Royals prepare to spend for stars of tomorrow

That squishy sound you heard last night was the Royals taking a seat in on the Naugahyde couch in the basement of the American League Central Division. But all is not lost, baseball fans. The Royals appear to have done splendidly in the amateur draft.

Kansas City took Wakarusa native Aaron Crow with its first pick. The Washington Nationals selected Crow, who pitched at Mizzou, with the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft. He became available after failing to reach a contract with the Nats last summer.

Things got really interesting in the third and fourth rounds, when the Royals took talented players — Wil Myers, a catcher, and lefty Chris Dwyer — who fell down draft boards because of their anticipated contract demands. A blogger at Baseball America says the Royals look “willing to spend,” given that in 2008 the team paid amateur players a record $11.1 million in bonuses.

The Royals? Willing to spend? Things have really changed at the K.