Royals go for offensive upside with Gamble, Hammond on Day 1 of Draft

ATLANTA -- The Royals were always going to eye upside with their first selections of the MLB Draft, and as the picks got closer on Sunday night, they zeroed in on hitters.

Their first two picks fit the target.

With the No. 23 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Royals selected second baseman/outfielder Sean Gamble out of IMG Academy in Florida.

Just five picks later, with their prospect promotion incentive pick at No. 28, the Royals selected infielder Josh Hammond out of Wesleyan Christian (N.C.) Academy.

That gave the Royals two prep hitters – Nos. 26 (Hammond) and 27 (Gamble) on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list – to begin a busy first day of the Draft on Sunday, with five picks between Rounds 1-3.

• Royals first-rounder gambled on his talent -- and won big

And with the prep bats comes a lot of upside and high ceiling, especially with the different skill sets that Gamble and Hammond represent.

“If you think about the type of game we want to play – we want to be athletic,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We want to utilize speed. That’s really what our identity is. And when you look at Sean and his ability to run, we look at him as a potential leadoff hitter down the road. And then Hammond, with power, those are two things you covet.”

Gamble, 19, is a Des Moines, Iowa, native, but he left his home state at 14 years old to go to IMG Academy, where he first went for summer camps. Coaches there recognized the talent, though, and offered him a spot for high school. Over the next four years, Gamble excelled – and got a lot stronger along the way.

A smooth-swinging left-handed hitter, Gamble can barrel the ball to all fields and is developing more power as he keeps gaining strength. He controls the strike zone well and makes a ton of contact. His tools also include plus speed and a strong arm, making him a well-rounded player the Royals envision at the top of their lineup one day.

“We look at him as a top-of-the-order-type leadoff guy who can really run,” scouting director Brian Bridges said. “He’s a 70 runner.”

Bridges also mentioned that Gamble has “as much range as anybody I’ve ever seen playing on the infield.” Gamble’s speed and arm allow him to play center field, too, so the Royals value his ability to be an up-the-middle player.

The Royals expect to sign Gamble away from his Vanderbilt commitment.

The same goes for Hammond, a Wake Forest commit. He has two-way experience in high school but hit .471 with six home runs as a senior at Wesleyan Christian.

It’s the plus raw power that got the 18-year-old drafted. Hammond’s 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame generates consistently high exit velocities. The Royals drafted him as a shortstop, but his strong arm and agility could give him a home at third base, too. His fastball hit 96 mph in high school and might have gotten him drafted in later rounds, too.

Kansas City was drawn to Hammond’s athleticism, with evaluators saying he has a chance to be an impact bat in the middle of the order.

“He can really swing the bat,” Bridges said. “He can get to that power. The kid can hit the ball as far as anybody I’ve scouted.

“… The one thing our analytics department liked was his ability to make contact in the zone on several different pitches. There’s stuff there to build with. You hit enough with his strength and power, he’s going to hit homers.”

Here is a look at the other picks the Royals made on Day 1 of the Draft.

No. 61: Michael Lombardi, RHP (No. 75 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 rankings)

• School: Tulane
• Calling Card: The Royals were ecstatic to land Lombardi, who was a two-way player at Tulane and showed off incredible athleticism in the infield and outfield. But his pro career will belong on the mound. He generated some of the best in-zone swing-and-miss rates in NCAA Division I this past spring, with his 93-95 mph heater featuring tremendous carry and very sharp 78-81 mph curveball that generates whiffs. Lombardi also has a changeup that will need polishing, along with his command, but the ceiling is high for a college pitcher.
• Quote: “He’s really a good athlete. At Tulane, he had the ability to help those guys on both sides of the ball. Later in the year, he started, because they needed him to start. But that’s ultimately what he wants to do. He’s a very driven young man, and he knows what he wants. I wouldn’t bet against him.” – Bridges

No. 71: Justin Lamkin, LHP (No. 111)

• School: Texas A&M
• Calling Card: He was the best prep lefty out of Texas back in 2022, but he went to Texas A&M and became an immediate, reliable contributor there. Lamkin’s 91-93 mph fastball plays up because of his funky arm action and extension, and his low-80s slider is his best miss pitch because of the depth he gets on it. Lamkin rounds out his three-pitch mix with a changeup. He stands out more for his floor than his ceiling, with his workhorse mentality and control that improved throughout college. If that sounds a lot like two Royals southpaws in the current big league rotation, you wouldn’t be the only one to make that connection.
• Quote: “That’s one thing [Royals vice president of research and development] Daniel Mack said, when we were talking about him before we selected him; he said, ‘I see a lot of Kris Bubic in him. Some Noah Cameron in him.’ There’s still stuff that can be done with him.” – Bridges

No. 97: Cameron Millar, RHP (No. 138)

• School: Alhambra (Calif.) HS
• Calling Card: Millar’s Draft stock rose quite a bit this spring because of a big spike in velocity. After sitting in the 90-92 mph range last year, Millar was more around the mid-90s and up to 97 mph this year while throwing a heater that featured a ton of run. He also flashes a changeup and slider, both of which have the chance to be above-average pitches. Bridges mentioned that his slider will likely turn into a bullet slider once the Royals’ pitching department begins to work with him. There’s a good foundation after his strong spring and a lot of upside here, which Bridges loves. The Royals are expected to go over-slot to sign Millar away from his Arizona commitment, which will likely mean finding underslot picks early on Day 2.
• Quote: “I’m just as excited about him as I am anybody. He’s got swagger to him, not in a bad way. He just looks like he’s already on TV. The way he competed and went after hitters, you don’t see young prep pitchers anymore with that type of mentality. He’s definitely one that gets after it. We’re very, very, very happy he’s a Royal.” – Bridges