Oakland's final draft before it becomes Sacramento was an interesting one. They saved almost $1.4 million on their first pick, then spread the savings around with sizable over slot bonuses in the second, competitive balance, fourth, sixth, seventh, and twelfth rounds. Teams draft players at the same position all the time, but doing so at first base is a bit trickier. That's what the A's did with their first two picks in Nick Kurtz and Tommy White, so one is going to have to DH and then the bottom of the defensive spectrum will be used up for the foreseeable future should both picks work out. After those two big power bats, though, it's a very diverse class with a whole bunch of different profiles, from extreme contact hitters to toolsy types to glove-first future utility infielders.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-4: 1B Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest {video}
Slot value: $8.37 million. Signing bonus: $7 million ($1.37 million below slot value).
My rank: #7. MLB Pipeline: #7. Baseball America: #8.
It wasn't the smoothest ride, but Nick Kurtz fell out of contention for, then worked his way back into, a top five selection then provided the A's with some savings by signing between the slot values of the #6 and #7 picks. Kurtz put up two massive seasons at Wake Forest in 2022 and 2023, then entered 2024 as a frontrunner in the conversation for the first overall pick. However, he started slow and was hitting just .217 in late March, having also missed time with a shoulder injury. That slump was short lived, though, and from March 31st to April 16th he hit .526/.647/1.737 with 14 home runs and just four strikeouts in a ten game stretch to thrust himself back to where he should be. Kurtz is a massive human being standing at a listed 6'5", 240 pounds, and he looks every bit of it. He effortlessly generates light tower power that has helped him blast 61 home runs and slug .725 in three years in Winston-Salem, knocking the ball out to all fields with a loose, easy swing that lets his strength do the work. He's also an extremely patient hitter that doesn't get much to hit anyways, walking in 30% of his plate appearances and leading all of Division I by walking 78 times in 54 games despite missing time with the shoulder injury. His loose hands help him make pretty good contact too, so when you combine a plus approach with average pure bat to ball and plus-plus power, you get a potential 40 homer, .400 on-base hitter at the big league level. While he is limited to first base, he's a much better athlete than you'd expect given his size and frame and was an accomplished high school basketball player. That helps him glide around the base at first, saving his infielders from errors and scooping up hot shots that appeared destined for the right field corner. While this may have been a bit of a surprising pick with names like JJ Wetherholt, Jac Caglianone, and Hagen Smith still on the board, he has a chance to be the best hitter in this class. Indeed, he had zero trouble with the transition to pro pitching and hit .368/.520/.763 with four home runs and a 10/12 strikeout to walk ratio over a dozen game sample between Low A Stockton and AA Midland. He could be in the majors next season, much like 2023 first rounder Jacob Wilson.
2-40: 3B Tommy White, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: $2.33 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($667,900 above slot value).
My rank: #31. MLB Pipeline: #20. Baseball America: #30.
If you follow college baseball at all, you know all about Tommy Tanks. If you don't, then I can spell out one of the most famous players in college baseball. A highly regarded draft prospect at IMG Academy in Florida, he turned down top three round interest to head to NC State. He hit the ground running in Raleigh with a home run barrage for the ages, eventually finishing his freshman season with 27 home runs and a .362/.425/.757 line. White leveraged that success into an opportunity to transfer to LSU, where he continued the success over the last two seasons and won a National Championship in 2023. In three years in college, he finished a .359/.426/.706 hitter with 64 home runs. White is a star, and he carries that star swagger with him everywhere he goes. He has ridiculous hands that whip the bat through the zone at lightning speed, getting the barrel to balls all over and outside the zone with remarkable consistency. His ultra strong wrists help him produce plus raw power that he taps every bit of in games due to the sheer quantity of barrels he finds, with the chance to hit thirty home runs annually. With his adjustable hands and strong bat to ball ability, he makes a ton of contact and keeps his strikeouts down, a rarity for a power hitter of his caliber. However, White is also extremely aggressive and chases almost a third of the time, leading to ultra low walk rates. That makes him a polarizing prospect, especially as a right handed hitter, with major questions as to whether he'll be able to continue making contact at such a high rate against better and better pitching. While there's no question that his ability in the box is nothing short of special, he will likely have to tone down that approach as he works towards the majors. Long a first baseman, he moved over to third base in 2024 and handled himself admirably, but he didn't do quite enough to change his long term projections of moving back to first base in pro ball. White has the bat to play anywhere, though it does set up an interesting conundrum with first rounder Nick Kurtz. If he gets a little more selective at the plate, he could star in the middle of Oakland's (Sacramento's? Las Vegas'?) lineup the same way he did in Baton Rouge. White hit .224/.309/.299 with two home runs and a 21/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 25 games for Low A Stockton, so he'll need to make the adjustment next year.
