Kansas City, Mo. ? After taking a closer look, the Kansas City Royals liked Luke Hochevar a lot more than they thought.

Just days after senior scouting director Deric Ladnier said emphatically that Kansas City would not take the controversy-tinged right-hander with the overall No. 1 pick, the Royals, desperate for pitching, did exactly that.

“We said from the start we’d take the best pitcher available in the draft,” Ladnier said Tuesday, just minutes after announcing his selection.

Kansas City is on pace to lose more than 100 games for the third straight year, and its minor league system is almost devoid of pitching prospects.

“We didn’t feel like there was a position player even remotely that would be in (Hochevar’s) category,” Ladnier said. “When it was all said and done, we took the best pitcher. We feel like with this young man we have a guy who is going to get here quickly.”

One reason the Royals figured to pass on Hochevar was their history with his agent, Scott Boras, whose refusal to come to an agreement forced them to trade star outfielders Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. Boras also was the agent for pitcher Jeff Austin, the Royals first-round pick in 1998 who sat out almost the entire year before finally signing, but then never developed.

A year ago, Hochevar first agreed, then refused, to sign a $2.8 million offer by the Dodgers. Considered one of the top college pitchers in the 2005 draft, he wound up as the 40th pick because clubs worried about whether he would sign.

However, the Royals went ahead and picked him in this year’s draft after talking with Boras on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Boras said the two sides did not discuss contract specifics.

“We didn’t talk about that. I think everybody knew we had the top pitcher in the draft, the top value player in the draft,” he said. “I think there were about 15 teams that wanted to draft him. We haven’t talked any specifics about dollars and cents.”

Hochevar said he was “ecstatic” Kansas City picked him.

“I’m ready to put my head down and work my tail off for the Kansas City Royals,” Hochevar said.

The Royals previously have had trouble signing Boras’ clients and wound up trading star outfielders Damon and Beltran.

Hochevar said he expected “a pretty quick negotiation.”

“It sounds like the Royals are ready to get it done. I’m getting ready. I’m up to a 100-pitch pitch count,” Hochevar said.

Hochevar, 22, most recently has been pitching for the independent Fort Worth Cats, where he was 1-1 with a 2.26 ERA in four starts and gained, he said, a wholly new perspective.

“It opened my eyes to know how lucky I am, playing with guys who are scrapping to play a game they love, and to see how hard those guys work in the independent league,” he said.

“To be given this opportunity is extremely humbling. I just thank God for giving me the opportunity to even be in this situation and be drafted by a great organization like the Royals. I’m beside myself right now, to tell you the truth.

He said he matured while with the Cats.

“Going to Fort Worth was a great experience. It let me know how much I love the game and how much I missed it when I wasn’t able to play.”

In 2005, Hochevar led Tennessee to the College World Series and was 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 19 starts.

The Royals, who have based former draft decisions at least partially on how much they believed a player might cost, are gambling that neither Hochevar nor Boras will want to risk losing a second year from his career.

“I had a conversation with him a little while ago. He’s super excited, super motivated,” Ladnier said. “I think he knows how important it is for him to get out and start pitching.”

Hochevar’s velocity can reach 98 mph.

“He won’t pitch at that,” Ladnier said. “I think he’ll settle in at a comfort zone of 92-95. He has an above-average curve ball, above-average slider. We think he has a chance to have an above-average change-up.”

Boras said Hochevar is better equipped physically than he was in 2005.

“Luke works extremely hard. He’s been doing his conditioning and his programs for nine months,” he said. “He’s about 15 percent stronger than he was a year ago. I think the Royals benefited from another major league baseball team’s opinion.”

The draft found Kansas City in the unusual position of not being able to consult with incoming general manager Dayton Moore, who was hired last week off John Schuerholz’ staff in Atlanta.

An agreement between the Braves and Royals prevented Moore from having any contact with Kansas City about the draft. Moore takes over Thursday, after the draft concludes.

“It sounds like he’s the type of guy who’s going to make some good changes and really get it going for them,” Hochevar said.

He is the ninth pitcher since 1997 who Kansas City has taken with either its first or second pick. Because of injury or ineffectiveness, not one has yet achieved any sustained success at the major league level.

The Royals also had considered North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller.

“Last year in the draft (Hochevar) was one of the top-ranked pitchers, and this year, in our opinion, he was the best pitcher and the best pitcher for this organization,” Ladnier said.