'Sky's the limit': Royals take prep lefty Shields with No. 41 pick
Anne Rogers
@anne__rogersKANSAS CITY -- The Royals went with a big, powerful college bat in Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday night.
Their second-round pick couldn¡¯t have been more different in 17-year-old prep left-handed pitcher David Shields, but the excitement surrounding both players was similar.
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After Saturday¡¯s trade to acquire reliever Hunter Harvey from the Nationals for the No. 39 overall pick (Competitive Balance Round A), along with prospect Cayden Wallace, the Royals only had two picks Sunday instead of three. They were still ecstatic to get Shields out of Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) High School with the No. 41 overall pick.
¡°The sky¡¯s the limit for him,¡± scouting director Brian Bridges said. ¡°We offer him a lot in player development that he¡¯s never been exposed to, and him being young, he has time on his hands.
¡°... He has a really good feel for pitching. Throws a lot of strikes. Seventeen years old, so there¡¯s a lot more growth. The fact that he throws strikes and has three pitches and competes is definitely something I was drawn to with him.¡±
Shields was a two-sport standout in high school as the starting quarterback and ace pitcher for Mt. Lebanon, but he gave up football and reclassified for the 2024 Draft, making him just 17 years old on Draft day. A bout with mono just prior to the start of his 2024 season slowed him out of the gate, but he went 5-0 with a 0.25 ERA, 52 strikeouts and just three walks, earning his way to Pennsylvania Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.
¡°He went out and pitched for his team with mono, which was the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Bridges said.
Shields won¡¯t turn 18 until September -- and he¡¯s already hitting 94-95 mph with his fastball.
Shields has two other pitches, a low-80s breaking ball and average changeup, that round out his arsenal. He repeats his delivery well and throws all his pitches for strikes, according to the MLB Pipeline scouting report that ranked Shields at No. 41 on its Top 250 Draft Prospects.
Extremely athletic and standing at 6-foot-2, it¡¯s easy to think there¡¯s more in the tank velocity-wise for Shields, and that projection is what stood out to the Royals. He¡¯s committed to the University of Miami, but Bridges said Shields will be on his way to the Royals¡¯ facility in Arizona shortly to get signed and start his professional career. The approximate slot value for pick No. 41 is $2.28 million.
Like most of their high school prospects, Shields will likely progress slowly to begin his career. But the long-term upside is what has the Royals excited.
¡°The fact that he can throw strikes, that¡¯s one thing that¡¯s never going to change,¡± Bridges said. ¡°You go to games and guys are slinging it all over the place. Missing their spots, throwing it all over the place. This guy is in the zone. And the most important thing is being in the zone. We have people in player development who will help him get to his ceiling.¡±