Royals double down on prep position players, draft Josh Hammond at 28th overall

Kansas City continued run on prep players to kick off the 2025 MLB Draft

The Kansas City Royals can thank shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. for their second pick inside the top 30 of the 2025 MLB Draft. Witt’s runner-up finish in 2024 AL MVP voting earned the club a Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) pick, which they used to select prep infielder Josh Hammond.

Hammond is the type of high-upside prep bat scouts highlight early—a hyper-athletic, two-way talent from Wesleyan Christian Academy whose tools are translating into real production. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Wake Forest commit is a right-handed power hitter projected to stick at third base, with enough athleticism to defend the position and a 70-grade arm that once made scouts consider his future on the mound.

Hammond tests like a combine standout: a 3.78-second 30-yard dash, 10’5” broad jump, and a peak power output north of 5,300 watts—numbers Prospects Live likened to a Bruce Feldman “Freak List” entry. Those gains have translated directly to the batter’s box, where he’s posted a 106.4 mph max exit velocity in game action and 103 mph in Perfect Game testing.

Hammond’s plate approach continues to evolve, showing strong walk rates, trimmed strikeout totals, and an uptick in extra-base power this past season. He’s highly projectable offensively, with room to refine his attack angle and add strength to an already impressive frame. His senior-year slash line—.471/.613/.882—speaks to that production, as do his triple-digit exit velocities. Long-term, Hammond profiles as a middle-of-the-order thumper with average contact skills, power to all fields, and sneaky value on the basepaths. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel compared him to Atlanta Braves slugger Austin Riley, citing similar third-base upside and a strong pitching background.

The right-handed hitter had long been evaluated as a legitimate two-way prospect, showcasing intriguing stuff on the mound during his prep career. But it was his offensive upside that ultimately carried the most weight, leading to his full-time focus at the plate—and a top-30 selection to match. The Athletic’s Keith Law praised Kansas City’s approach after the pick, highlighting the club’s willingness to bet on upside with projectable prep bats early in the draft.

Hammond was 28th on my draft board, coincidentally, as the two-way player is going to be a strong defender on the left side of the infield and may end a plus OBP guy with 20-homer power. This is a heck of a one-two punch of high-upside high school bats for the Royals.

But with some of the names still on the board, the Royals’ pick of Hammond raised a few eyebrows. Kansas City passed on more polished collegiate bats like Arizona’s Brendan Summerhill and Arkansas infielder Wehiwa Aloy—players with safer profiles and shorter timelines to the majors. Hammond’s selection also aligned with pre-draft chatter that he might go later in the round, making the pick feel like a reach and inviting questions about Kansas City’s strategy, especially with more advanced talent still available.