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KC nabs its first righty pitcher in Draft

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals selected Carter Hope, their first right-handed pitcher in the 2013 First-Player Draft, from The Woodlands High School (Texas) in the third round with the 82nd pick overall on Friday.

"He's another young, projectable right-hander at 6-foot-3," Royals director of scouting Lonnie Goldberg said. "Real clean delivery. He's just started recently pitching. His brother [Mason] was drafted and is in the Marlins organization, so it's baseball bloodlines. It's what we look for. It's a physical body and it's an athlete."

Hope hadn't pitched much before this season, but he quickly made a statement when he threw a no-hitter in his first start this spring.

Hope also plays third base, but his tools and bloodlines suggest his future might be in pitching. His father, Pat, pitched for Oklahoma State and his brother, Mason, was the Marlins' fifth-round pick in 2011. Hope's fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s, and he also throws a curveball and changeup. He has a clean delivery and good arm action.

Hope is committed to Oklahoma State, where he likely will be a two-way player.

Kathleen Gier is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Teddy Cahill is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tedcahill.
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