Kansas City Royals ‘were just extremely proud’ to land this player late in MLB Draft
Five picks into the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Royals scouting director Danny Ontiveros was satisfied. He felt like the Royals “got the bat that they wanted on Day 3,” just moments after the draft had resumed.
That productive bat was 6-foot-1 Tennessee outfielder Jared Dickey. The redshirt-sophomore led the Volunteers in batting average (.328) and hits (80) in 2023, leading to an All-SEC second-team selection. In 2022, he hit .380 over 40 games.
Dickey’s bat was on display during Tennessee’s College World Series run this year. He went 3 for 5 against Stanford in the team’s only College World Series win and picked up a clutch two-out single that, after a defensive error, brought in three runs in the Hattiesburg Super Regional against Southern Miss.
Ontiveros also sees positives with Dickey as a versatile defensive player.
“It’s always a plus: You get a guy who can possibly catch and play outfield and do some different things on the field,” Ontiveros said. “If it’s something he really wants to do, we’re open to exploring that option. But the bat is really attractive, so wherever he fits in the lineup we’ll be good with it.”
The Royals, Ontiveros said, had an added comfort selecting Dickey because of a connection that began before his time at Tennessee. Dickey played for the club’s scout team in high school, run by Royals Southeast cross checker Sean Gibbs.
Even after Dickey left for Tennessee, his relationship with the Royals only continued to grow. Ontiveros added that the Royals monitored Dickey’s progression over his three-year collegiate career.
MLB.com listed Dickey as the 115th overall prospect ahead of the draft. Ontiveros was particularly pleased with the selections of Dickey in Round 11 and Kentucky right-hander Logan Martin 30 picks later.
“We really feel like there’s an impactful bat there,” Ontiveros said of Dickey. “We were just extremely proud to get (Dickey and Wilson) there, and we were just thrilled we got off to a great start.”
Dickey was the second-to-last outfielder taken by the Royals, as they selected Barbe High School (Louisiana) outfielder Donovan LaSalle in the 19th round. The team took six pitchers throughout the final day.
