Royals select AJ Causey in fifth round of MLB Draft
AJ Causey is off the board at the 2024 MLB Draft, with the Tennessee junior right-hander selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 138th overall pick in the fifth round on Monday.
Causey in his only season at Tennessee had a 4.43 ERA and a 13-3 record in 19 games. He started six games while pitching 91.1 innings, giving up 53 runs (45 earned) on 93 hits. He struck out 125 while issuing just 22 walks.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Casey transferred to Tennessee after two seasons at Jacksonville State, where he was a Friday night starter in 2023.
He shut out Texas Tech for 4.2 innings in his Tennessee debut in February, picked up a win against Northern Kentucky in the Knoxville Regional in the NCAA Tournament and had 4.2 innings of shutout baseball against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional. He appeared twice in the College World Series, against Florida State and Texas A&M.
MLB.com Scouting Report: AJ Causey
Jim Callis: “Causey succeeds despite a mediocre 89-91 mph fastball that peaks at 93 with run and sink but gets crushed if he’s not precise with his location. He banks heavily on a plus upper-70s changeup that fades and dives when it reaches the plate, keeping lefties in check and destroying righties. His slider is effective despite its mid-70s velocity because it has high spin rates and huge horizontal break, though it surprisingly gets a lot more in-zone swings-and-misses than it does chases.
“Causey creates a lot of deception with a sidearm delivery that provides wiffle-ball action to his changeup and slider. He pounds the zone but will need to refine his fastball command to prosper against more advanced hitters in pro ball. He projects as more reliever than starter at that level, but his baffling secondary pitches and strike-throwing ability could help him move quickly.
Tennessee’s MLB Draft history during the Tony Vitello era
Right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander went No. 9 overall to the Colorado Rockies a year ago, one of eight Tennessee players drafted.
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Outfielder Drew Gilbert and third baseman Jordan Beck were both first-round picks in 2022, when a Tennessee record 10 players were drafted. Gilbert went at No. 28 overall to the Houston Astros while Beck went No. 38 to the Rockies.
Seven players were drafted in 2021 and three players were picked in the 2020 draft, which was limited to five rounds during the COVID pandemic.
Left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet was the No. 11 overall pick to the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 MLB Draft and on Sunday was named to the MLB All-Star game. He the majors in strikeouts (146) in his first season as a starter.
Tennessee had eight players drafted in 2018 and 2019, with two players picked in 2018 and six selected in 2019.
