Royals add first baseman O'Hearn in eighth round

The Royals stayed offensive-minded with their eighth-round pick (243rd overall), selecting Sam Houston State first baseman Ryan O'Hearn.

The left-handed O'Hearn (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) broke out in his junior year with the Bearkats, slugging eight home runs, after combining for just three in his freshman and sophomore seasons. O'Hearn posted a .292 batting average, and added three triple and eight doubles.

"We wanted to try to get a left-handed bat in the Draft and some of those guys get taken early," Royals director of scouting Lonnie Goldberg said. "O'Hearn was a guy our scouts believed in early in the year. He's a real good defensive player, and he gives us flexibility -- he can play the outfield and first base."

O'Hearn, who checks in at No. 307 in Baseball America's Top 500 list, was the fourth position player the Royals drafted from Rounds 4-8. Kansas City used five of its first seven picks on pitchers.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at noon CT.