KC Royals select Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross with No. 9 pick in MLB Draft

Gavin Cross went from having no idea how things would unfold once the MLB Draft started to casually dropping into his media conference that he’d talked with Kansas City Royals legend George Brett about barbecue on the phone earlier in the evening.

That’s how unpredictable draft night was for the Tennessee native and Virginia Tech outfielder the Royals selected with the ninth overall pick on Sunday night.

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound, left-handed hitter, Cross was one of the most consistent college hitters in the country dating to 2021. Baseball America and MLB.com each ranked him as the 10th-best prospect in this year’s draft.

As far as his chat with Brett, one of the best left-handed hitters in the history of Major League Baseball, Cross said, “He was just congratulating me and welcoming me to the Royals family.”

“He said how passionate they are and how loyal they are, and just wanted to congratulate me,” Cross said. “That’s pretty much all it was. It was nothing crazy, but I thought it was pretty special for him to reach out and kind of form that relationship. I look forward to meeting him.”

This season at Virginia Tech, Cross slashed .328/.411/.660 with 17 home runs. In 2021, he earned All-ACC First Team honors and led Virginia Tech with a .345 batting average, a .621 slugging percentage, 48 runs scored, 70 hits, 13 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and nine stolen bases.

He has played both right field and center field, as well as first base.

Baseball America’s draft prospect scouting report grades Cross as having plus power, plus running ability and an above-average hit tool.

“We’re going to send Gavin out to center field, and we feel he can play center field,” said Royals scouting director Danny Ontiveros, in his first year as head of the scouting department. “If there’s a point in time where he moves right or left, he’s going to be plus. ...

“There’s versatility. He can play all three (positions), but he’s a center fielder right now.”

Ontiveros, who’d worked under former scouting director and current vice president of player personnel Lonnie Goldberg, said he had to gather himself when he placed the phone call to Cross to inform him the Royals were drafting him.

Ontiveros said it “meant a lot” to be in that chair and making that phone call after 25 years in scouting.

“It’s just surreal,” said Cross, who celebrated at a draft party with 150 people, including friends, family, former teammates and coaches. “I’ve got a really good relationship with Danny and the whole staff, the front office.

“The draft is crazy. I didn’t know how it was going to work out. I’m just blessed to be in this position and thankful for everyone who has helped me to get here. I’m thankful for Danny and the Royals for believing in me, giving me a chance. I can’t wait to get to work.”

Cross, 21, was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team and the VaSID All-State First Team in addition to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 NCAA Blacksburg Regional.

Through his three collegiate seasons, Cross didn’t bat lower than .300. He also excelled offensively while playing for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. He led Team USA with a .455/.474/.879 slash line, 15 hits, 13 RBIs, and four home runs in the summer of 2021.

In high school, he set a Tennessee state record for stolen bases when he recorded 41 in 2018.

His father, Adam, played professionally in the minor leagues and went on to work as a scout and then as a junior-college coach. He began his professional career in the Atlanta Braves organization in 1995.

“He’s the biggest influence I’ve had as far as foundational baseball IQ and my swing, how to play the game, just overall love for the game,” Cross said of his father. “He introduced me to it at a very young age. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been swinging a bat, playing baseball, Wiffle ball. Pretty much everything about me stems from him.”

Cross is the first college position player the Royals have selected with their first pick since Hunter Dozier in 2013 (eight overall).

“He’s a baseball player at heart,” Ontiveros said. “This guy is in the cage. He works at his craft. … I think he’s going to blend really well with what we’re doing with our hitting development and he’s just going to continue to take off. He’s a sponge. He loves to work at it. He’s a team guy, and I think there’s still a lot of ceiling left.”

Cross is the first college position player the Royals have selected with their first pick since Hunter Dozier in 2013 (eight overall).

The Royals had used their two most recent top picks on pitchers in 2020 and 2021. They selected Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020, and then last year used the No. 7 pick on Connecticut high school left-hander Frankie Mozzicato.

Baseball America ranked the Royals’ farm system the fifth-best of the 30 MLB organizations in regard to overall talent in 2022.

Royals’ recent top picks

2022: No. 9, Gavin Cross, OF, Virginia Tech

2021: No. 7, Frankie Mozzicato, LHP, East Catholic HS (Connecticut)

2020: No. 4, Asa Lacy, LHP, Texa A&M

2019: No. 2, Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Colleyville Heritage HS (Texas)

2018: No. 18, Brady Singer, RHP, University of Florida

2017: No. 14, Nick Pratto, 1B, Huntington Beach HS (California)