J.J Cooper wrote a great piece for Baseball America about the KC Royals 2003 draft, which goes a long way toward explaining the impossible task that owner David Glass set for management that season.
Ever wonder why the Royals spent an entire generation as a joke? The 2003 season provides a great capsule summary.
That year, owner David Glass cut the budget for the entire draft to $4.5 million. Not only was Glass trying to be cheap with the major-league roster with an opening day payroll of $40 million, he also expected general manager Allard Baird to perform with a limited amateur draft budget.