First 5 rounds: Kyler Murray (1-9), Jameson Hannah (2-50), Jeremy Eierman (CBB-70), Hogan Harris (3-85), Alfonso Rivas (4-113), Brady Feigl (5-143)
Also notable: J.J. Schwarz (8-233), Joe DeMers (11-323), Al Jones (25-743)
Like the Angels, the A's went heavy on college players this year, taking just one high schooler in their first 35 picks. On top of that, four of their first five picks were position players, and the first three are all known for their athleticism. They got some decent talent, but given the relative risk in the college players they drafted, I'm not so sure the upside is enough to make up for it.
1-9: OF Kyler Murray (my rank: 39)
Murray was hard to rank and is even harder to project, so while my ranking reflects poorly on the value here, this pick could make the A's look like geniuses or it could be a total bust. Murray is actually one of the best athletes in the country right now, as he is also a star quarterback. He could have been drafted in the top 50 picks out of high school in 2015, but he was also committed to Texas A&M to play quarterback as one of the top dual-threat recruits in the country. His career never materialized in College Station and he transferred to Oklahoma, where he struggled at the plate as a sophomore in the spring (.122/.317/.122, 20/13 K/BB) and then backed up Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield in the fall. Then, in the spring, something turned on for him and he slashed .296/.398/.556 with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a 56/28 strikeout to walk ratio in 51 games. Based on Murray's split focus with football and year off from baseball in 2016, you would expect him to be rusty, but his big junior year was a surprise. He's just 5'11" but shows power, surprising contact (24.8% strikeout rate is high, but not astronomical given the circumstances) and plate discipline (12.4% walk rate), and great range in center field. His arm plays below average despite being a Power 5 quarterback, but as he focuses on baseball, it should improve. The A's signed him for $4.66 million, which is $101,500 below slot, but he'll get the chance to take over as Mayfield's heir to the starting quarterback position in Norman in the fall. He's also young for a college junior, turning 21 in August, so that always helps. Still, this is the ninth overall pick and guys like Brady Singer (#2 on my list), Matthew Liberatore (#3), Travis Swaggerty (#8), and Cole Winn (#9) were still available. In my opinion, Swaggerty is the same player that Murray is but with a higher floor.
2-50: OF Jameson Hannah (my rank: 48)
Another pick, another speedy college outfielder. Dallas Baptist's Jameson Hannah finished up a junior season where he slashed .360/.444/.555 with six home runs, eight stolen bases, and an even 35/35 strikeout to walk ratio. He's just 5'9", but he has a lot of Denard Span in his game. He'll never hit for power, but he has solid bat to ball skills as his 12.6% strikeout rate shows, and he can draw a walk as well, as that 12.6% rate also shows. He gets on base and plays good defense, and there's not much mystery in his profile. Think Span at best or a fourth outfielder type at worst. He signed for $1.8 million, which is $385,800 above slot. Seven games into his minor league career in the New York-Penn League, he's slashing .280/.357/.440 with a 9/3 strikeout to walk ratio; nothing unexpected there.
CBB-70: SS Jeremy Eierman (my rank: 30)
If Murray and Hannah were risers this year, Eierman was the opposite. The Missouri State star had a huge sophomore season last year (.313/.431/.675, 23 HR, 61/41 K/BB) but regressed this year (.287/.379/.516, 10 HR, 47/27 K/BB), changing his approach and selling out for home runs. Last year, his swing was short and compact and he was able to pile up home runs by barreling up the ball consistently and taking advantage of his home park's short fences. This year, his swing got long and he added more power to it, but he was unable to catch the barrel as much and that's why his power dropped. It will be interesting to see where his approach settles in pro ball, because he's not the biggest guy (6'1", 205 lbs) and might need that long swing to make his power play up with wood bats, but he also has such a high strikeout rate (18% with short swing in 2017, 24.1% with long swing in 2018) that he might never be able to adjust to the long swing. Either way, he has shown plenty of pure hitting ability and even if he goes back to the short swing, he could still succeed if his power doesn't play up. He's fast, having also stolen 21 bases this year, and he plays adequate defense at shortstop and might be able to stay there. If not, he should have no problem being an above-average defensive third baseman. Scouts love his attitude, describing him as a grinder who plays hard and wants to get better every day. He signed for $1.232 million, which is $359,600 above slot. Through seven games in the New York-Penn League, he is slashing .172/.200/.276 with a home run and a 7/0 strikeout to walk ratio, though a seven game sample means essentially nothing.
