Kansas City Royals first-round pick Zion Rose has one mindset when he steps to the plate.
Be unconscious.
It's a mentality that he picked up while in college. He learned it from renowned motivational speaker
Dr. Kevin Elko at the University of Louisville.
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"When you think in terms of hitting, it takes an extra few seconds to do something," Rose said. "When you don't think, it only takes milliseconds to do something. So in hitting, we only have milliseconds to hit a ball. You don't get that much time to hit."
Rose relies on an unconscious swing at the plate. He isn't trying to overthink and, in turn, overcomplicate the situation. His plan revolves around sticking to an approach and letting his natural instincts and abilities take over.
"The unconscious behavior is just the muscle memory of what your body has been working on this whole time," he said. "(It's) what you have been preparing for. So yeah, that's the unconscious one. You never want to think while you are in the box — at least about mechanics."
Rose, 21, has played out of his mind this year. He hasn't missed a beat since being selected sixth overall
in this year's Major League Baseball draft. He stood out at High-A Quad Cities with a .268 batting average and 14 steals in 19 games.
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Quad Cities won the Midwest League championship
. Rose held a key role as he finished with 19 hits, 11 RBIs and 14 walks.
"The last four months have been a whirlwind, for real," Rose said. "Just starting off with the draft, that was a blessing in itself. I was just kind of caught off-guard, not by where I went, but you know, by the social media and all that.
"In my head, I knew I could go up there (being a top-10 selection). So I'm super grateful the Royals chose me."
Rose was viewed as a surprise pick by some draft pundits. But Royals scouting director Brian Bridges loved his talent, comparing him to former All-Star Ron Gant.
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Gant's short, compact swing was repeatable at the plate. It served him well as he won a Silver Slugger Award in 1991. He also was a terrific baserunner early in his career.
Rose has those same traits. And this month, he is getting extra at-bats
during the Arizona Fall League.
The AFL experience is a proving ground and good experience for young players. Rose is facing different levels of pitching, ranging from MLB arms to high-level prospects.
To no surprise, Rose has adjusted quickly.
"This has been so fun," he said. "Just meeting new guys, you know, making new connections outside of just the Royals, but other teams. And playing against people that are in Double-A, Triple-A and maybe even touched the majors.
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"It's just fun being able to see myself against other competition out here. And also, just how the Royals have taken this process with me and built me into it. It's been beautiful."
Rose is hitting .300 in 10 AFL games with the Surprise Saguaros. He owns an .897 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) while continuing to make plays defensively.
A big reason is his propensity to reach base. Rose is taking his walks and creating havoc on the basepaths with seven stolen bases. He's also proving he can be a run producer, with eight RBIs in 40 at-bats.
"I'm trying to make my move as efficient as possible so I can excel at the next level," Rose said of the start to his pro career. "And then, defensively, I've been working on just a lot of the basic stuff that makes a difference in the game."
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Rose plans to continue making adjustments this offseason. After getting a taste of professional baseball, he revealed a key goal ahead of the 2027 season.
Make the big leagues.
"Like I said, I want an unconscious swing," he said. "In order to do that, I need to train consciously. I need to have my prep work up until the season aligned with what I want it to look like in-season. … So once I do get to the season, I've done everything to prepare and all I can do is go play ball."
The Royals are likely to start Rose at Quad Cities next season, but he could rise through the system with consistent play. Recent years have shown the Royals will fast-track a prospect to the upper echelons of the minors if he appears ready.
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Rose still plans to take things in stride. He is viewed as a core member of the next generation of Royals, a group that also includes such top prospects as David Shields, Kendry Chourio, Blake Mitchell and 17-year-old phenom Angeibel Gomez.
"We're going to be nasty," Rose said. "Just thinking about the future, being able to play with these kids, we're gross. And I'm here right now playing in the (Arizona) Fall League with Gomez and he's only 17. And this kid, he looks like us right now. I mean, he looks super comfortable and dominating the competition like it's nothing. So it's a very bright future for the Royals."
Rose will get his shot in the coming years. When it happens, he will be ready to make it count.
"I feel like you learn things as you continue to play the game," he said. "And one thing that I learned since being in pro ball is every day you are playing, right?
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"In college, you are playing maybe three or four times a week. So you can have that real focus all four days. Now that I'm playing six days a week, I've got to show up with the same focus."