CBB-73: LHP Gage Jump, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: $1.08 million. Signing bonus: $2 million ($923,100 above slot value).
My rank: #65. MLB Pipeline: #62. Baseball America: #65.
Gage Jump will join his LSU teammate in heading west, and like Tommy White, he'll sign for well above slot value with a bonus fit for roughly the #47 pick. Jump, like White, was an extremely highly regarded prep prospect and actually had a chance to go in the first round, but made it to campus at UCLA instead. Tommy John surgery struck him down halfway through his freshman year, then he missed his entire sophomore season recovering. Transferring to LSU, he earned high praise from White for his fall performance before embarking on a strong 2024 season. Jump is a very interesting lefty. His fastball sits low to mid 90's and tops out around 96-97, but plays above its velocity with big riding and running life from a low release point. He has long leaned on his above average curveball that tunnels nicely off his fastball, but he moved more towards his slider in 2024 and found better results with that pitch. Jump has a changeup as well, though he doesn't use it as much and it will need more refinement in pro ball. The Orange County native uses a closed off delivery and gets deep into his glutes to ride down the mound and deliver the ball from an over the top slot while still maintaining that low release point. That creates some deception and gives his pitches some extra hop, and he did a great job pounding the strike zone in 2024 with just a 6.5% walk rate. The 6' lefty has a compact frame and lacks projection, though the now stuff is plenty and if he can maintain the command strides he's shown, he's a legitimate mid-rotation starting pitching prospect. Jump is highly competitive and has thrived in big game situations alongside White.
3-75: SS Josh Kuroda-Grauer, Rutgers {video}
Slot value: $1.04 million. Signing bonus: $1.04 million.
My rank: #82. MLB Pipeline: #90. Baseball America: #117.
Last year's first round selection of Jacob Wilson is looking good so far, so the A's doubled up in 2024 and grabbed a similar profile in the third round. Josh Kuroda-Grauer, who will join former Rutgers teammate and 2023 second rounder Ryan Lasko in the A's system, had two solid seasons in New Brunswick before breaking out with a massive 2024 in which his .428 batting average finished second in all of Division I behind only Rockies third overall pick and Golden Spikes Award winner Charlie Condon. Like Wilson, he is an elite contact hitter who ran absurd contact rates nearing 90%, helping him limit his strikeout rate to a minuscule 7.0% in 2024. Perhaps more impressively, he did so while running a relatively high chase rate, making contact with virtually every pitch in or out of the zone. It's a line drive approach in which he guides the ball around the field with precision, leading to high averages which will be sustainable in pro ball. The power is certainly below average, but his twitchy frame and whippy right handed swing help him produce enough impact to keep pitchers honest, giving him a shot for 5-10 home runs per season in pro ball. On the defensive side, Kuroda-Grauer is a sure handed shortstop with good feel for the infield, with plus speed as well that augments his range. His average arm limits him a little bit at the premium position, though he could become an above average to plus defender at second base should he slide across the bag. The North Jersey native seems most likely destined for a utility infielder role given his lack of power, but his high averages could help him play every day given his ability to stick up the middle on the defensive side. He's already moving quickly, having slashed .324/.421/.343 with a 9/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 28 games between Low A Stockton, High A Lansing, and AAA Las Vegas.
4-104: OF Rodney Green, California {video}
Slot value: $703,400. Signing bonus: $1 million ($296,600 above slot value).
My rank: #137. MLB Pipeline: #132. Baseball America: #96.
This could have been a really cool story about an East Bay kid staying home to play for his hometown team. Unfortunately, the Oakland A's have played their final game and are moving east to Sacramento, then on to Las Vegas so Rodney Green will never get to suit up in Oakland. Green grew up in Richmond, California, just fifteen miles north of the Coliseum, and attended El Cerrito High School just to the south of Richmond. He stayed home to attend Cal, where he has spent three years tantalizing with his raw tools but also causing worry with the rawness in his game. Green combines present physicality and additional projection on his 6'3" frame, effortlessly flicking the barrel through the zone for above average raw power that should get to plus in time, especially to the pull side. It's a bit of a unique left handed stroke in which he just drops his hands to the ball and then swats it away, but he's so strong that the ball jumps off his bat anyways. He's also a very patient hitter that makes sure to always get good pitches to hit, helping his power play in games with 28 home runs over the past two seasons. Green's major wart, though, is contact. He whiffs at an astounding rate even though he typically stays within the strike zone and doesn't sell out for power, really struggling to time up quality stuff over the plate. He struggled to just a .161/.316/.290 slash line in the Cape Cod League and struck out almost 40% of the time, and the jump to pro ball may be a steep one. Green will need to make massive strides in his timing and pitch recognition – if he can, he has the approach to make the most of even incremental improvements. Meanwhile, he's a plus runner that has stolen 44 bases over the past two seasons and projects to play center field in the long run, which takes some pressure off his hit tool. If Green does make enough contact, he has a chance to play every day while hitting 20-25 home runs per season with low batting averages but solid on-base percentages, though the swing and miss may limit him to a platoon/fourth outfielder role. He's off to a good start moving towards the higher projection, slashing .289/.368/.464 with three home runs, nine stolen bases, and a 30/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 24 games at Low A Stockton.