3-85: LHP Hogan Harris (my rank: 105)
Harris pitched well at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, going 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and a 54/30 strikeout to walk ratio in 58 innings. He's a 6'3" lefty with a stocky build, and he throws in the low to mid 90's with a good curveball and a slider and changeup as well. However, nagging injuries have slowed him down, which has hurt his command and kept him from putting up more than 67.2 innings in any of his three seasons in Lafayette. The A's will hope a pro training regimen will help him overcome those injury issues, and if he can stay on the mound consistently, his fringy command could improve enough to make him a #3 or #4 starter in a major league rotation. If not, he might be better off in the bullpen. He signed for $660,000, which is $23,800 below slot.
4-113: 1B Alfonso Rivas (unranked)
Rivas plays first base at Arizona, where he slashed .347/.429/.533 with seven home runs and a 38/28 strikeout to walk ratio in 56 games. Obviously, as a first baseman, his value is tied to his bat. With a .429 on-base percentage and a 14.3% strikeout rate, he has shown that he can get on base and that the hit tool will play up in pro ball. However, at six feet tall and with only moderate power for the time being, he's not a sure thing to reach the majors. He has strong wrists and should be able to generate more power with pro coaching, but as I said, he's a first baseman who will have to hit and hit well if he wants to be a valuable major leaguer. He signed for $446,500, which is $46,500 below slot. Through eight games in the New York-Penn League, he's slashing .259/.412/.481 with a home run and a 4/7 strikeout to walk ratio; a good start, but too early to tell anything.
Others: 5th rounder Brady Feigl may not be the only pitcher of that name in pro baseball (what an unusual name for there to be two of), but he was a valuable veteran pitcher for a very young Ole Miss team this year by going 8-5 with a 4.03 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a 93/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 91.2 innings. The 6'5" righty profiles as a workhorse, one who can eat innings as a back-end starter with command and durability. 8th rounder J.J. Schwarz burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2015 (.332/.398/.629, 18 HR), but he regressed as a sophomore (.290/.397/.456, 7 HR) and as a junior (.259/.351/.444, 12 HR) before bouncing back this year as a senior (.325/.404/.601, 12 HR, 53/28 K/BB). The longtime Florida Gator star leaves Gainesville with 49 home runs and 235 RBI over 262 games, and he'll go down as one of the most productive hitters in Gator history, but we're here to talk about the future. Schwartz was drafted as a catcher and will be given every chance to stick there, though there is a good chance he ends up at first. He has big power that he generates mostly through sheer strength, though I think he could cut his strikeout rate by extending his follow through during his swing. 11th rounder Joe DeMers threw a perfect game earlier this year against UC Riverside, finishing his season 7-3 with a 2.56 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and a 92/20 strikeout to walk ratio in 123 innings for Washington. The 6'1" righty is listed at 240 pounds and he, like Feigl, looks like an innings-eating workhorse as a starter. 25th rounder Al Jones could have been a top two or three rounds pick out of high school in 2015, but he went to Vanderbilt instead and it hasn't quite added up yet. This year, he slashed .193/.276/.273 with a pair of home runs and an ugly 72/16 strikeout to walk ratio, really not doing much of anything for the Commodores other than playing good defense. I doubt he signs here, but he'll have to translate his raw skills to on-field results soon if he wants to get his career going.
No comments:
Post a Comment