Royals selected Louisville OF Zion Rose with the No. 6 selection of the 2026 MLB Draft.
The first real surprise of the draft, with most believing Rose would go somewhere in the latter portion of the first round. That’s not to say that there aren’t things to like here, of course. Rose has plus power in his right-handed bat, and there’s enough power in his swing to suggest 25-to-30 homer seasons are a realistic number. He isn’t a great defender and likely will need to play left field, but the Royals will likely give him a chance to play center until it’s proven he can’t. There isn’t likely much development left for Rose, and he could be a fast-track player for Kansas City who reaches the bigs by the end of 2028 — possibly sooner if everything goes right.
