KANSAS CITY -- Two years removed from winning the World Series, the Royals are middling at the bottom of the American League Central and have one of the worst records in the Major Leagues. The farm system needs bolstering as it lacks a prospect in MLB Pipeline.com's top 100 players.
The 2017 Draft will take place from Monday through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m ET. MLB Network will broadcast the first 36 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 75 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on June 14, beginning at noon ET.
Go to MLB.com/draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLBPipeline.com analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.
Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Royals, whose first selection is the 14th overall pick.
In about 50 words
:: 2017 MLB Draft coverage ::
The players who once made the Royals' farm system one of the best in baseball -- Mike Moustakas,William Myers, Danny Duffy, Brandon FinneganEric Hosmer, Greg Holland, etc. -- are either in the Majors or no longer on the team. As such, general manager Dayton Moore is hoping to continue his task of restocking.
The scoop
With four picks in the top 100 and their highest overall pick since 2013, the Royals have a good chance to grab a few players who will become productive at the Major League level. They could go any number of ways, but the Royals, as do most teams, will be looking for arms.
First-round buzz
Multiple mock drafts have projected that Kansas City will select the highest-rated high school pitcher left on the board at No. 14. A few have said this could be left-hander Trevor Rogers of Carlsbad High School (N.M.). Another name to watch for is right-hander Shane Baz from Concordia Lutheran High School (Texas).
Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first-and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
To sign their first 10 picks, the Royals have been allotted a pool total of $8,076,900 -- more than double the $3,225,300 they received last season. They have $3,727,600 to spend on their first selection.
Shopping list
With the possibility of the Royals selling at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, position players might soon be needed. Some of the cornerstones of the Royals' World Series roster -- Hosmer, Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain -- are pending free agents and could need to be replaced.

Trend watch
The Royals like to draft pitching early. In each of the last five Drafts, at least two of their first three picks were pitchers. In two of those drafts, the first three of Kansas City's picks were spent on pitchers.
Recent draft history
The Royals didn't have a first-round selection in last year's Draft after signing Ian Kennedy to a five-year deal. With their second-round pick, they took right-handed pitcher A.J. Puckett, who is 5-4 with a 3.77 ERA at Class A Advanced Wilmington this year.

Rising fast
Hunter Dozier, the eighth overall pick in 2013, was recently activated from the disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Omaha, but he could see some Major League action later this season. Dozier, the Royals' No. 1 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, has batted .265 with no home runs in 10 Minor League games this year.

In the show
Left-hander Eric Skoglund, a 2014 third-round selection, made his Major League debut on May 30 and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Cinderella story
Right-hander Jake Junis, a 29th-round pick in 2011, also made his MLB debut this season on April 12. He made two scoreless relief appearances before starting a pair of games for the Royals.

The Royals' recent top picks
2016: A.J. Puckett, RHP, Class A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks
2015: Ashe Russell, RHP, extended Spring Training
2014: Brandon Finnegan, LHP, traded to the Reds
2013: Hunter Dozier, SS, Triple-A Omaha
2012: Kyle Zimmer, RHP, Triple-A Omaha (on disabled list)