Auburn, Cal pitchers headline Kansas City Royals’ picks on Day 2 of MLB Draft

The Kansas City Royals picked a trio of college pitchers to kick off Day 2 of the 2022 MLB Draft on Monday.

After picking two college hitters with their first two selections Sunday, the Royals drafted Auburn right-hander Mason Barnett with the 87th pick, Cal lefty Steven Zobac with the 115th pick and Central Florida southpaw Hunter Patteson with the 145th pick.

Kansas City continued the run on college players, drafting two Ole Miss prospects (catcher Hayden Dunhurst, closer Brandon Johnson) and finishing the second day of the draft with all 10 of their draft picks coming from college.

Six of the Royals’ eight Day 2 picks were pitchers.

The trade of the 35th pick decreased Kansas City’s bonus pool ($9,466,200), which may have played a role in choosing to select college players.

Here’s a breakdown of each player selected on Day 2 of the 2022 MLB Draft:

Mason Barnett, 3rd round

A 6-foot, right-handed pitcher, Barnett made the jump into the Auburn rotation his junior year, posting a 4.38 ERA in 19 appearances and 14 starts.

With a fastball sitting in the mid-90s, Barnett was ranked No. 209 by MLB.com and No. 382 by Baseball America.

Issues with command limited him to a bullpen role his first two seasons and from getting past the sixth inning in any start his junior year. His pitches, including his fastball and a slider that sits in the mid-80s as well as a curveball and changeup, project well to the next level provided he can locate them.

From Cartersville, Georgia, Barnett flashed his potential at the end of his junior season with 5 1/3 scoreless innings against UCLA in a deciding game of the Auburn Regional and a one-run, four-inning performance against Oregon State in the super regional.

Steven Zobac, 4th round

Zobac was a two-way player his first two seasons for California, pitching out of the bullpen while also hitting as a corner outfielder. As a junior, he fully transitioned to pitching, finishing with a 4.09 ERA in 61 2/3 innings and striking out 72 batters while walking 20.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander mostly throws two pitches: a fastball that sits in the low-90s and topped out at 96 mph and a slider that drew lots of swings and misses and sits in the low-80s.

He also finished his junior season strong. In back-to-back shutouts against New Mexico and Utah in May, Zobac struck out 23 batters in 13 innings while only allowing six total hits.

The San Jose, California product was ranked No. 241 by MLB.com.

Hunter Patteson, 5th round

A 6-foot-4 left-hander, Patterson was first selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 35th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

He chose to attend college at Central Florida instead, where he had a strong junior season with a 1.82 ERA and 41 strikeouts in seven starts and 41 2/3 innings pitched.

After his freshman season was cut short due to COVID-19, he mostly pitched out of the bullpen as a sophomore for UCF, where issues with walks plagued him en route to a 5.50 ERA and 35 walks in 55.2 innings.

His third season was cut short after an injury against East Carolina. Patteson is another pitcher with a fastball-slider combination and was draft eligible after his sophomore year. He was not ranked in the top 250 by MLB.com

Hayden Dunhurst, 6th round

Ole Miss’s Hayden Dunhurst continued the run of college players selected by the Royals when Kansas City picked the catcher with the 175th pick in the sixth round.

Dunhurst won the starting catching job at Ole Miss from his first game as a freshman. He drew lots of draft interest as a high schooler and was selected in the 37th round by the Colorado Rockies.

The catcher won a Gold Glove in 2021 behind the backstop and helped Ole Miss to a College World Series championship while dealing with a hamstring injury.

After hitting five home runs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season for an impressive .577 slugging percentage, the lefty batter slashed .280/.386/.435 as a sophomore before struggling at the plate and hitting .231/.370/.385 as a junior.

Ranked No. 155 by MLB.com, scouts projects Dunhurst well as a catcher at the next level as a receiver and blocker.

Mack Anglin, 7th round

Anglin became the third SEC player drafted by the Royals after Kansas City selected the Clemson right-handed starter with the 205th pick in the seventh round.

A 6-foot-4 pitcher, Anglin stayed steadfast to the Tigers both out of high school — going undrafted despite strong interest due to his commitment to play for Clemson — and also after his sophomore year, choosing to return to Clemson after being picked in the 13th round by the Washington Nationals.

MLB.com rated Anglin as the No. 179 prospect in the draft and said the Tigers’ starter “profiles strictly as a reliever as a pro.”

“Anglin once again features two of the more intriguing breaking pitches in the Draft, favoring his mid-80s slider with two-plane break over his low-80s downer curveball. Both can be plus-plus weapons at their best,” MLB.com wrote.

At Clemson, however, Anglin was the team’s No. 1 starter and managed a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts as a senior, throwing 78 strikeouts and 52 walks in 76.1 innings.

Wesley Scott, 8th round

The 235th pick in the eighth round, Scott played for Walters State Community College.

The 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher transferred to the Tennessee junior college after stints at Arizona and San Jacinto Community College, and started 15 games for Walters State, racking up 118 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA in 75 innings.

Brandon Johnson, 9th round

The Royals picked another Ole Miss player with right-handed pitcher Brandon Johnson.

Three rounds after his catcher, Hayden Dunhurst, was selected, Johnson went to the Royals with the 265th pick in the ninth round.

A closer for the Rebels, Johnson collected a 4.32 ERA and 12 saves in his senior season along with 71 strikeouts and 21 walks in 41.2 innings. He struck out the side to win the national championship in June.

Levi Usher, 10th round

The Royals wrapped up their Day 2 by selecting Louisville outfielder Levi Usher in the 10th round with the 295th pick.

Usher won a Gold Glove in center field for the Cardinals and slashed .285/.362/.455 after struggling from the plate, hitting .216 in his second year at Louisville. He told the Cedar Rapids Gazette he was intending to go pro and forgo his final year of college eligibility.

A 6-foot, left-handed batter, Usher was drafted in the 37th round by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2019 draft after playing at Kirkwood Community College his freshman year.

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 3:26 PM.