PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State senior pitcher A.J. Block signed with the Kansas City Royals as a free agent Sunday. The 2020 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft was limited to just five rounds this year and Block was one of the first collegiate seniors to agree with an MLB team as a free agent.

Block was drafted in the 39^th round by the Cubs out of high school and in the 17^th round by the Tigers last season.

Block was enjoying a breakout senior campaign in 2020 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Bellevue, Wash. native made four starts, went 2-1 with a 3.25 ERA, led the Pac-12 with 27.2 innings and tied for the second-most strikeouts in the league with 34. Block was rated the second-best Pac-12 senior pitcher and the eighth-best senior pitcher in the country by D1Baseball.com. Block closed the season recording 10 strikeouts in each of his final three starts, the first Cougar pitcher to accomplish that feat in the last 33+ seasons. Block finished his career with 55 appearances and 178 strikeouts in 175.2 innings.

In the classroom, Block was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team, CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) earlier this summer and was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection while posting a 3.62 cumulative GPA and earned his bachelor's degree in computer science. Block capped his academic career by being recognized as WSU's Top Senior Student-Athlete for his accomplishments on the field, in the classroom, on campus and in the community.