Potential 2022 KC Royals MLB Draft Target: RHP Peyton Pallette
Major League Baseball hosts the biggest draft in professional sports every year, but most sports fans don't hear anything of it until a few days beforehand. Luckily, this will not be a problem for Kansas City Royals fans this upcoming season.
Reaching Royalty is a series that will be highlighting prospects that the Royals should be eyeing heading into the 2022 MLB Draft. Let's kick things off with a pitching prospect, shall we?
Peyton Pallette, RHP Arkansas
It is no secret that the Royals' front office has been a fan of college pitchers in recent drafts. The 2022 class is loaded with prep bats at the top, but Peyton Pallette from Arkansas has the looks of the best arm in the class.
The 20-year old is riding high on expectations heading into his junior season in Fayetteville. Pallette had his freshman campaign cut short due to the pandemic in 2020 but broke onto the scene as the Razorbacks' No. 2 starter last season.
Pallette's pure stuff, unquestionably, is there. His fastball sits around 93-95 mph but has run all the way up to 99 mph. His curveball might be his best weapon and should translate as a plus pitch at the next level. Pallette's delivery is simple, both from the windup and stretch, and shows every sign of being repeatable as a starting pitcher.
Strikeout potential has been the biggest upside in the right-hander's short career at the University of Arkansas. Pallette posted 69 strikeouts in his 56 innings pitched in 2021. He hasn't needed much more than his fastball-curveball combination in college, so it will be intriguing to see if he works on a third pitch in his (presumed) final year with the team.
On the downside, Pallette does have an injury history in regards to his right elbow. His breakout season in 2020 ended on May 21 during his start against Florida when Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn noticed a dip in his righty's velocity. This raised concern for Arkansas' coaching staff and subsequently, the then-sophomore did not pitch during the Razorbacks' NCAA Tournament run. All signs pointed to Pallette's ulnar collateral ligament, but the injury turned out to be a strain in his elbow — not his UCL. He was able to rehab his way back without undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Pallette is getting very close to being fully recovered from the elbow injury and is lining up to be the Razorbacks' Friday night starter if everything goes right this winter leading up to the spring season. With Arkansas losing Baseball America's player of the year in Kevin Kopps, there is a large void left to be filled in the team's pitching staff this season. This opens up an opportunity for Pallette to be a prospect who shoots up MLB draft boards next year.
Why Pallette should intrigue the Royals
Pallette fits the bill of everything Dayton Moore and his staff have looked for in college arms during the recent rebuild. The Royals have shown the most interest in pitchers who are further down the line of development.
Pallette has shown scouts that his fastball and curveball are both pitches that are ready for the professional level. Peyton projects as a starting pitcher as of now, but he has the stuff to move to the bullpen if his elbow causes trouble going deep into games at some point in the future.
If he sees the success I expect he will at Arkansas in 2022, Pallette will be a very hard prospect for the Royals to pass up on with their first pick. Time will tell if he can capitalize on the opportunity in front of him this year.
