2025 MLB Draft Review: Athletics

Full list of draftees

I think the A's came away with a really nice draft class here, especially towards the top. Starting with getting arguably the top pitcher in the draft for slot value at pick #11, moving on to some big bats with their next couple of picks, and through a half million dollar starting pitcher that could be pitching in Sacramento next year, I think this is a really strong class especially given the lack of a third round pick after signing Luis Severino. Overall, the A's did not play bonus pool games, never going more than $100K below slot on any pick and really only having second rounder Devin Taylor ($470K above slot) and twelfth rounder Alex Barr ($200K against pool) in the other direction. Out of coincidence, the A's happened to draft the #287, #387, and #487 players on the Baseball America 500.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-11: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State
Slot value: $5.99 million. Signing bonus: $5.99 million.
My rank: #6. MLB Pipeline: #4. Baseball America: #6.
Despite not picking inside the top ten, the A's still picked up one of the top pitching prospects in the class for slot value. In fact, there were times this spring where Jamie Arnold looked like the favorite to go first overall and virtually every draft board still had him safely inside the top ten prospects once the draft rolled around. After an uneven freshman season in 2023, Arnold put himself on the map with an All-American sophomore season in 2024 to vault himself to the top of the class alongside UCSB's Tyler Bremner (now an Angel). He came out of the gate hot, allowing just three baserunners in eleven innings over his first two starts and ultimately allowing more than two runs in just one of his first eleven starts. By season's end, Arnold was part of a quartet of starting pitchers alongside LSU's Kade Anderson (#3, Mariners), Tennessee's Liam Doyle (#5, Cardinals), and Oklahoma's Kyson Witherspoon (#15, Red Sox) considered to be at the top of the class. Many a low slot lefty has been compared to Chris Sale, and Arnold certainly found himself in that category as well. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and grabs 97 at peak, not overwhelming velocity for the top of the draft, but it plays up with flat plane and running action from his low slot. He rips off a plus slider that dives across the plate with a foot of sweep. When he has his best stuff, which is honestly most of the time, hitters look absolutely helpless and he can rack up a dozen or more strikeouts on any given night. Arnold is slowly finding his changeup and has gotten better about killing spin and lift while keeping the ball down, giving him the potential for an average or above average cambio down the line. For now, he doesn't command it as well and can bounce it at times, so it plays more like a fringe average pitch. The Tampa native creates a really tough look for hitters coming from a sidearm slot and a release height just four and a half feet off the ground, two full feet lower than some extreme over the top pitchers. Most pitchers with that profile – sidearm lefties up to 97 with a wipeout slider – understandably can get scattered with their command. That is not the case with Arnold, who has never walked more than 27 batters in a season and walked just 5.8% in 2024 before bumping up just slightly to 7.7% in 2025. That pair between bat-missing and strike-throwing ability is hard to find, especially from the left side, and the A's have themselves a potential top of the rotation horse. If there is one drawback in the profile, it could be some slight reliever risk. The 6'1" lefty isn't quite as imposing as some other aces, and right now without a third reliable pitch, he'll really need to hold his command in order to get through the lineup a third time against big league hitters. If the changeup comes along and he maintains his durability (he did throw 190.1 innings, with a sub-3.00 ERA, over his last two seasons in Tallahassee), this is a high-probability impact starting pitcher. If he is forced to the bullpen, the idea of a high octane sidearm lefty with command could be terrifying in short stints.

2-48: OF Devin Taylor, Indiana
Slot value: $2.03 million. Signing bonus: $2.5 million ($468,500 above slot value).
My rank: #38. MLB Pipeline: #30. Baseball America: #34.
Even with a half million over slot bonus closer to the slot value of the #39 pick, this is another great value for the A's. Devin Taylor has been a star since the day he stepped foot on Indiana's campus, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors back in 2023 and improving his performance each season. He starred in the elite Cape Cod League before his junior year, slashing .296/.397/.510 with five home runs in 29 games to establish himself as arguably a top ten prospect in the 2025 draft, right there with Jamie Arnold. I think most outlets had him a bit over-ranked prior to the season and despite putting up his best year yet in 2025, his stock corrected a bit and he found himself here with a signing bonus just outside the first round range. In the end, he finished three years in Bloomington with 54 home runs and a .350/.459/.672 slash line across 169 games. Taylor brings a really nice offensive profile as a power-over-hit type with a long track record of performance. Built like a rock at 6'1", 215 pounds, he channels his impressive strength into a compact left handed swing and excellent feel for the barrel to create a ton of impact. Taylor controls the strike zone pretty well, rarely expanding and bumping up his walk rate from 13.0% in 2024, already a strong number, to 19.3% in 2025. His pure bat to ball is a bit behind, and while he slashed his strikeout rate from 13.3% to 11.2%, concerns still remain especially against quality breaking stuff. He struck out a quarter of the time on the Cape last summer and his best performance in 2025 came against smaller schools, while he hit just .205/.326/.436 against teams that went to the NCAA Tournament. I've long been a bit worried about how his bat would play against pro pitching, though his strong Cape summer does assuage that a bit. The Cincinnati native profiles for 20-25 home runs per season with lower batting averages and healthy walk rates to boost his on-base percentages at the big league level. With Taylor, the bat is the primary selling point because he is a below average defender. He's a fringy runner with below average instincts in the outfield, limiting him to left field in the long run most likely. If he slows down more, he could be come a DH, but the A's likely believe that he can avoid that fate for the first half of his career. Either way, the bat is loud enough that it may not matter.

