KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed 18 of their 21 selections in last week’s 2021 First-Year Player Draft, adding three more to the list this afternoon.
The most recent signees include catcher Carter Jensen (3rd round, 78th overall), infielder Dayton Dooney (6th round, 169th overall) and shortstop Brennon McNair (11th round, 319th overall).
Jensen is a graduate of nearby Park Hill Senior High School (MO), where he was named a Perfect Game Preseason All-American this season and was committed to play baseball at Louisiana State University before signing with the Royals. He’s the highest drafted catcher by the Royals since the club selected MJ Melendez in the second round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft.
Dooney attended Central Arizona College in 2021 and batted .376/.452/.706 this season, helping the Vaqueros reach the Championship Game of the Junior College World Series. As a freshman at the University of Arizona in 2019, he was named a First-Team Freshman All-American, hitting .323 (51-for-161) with a 1.013 OPS and 53 RBI.
McNair graduated from Magee High School (MS), where was named Co-Player of the Year in Division 3A by the Mississippi Association of Coaches this year. During his senior season, he batted .527 with 39 runs, 43 RBI, 12 doubles, and 11 home runs at the plate, while he pitched to a 6-2 record with 65 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA in 54.1 innings on the mound.
