed to the University of Florida. His father, John Russell, was drafted by Philadelphia in the 1^st round of the 1982 Draft and played for 10 seasons in the Majors from 1984-93. John managed the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2008-10, was Buck Showalter’s Bench Coach in Baltimore for eight seasons and is currently the Manager of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainers.

In the 19^th round (559^th overall), the Royals selected outfielder Donovan LaSalle from Barbe HS (La.). LaSalle hit .510 (51-for-100) during his senior season with 27 extra-base hits (10 HR) and 43 RBI for a 1.693 OPS. He had more walks (23) than strikeouts (7) and went 33-for-35 in stolen base attempts. He led his team to a 39-1 record this season – including 20 consecutive wins to end the season – and hit the go-ahead grand slam in the 7^th inning of the D1 state championship. LaSalle is committed to Oklahoma State.

With their final pick in the 20^th round (589^th overall), the Royals selected shortstop Blake Wilson from Santa Margarita Catholic HS (Calif.). Wilson hit .333 (38-for-114) in 35 games this spring, leading his school to its first league title since 2004. He was named a Preseason All-American by Perfect Game and is committed to play baseball at the University of Washington.