5-137: RHP Sam Stuhr, Portland {video}
Slot value: $510,000. Signing bonus: $510,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #184. Baseball America: #207.
Sam Stuhr (pronounced with a long U) gives the A's another West Coast prospect. Having grown up in Portland, he began his college career at Lower Columbia JC in southern Washington before transferring to Oregon State, where he watched the Beavers play from the bench for two seasons. Given his lack of playing time, he transferred once more to the University of Portland back in his hometown to great success. Stuhr sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touches 97-98, though the pitch is fairly straight and he'll opt for an upper 80's cutter at times. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with the latter showing late bite to carve up hitters while the former gives him another solid option. He throws a changeup as well, but it's a bit behind. The 6'1" righty is very physical and can overwhelm hitters with his peak stuff, but his command is below average as he throws with some effort trying to blow past hitters. If Stuhr wants to remain a starter, he'll have to ease off the gas pedal just a little bit to stay ahead in counts. A bit on the older side having turned 22 shortly after the draft, there's a good chance he winds up in the bullpen where he can sit near the higher end of his velocity and pitch more off his fastball/slider combination.
6-166: RHP Josiah Romeo, Mayfield HS [ON] {video}
Slot value: $385,500. Signing bonus: $550,000 ($164,500 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #237. Baseball America: unranked.
The A's are playing the long game with Josiah Romeo, who lacks a carrying tool but looks like the kind of arm that could progress steadily and turn into a mid-rotation starting pitcher. He showed extremely well in the MLB Draft League (2.51 ERA, 16/1 K/BB in 14.1 IP) and appears to be on that path already. The fastball presently sits in the low 90's, peaking at 94 in the lead up to the draft, with sinking action to keep it off barrels. He shows an average slider with some tilt, then will occasionally mix in a changeup in showcase settings. Nothing in the arsenal will strike big league hitters out just yet, but he's trending in the right direction and carries plenty of projection on his 6'3" frame. Romeo has a simple, repeatable delivery that helps him fill up the strike zone with above average command for his age, so his low 90's fastball comes naturally. As he fills out and gets more explosive on the mound, the velocity should tick up and he has a good chance to be in the mid 90's more often than not down the road. The Toronto-area native had previously been committed to Florida State.
7-196: C Dylan Fien, Great Oak HS [CA] {video}
Slot value: $300,200. Signing bonus: $550,000 ($149,800 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
The A's spent their first round picks in 2020 and 2022 on Tyler Soderstom (Turlock) and Daniel Susac (Roseville), respectively, and they'll grab a third Californian catcher here with Dylan Fien. A Temecula native out of Southern California, Fien had been committed to UCLA but like Josiah Romero, his $550,000 signing bonus fits in the late fourth round. He is a big, physical, switch hitting catcher listed at 6'3", 210 pounds with room to keep filling out. He produces above average power for now and should grow into plus power as he continues to get stronger and more explosive at the plate, with long arms and legs that create additional leverage. The left handed swing is a bit smoother than the right, though like any power hitting prep catcher you'll find in this range of the draft, he does have questions about swing and miss. High school catchers have a steep learning curve in pro ball and switch hitters have it even tougher, so the A's will have to be patient with Fien as he learns the ropes against pro pitching. They're hoping that patience pays off with a potential 25 home run backstop on their hands in the long run. While he's certainly big, Fien moves well behind the plate and has a solid chance to stick there if he keeps up his conditioning and maintains his quickness. If he's forced out, he's not a burner but he may be able to give third base or a corner outfield spot a chance rather than going straight to first base with some solid athleticism.
8-226: SS Davis Diaz, Vanderbilt {video}
Slot value: $237,400. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($12,600 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #309.
