Ben North wasn’t sure what to expect from MLB Draft weekend, but shortly after the draft concluded, he received a life-changing phone call.
It was his area scout letting him know that the Kansas City Royals were interested in offering the former Creighton baseball shortstop an undrafted free agent deal.
“There were a lot of emotions,” North told Hurrdat Sports. “I felt relief that I would get an opportunity to keep playing. Obviously, there was a ton of joy, and excitement as well.”
The Woodbury, Minn., native spent draft weekend back home with family and his girlfriend. He said it means a lot to get his opportunity after a strong senior season.
“It just means that the Royals were willing to take a chance on me,” North said. “I’m one of the older players in the field, so that’s usually a little bit frowned upon in the draft process, is being an older player. I’m just thankful that they thought highly enough of me to take a chance.”
North verbally committed to Kansas City on July 12. He reported to the Royals’ training complex in Arizona shortly after before signing his contract on July 19.
“It’s been great, all the coaches are super fun,” North said. “It’s a little bit more of a laid-back environment than college baseball and college sports really are. They trust you to be a professional and kind of go about things the right way on your own. It’s not as forced.”
North has also enjoyed meeting his new teammates and beginning practice. He said full workouts started the day they signed their contracts. They’ve been stretching, running bases, doing batting practice and conducting defensive work.
“All the guys that were in the same draft class as me work hard, they’re great, and it’s been fun to make a bunch of new relationships,” North said. “Practice wise, they’ve eased us into it a little bit here, just making sure that everybody’s staying healthy and we’re not rushing into things. They’ve kind of taken the training wheels off of us here a little bit recently, and we’re starting to get more time on the field, which has been nice.”
North spent a lot of time on the field with Creighton. He joined the Bluejays in 2022 and started 216 of the 219 games he played in his career.
“I fell in love with Omaha; it’s a home away from home for me now,” North said. “I definitely will make it a point the rest of my life to get back there. The people are great, the city’s great, the passion for sports in the state of Nebraska as a whole is really great, especially college sports since there aren’t a ton of professional teams there. Being a Bluejay is something that I’ll have forever, and being able to start and finish my career there is something that I took a lot of pride in.”
As a senior, North hit .316 at the plate with 11 home runs and 14 doubles. The shortstop also had 44 RBIs while stealing 26 bases.
Named one of 50 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, North had a .963 fielding percentage. Although he didn’t win the award given to the best shortstop in college baseball, he said it meant a lot to get noticed.
“It’s cool to be nominated for things like that,” North said. “Obviously, I’m more focused on winning games than the individual stuff, but it feels good to be recognized for sure.”
One of North’s best outings in 2026 came against then seventh-ranked Kansas on May 5. North blasted a home run to walk off the Jayhawks in the 13th inning. Creighton won 9-8 and ended the Jayhawks’ 10-game winning streak.
“I heard it clank the seats, and it was just kind of an out of body experience and celebration,” North said. “To beat a team of that caliber as a mid-major school, it’s kind of what you look for, and to do it in that fashion was pretty special.”
Now, North has turned his attention to the pros, where he’s participating in the Royals’ mini camp. He said he has hopes of playing later this year.
“I’m just trying to really buy into what the Royals are wanting from me,” North said. “I would love to be assigned to a low A or high A affiliate. That’s kind of what everybody’s working towards right now, is showing off in these practices and maybe some live at-bats or scrimmages, that they think we’re ready to take that next step forward.”
North has wrapped up his career with Creighton, but hopes fans remember him for the person he is.
“I want to be known as a hard worker, and a good leader, and then, more importantly, just a good person overall,” North said. “I want to be known for just doing things the right way, both on the field and off the field, in the classroom, and how I treat all the faculty. I just want to set an example, I guess, for future Bluejays.”
