The Royals need a shortstop. Even without paying attention, you might have known that. Improving the position was the biggest unfulfilled goal of the offseason.</p><p>Mike Aviles&rsquo; slow start and injury left a gaping hole in the Royals&rsquo; lineup, winding all the way down through most every level of the minor leagues.</p><p>Some intriguing shortstops will be available through free-agency this winter, but the club gets its best chance at a long-term answer for what&rsquo;s been a need for the franchise virtually every season of its existence when the amateur draft begins tonight.</p><p>So maybe you&rsquo;ll be happy to know that predraft buzz links the Royals&rsquo; 12th overall pick with USC shortstop Grant Green, who projects as a terrific defensive player and solid hitter.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take the best player available to us,&rdquo; says Royals&rsquo; scouting director J.J. Picollo. &ldquo;Whoever the guy is who&rsquo;s highest on our board when we pick, that&rsquo;s who we&rsquo;ll pick.&rdquo;</p><p>The Royals, along with every other team in baseball, will get another chance at fortifying the organization&rsquo;s biggest weakness when a loaded class of international talent becomes available to sign on July 2. Club officials promise to be aggressive there, armed with more money than in recent years. </p><p>Picollo&rsquo;s first year of running the Royals&rsquo; scouting department after he replaced the fired Deric Ladnier comes in what&rsquo;s widely regarded as a weak draft class.</p><p>San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg is generating an enormous amount of buzz while the Washington Nationals save up for what could be a $20 million or more signing bonus for the top overall pick.</p><p>North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley is expected to be drafted second and command another big bonus from the Seattle Mariners, but after that, it&rsquo;s cloudy.</p><p>If the Royals draft Green, it would be the fourth consecutive year of selecting a player advised by uber-agent Scott Boras. Other names that have been linked to the Royals include Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez, California high school pitcher Tyler Matzek, and North Carolina high school catcher Wil Myers.</p><p>Or it could be someone else entirely. This is a far cry from the last three years, when the Royals had one of the top three picks.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s more uncertainty, it&rsquo;s hard to predict what players will be available to us,&rdquo; general manager Dayton Moore says. &ldquo;I would say it&rsquo;s an awkward spot. It&rsquo;s just more uncertainty. It&rsquo;s a larger pool of players that you know will get to you. At the top, you get to choose from the best four to six players in the game.&rdquo;</p><p>The first-round pick takes on even more importance for the Royals because they won&rsquo;t pick again until the 91st overall selection. They lost their second-round pick when they signed free-agent reliever Juan Cruz, and don&rsquo;t have a supplemental pick with Mark Grudzielanek still unsigned.</p><p>Last year, the Royals had four of the first 80 selections. Their best way to compensate figures to be internationally, and they&rsquo;re equipped with the cash.</p><p>The Royals signed last year&rsquo;s No. 3 overall pick, high school slugger Eric Hosmer, to a $6 million bonus. The 12th pick in 2008, Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks, signed for $1.9 million.</p><p>Also, the Royals spent nearly $1.8 million to sign their supplemental (left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery, 36th overall) and second-round (second baseman Johnny Giavotella, 49th) selections, picks they don&rsquo;t have this year.