The Royals select shortstop Nick Loftin 32nd overall in the 2020 MLB Draft

With the 32nd pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Royals have selected shortstop Nick Loftin out of Baylor.

If you are a team that wants to make absolutely certain you know what you are getting and play it safe in a draft that has very limited picks and limited information, then Nick Loftin makes a ton of sense. Nothing he does is loud, per se, but in a draft bereft of shortstop-ready talent, Loftin is a guy that will stick there and he does a lot of things pretty well. He has an above average hit tool, has a track record of pretty decent performance in college, runs pretty well, and is a good defensive player with a pretty strong arm. While the ceiling is very limited here, there is also a pretty safe floor as a useful utility player.

One of the biggest reasons to not invest a particularly high pick in Loftin is his below average power. It is absolutely true that contact-oriented hitters can succeed at the next level, but those players often have some sort of obscene hit tool or have another standout ability that, at this moment in time, Loftin does not appear to possess. The certainty that Loftin provides, especially given the weakness of this shortstop class, could be comforting for some teams, but others may be looking for more upside early in this draft.