Davis Diaz makes it two A's draftees from Contra Costa County who will be heading inland with the team. Diaz grew up in Pittsburg, about 25 miles northeast of Oakland and about 44 miles southwest of the team's temporary new home in Sacramento, but attended Acalanes High School across the county in Lafayette, just over the ridge from Oakland. A famous high school prospect who had interest in the top three rounds in 2021, he headed east to Vanderbilt instead and spent three years as a starter in Nashville. Despite playing in 182 of Vanderbilt's 185 games over the past three seasons (and all 123 over the past two), he never quite performed like the Commodores hoped and finished his career just a .243/.360/.369 hitter in an era where offense was up across college baseball. Ironically, he actually hit better with wood bats on the Cape last summer (.296/.427/.417) and beyond that, the underlying data points to better performance ahead. He's a disciplined hitter that runs high contact rates that helped him get on base at that .427 clip on the Cape last summer, with a compact 5'11" frame that helps him keep his swing short and direct. While he slugged just .369 over three years and never reached double digit home runs in a season, there's some sneaky pop in the profile when he turns on the ball and he could reach double digit home runs at the major league level at peak. All of the power does go to the pull side. It's not the world's most exciting offensive profile, but it's one with few holes and which could be enough to get him to the bigs in a utility role. Diaz played mostly third base at Vanderbilt but did see some time at shortstop earlier in his career there and played all over the infield on the Cape, and he should have enough glove to man shortstop in a reserve role. It's a quintessential utility infielder profile that can get on base and hold his own at the bottom of the lineup. He got on base but otherwise didn't hit for much impact in his brief pro debut, slashing .226/.397/.283 with a 9/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 14 games at Low A Stockton.
9-256: 3B Jared Sprague-Lott, Arkansas {video}
Slot value: $201,300. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($151,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Jared Sprague-Lott has long enticed scouts first in the Mid-Atlantic and later in the SEC, earning considerable draft interest a year ago, but the A's managed to get a bargain here by bringing him in for just $50,000. Sprague-Lott spent three years at Richmond, where he leveraged a decorated career into the opportunity to play at Arkansas for his senior season. He held down the starting third base role for most of the season and put up a solid .290/.425/.491 line despite the jump in competition. Sprague-Lott is an on-base machine with a patient approach that he maintained against strong competition in the SEC, and he posted an OBP above .400 all four years of college with a career .431 mark. There's real juice in the bat, too, as he shows plus raw power when he turns on the ball with sneaky high top-end exit velocities. More of a contact type by nature, he prefers to use the whole field and hit for average instead, but that pop is certainly nice to have in your back pocket. The Philadelphia native is a strong defender too, showing very well at the hot corner in Fayetteville after playing all around the infield for Richmond. This is one of the savvier senior signs in the class and Sprague-Lott has a chance to be a real value add as a utility infielder, with the ceiling to do more and play every day if he can tap his power more in games while continuing to get on base.
11-316: RHP Kyle Robinson, Texas Tech {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: #208. MLB Pipeline: #182. Baseball America: #101.
Kyle Robinson earned some early day two interest at times and some publications such as Baseball America held him in that range for their final list, but the A's did well to pick him up to begin day three. A Northern Virginia native who went to high school just down the street from where I live now, he has taken on a larger and larger role at Texas Tech and spent 2024 in the weekend rotation. The fastball sits in the low 90's and peaks at 96, albeit with average life. It's a deep arsenal led by an above average slider with power and late bite, while his curveball is more of a show-me pitch. Robinson also adds an above average changeup with great fade, so he has numerous ways to get hitters out. A mountain of a man at 6'6", 210 pounds, he's very physical right now and could throw harder as he gets into a pro conditioning program. It's a low effort, tall and fall type of delivery that keeps things simple and leads to average command of all of his pitches, as well as plenty of durability. He probably lacks upside because he's not the most explosive arm out there, but he projects well as a #4 or #5 starter if he can miss enough bats with his secondaries and hold his command together. Robinson is also young for the class and was still 20 on draft day, which does add a tick of upside. The A's gave him three appearances at Low A Stockton, where he allowed seven runs (six earned) over seven innings, striking out nine and walking three.
12-346: SS Ali Camarillo, Texas A&M {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($100,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: #201. MLB Pipeline: #236. Baseball America: #180.
Ali Camarillo is another nice find on day three, signing for a seventh round signing bonus in the process. A Chula Vista native, Camarillo spent two years at Cal State Northridge, where he hit .371 as a sophomore and transferred to Texas A&M for his junior season. Starting every game for the Aggies at shortstop, he was a defensive star with his slick glove, smooth actions, and overall strong feel for the dirt. The arm is closer to average than plus, but with the way he moves over there, it will be plenty to stick at shortstop. At the plate, his skinny 6'1" frame lends itself more to contact than power, and he's indeed a pretty strong contact hitter that gets on base at a solid clip. The power is below average and he'll likely never reach double digit home runs in a season unless he changes his approach, so ultimately it's unlikely that he hits enough to play every day. However, his glove will carry him well up the ladder, so as long as he hits a little bit, he has a very good chance to become a big league utility man.
