By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Nick Loftin is just like the thousands upon thousands of baseball players that start out in Little League with a dream of making it to the big leagues . . . one day.
            For Loftin, that day got a lot closer on Wednesday, when the Baylor shortstop was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 32nd overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft.
            "Honestly, when I got my name called, I can't even really put it into words how great of a feeling it was," said Loftin, who became Baylor's 13th first-round selection and the third in the last two years. "It was so surreal, and I'm so excited to be a Royal. I'm ready to go out there and play again."
            A preseason All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year, Loftin hit .298 with two homers and 15 RBI in a junior season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. For his career, the Corpus Christi Ray product had a .315 batting average with 14 home runs and 92 RBI in 122 games as a three-year starter for the Bears.
            "I don't think a lot of people realize how difficult it is (to be drafted in the first round)," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose only two previous first-round draft selections were catcher Shea Langeliers and third baseman Davis Wendzel last year. "I think that says a lot, hopefully, about the development and the culture we have here when you see Davis Wendzel and Nick Loftin, who were not drafted out of high school, end up going in the first round of the draft three years later. It shows you our coaches are really good at what they do."
            Loftin, who was advised in the pre-draft process by former Baylor assistant coach Ruben Noriega as his adviser, said that working "with the best coaching staff in the country for the last three years has been fantastic."
            "That whole staff has helped me be who I am today," he said. "Of course, they care about my baseball abilities, but they care more about us players as people. Coach Rod, (all the coaches), everybody's door is always open for anything we need, regardless if it's baseball issues or life issues. That's what has helped us be who we are and build the culture that we have there at Baylor University."
            While being drafted in the first round is a big step, Loftin said it's "just the next step in my journey."
            "My dream is to play major league baseball, and that's my goal," said Loftin, who was the 21st college player and sixth shortstop taken in the draft. "I want to be the best shortstop, the best teammate, the best player. I just have to keep working for that and working towards that, to make the big-league club.
            "Regardless if it's a day that I struggled at the plate or a day that I struggled on defense, it's not where I am right now, it's where I'm going to be in the future."
            With indoor batting cages across the street, his high school coaches right down the block and a weight gym in his brother's garage in Corpus Christi, Loftin has been able to stay in shape and get stronger even during the mandated shutdown.
            "I've been able to stay ready for whenever baseball is going to be played again. And it will be played again, it's just a matter of when," he said. "I've been able to do that, stay in shape and work on my craft."
            Described by MLB.com analysts as a "high-floor player with a ton of defensive versatility" and "one of the best contact hitters in the college ranks," Loftin can play shortstop, second, third and either of the corner outfield positions. And as he did his first two seasons at Baylor, he can even pitch if needed.
            "That's what makes him pretty special is the ability to go, 'Hey, you need me to go to left field? Absolutely I can, because I've done that before and I know what it looks like. Second base? Absolutely, I've done that before,''' Rodriguez said.
"What you don't want to hear is, 'No, I only play shortstop,' or 'I only play third base.' Well, that's all great and everything, but if you want to make it to the big leagues, it's pretty much, 'Hey, where do you want me?' And, 'If you see me advancing faster in the system at a different spot, then put me in a different spot. I can learn to love another position, trust me.'''
            Just like his experience with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer, when he played five different positions, Loftin's message to the Royals was: "I'll do anything you guys want me to do."
            "They drafted me as a shortstop, and that's where I'm focused right now is playing in the dirt (in the infield)," he said. "But, I just want to win, and I'll do whatever it takes to win, regardless if I'm in the infield or the outfield. Shoot, I can even pitch for them."
            With the start of the MLB season uncertain, Loftin said "everything is up in the air." But when the Royals call, he will be ready.
Royals GM Dayton Moore and scouting director Lonnie Goldberg told him to "enjoy this moment, it's something you'll remember for the rest of your life."
"They don't know where I'm going to go, what's going to happen with workouts or player development," Loftin said. "They don't really know what's going to happen in the future. They're more worried about their major league club and what's going to happen with them. They told me to just enjoy this time with my family and enjoy this moment."