4-110: OF Gavin Turley, Oregon State
Slot value: $694,600. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($94,600 below slot value).
My rank: #82. MLB Pipeline: #78. Baseball America: #66.
Another pick, another great value. While the A's did not have a third round pick this year due to the signing of Luis Severino, they got a third round talent in Gavin Turley and still stayed under slot value. Turley was a famous high school bat that could have gone in the top couple of rounds in 2022, but he made it to campus at Oregon State and proceeded to embark on an excellent three year career in which he hit .314/.442/.630 with 53 home runs in 170 games. Ironically, those are remarkably similar numbers to Devin Taylor when adjusting for the slightly tougher competition that Turley saw in the Pac-12 and as an independent in 2025. Also like Taylor, 2025 was Turley's best season yet. While Turley has just as much if not more upside than Taylor, he's also a bit more boom or bust. Taylor's power comes from brute strength channeled effectively into a compact left handed swing, while Turley is twenty pounds lighter and generates his with a whippy, explosive right handed swing owing to better athleticism. The end result is better top-end exit velocities, but equal home run output as Taylor squares it up a bit more consistently. Turley is also more of a free swinger whose strikeout rates have remained steadily higher than you'd like and whose contact rates are a bit concerning. He generates so much impact when he connects and torched opponents' pitching to such a degree in 2025 that pitchers often stayed out of the zone, allowing him to run higher walk rates despite the fringy bat to ball and average chase rates. Turley is certainly not the same caliber of prospect, but you could call him somewhat of a discount Dylan Crews with a similar profile if scaled back in a few places (most notably the hit tool). Regardless, Turley is an explosive athlete with a ferocious right handed swing that connected more often than ever in 2025 even if his contact rates remained static and he was caught guessing relatively frequently. He's a better defender than Taylor with above average speed and plus arm strength, giving him a shot to stick in center field if he can improve his instincts off the bat and making him a potential plus right fielder if he slides over. There is a ton of upside here as a potential 25+ home run hitter with middling on-base percentages, though his streaky bat could stand in the way. Turley closely resembles another recent A's draft pick in Colby Thomas.

5-141: RHP Zane Taylor, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $513,900. Signing bonus: $513,900.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #174. Baseball America: #148.
Zane Taylor was on my radar as the draft approached, but ended up on the short list of guys I wanted to get to but ultimately didn't have the time for. He spent three years as a reliable innings eater at UNC Wilmington, but stepped forward in 2025 to put up one of the best statistical seasons in the entire country: 11-2, 1.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 105/11 K/BB in 95.2 innings. The 0.76 WHIP in particular was the best mark in the country by a large margin over second place JB Middleton of Southern Miss (now the Rockies) at 0.85. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and now reaches 98 at peak, though the pitch stands out more for its velocity than its life. He can cut in the upper 80's, more of a barrel misser than a bat misser, or he can turn it over into a truer curveball to steal strikes. A solid changeup gives him another tool that will work in his favor navigating big league lineups and does not need much development from here. A bit undersized for a "high floor" starting pitcher, he repeats his uptempo delivery very well for plus command that gave him a minuscule 3.0% walk rate in 2025, command that holds for both his fastball and his offspeed stuff. Taylor was already very old for his graduating class from the start, receiving his high school diploma right around his 19th birthday, so he was already 23 more than a month before the draft rolled around. That didn't stop the A's, who as with many other teams saw a nearly big league ready arm who would race through the minors. Indeed, the North Carolina native shot straight to AAA Las Vegas and threw well in his lone start, and he could join the rotation in Sacramento at some point next season. Taylor profiles best as a high probability #4 or #5 starter or long reliever. If he can add some life to his fastball or take a step forward with one of his offspeed pitches, he could reach his ceiling as a #3.

6-170: LHP Grant Richardson, Grand Canyon
Slot value: $390,100. Signing bonus: $400,000 ($9,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #287.
Not to be confused with current Marlins prospect and former Indiana star Grant Richardson, this Grant Richardson gives the A's a huge arm and potential excellent value coming off injury. He flashed big stuff as a freshman in 2023 then stepped forward in a larger role for Grand Canyon in 2024, but missed the whole 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. He committed to cross half the country to Ole Miss in 2026, but instead accepted the A's' sixth round offer. He's a two pitch lefty that sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97, then drops in a sharp, tight slider that misses plenty of bats. The goal in 2025 was going to be bringing along a changeup that functions as a tertiary pitch for now, but he'll have to do that in the A's' system once healthy. The 6'3" lefty is very physical and channels his strength into his power stuff. Working off a deep arm plunge that works into a longer arm action, he extends down the mound well with his lower half but is still learning to repeat his delivery consistently. He's shown fringy command in Phoenix that, like his changeup, he was hoping to fine tune a bit in 2025, and it remains to be seen whether he ever streamlines things enough to get to average. Richardson carries reliever risk due to that command and his lack of a reliable third pitch, but the A's believe the pause in his development only means he's ready to take a big step forward once healthy and develop into a mid-rotation horse. In the bullpen, his fastball should tick more consistently into the mid 90's and his deceptive delivery should give lefties fits.

10-290: RHP Samuel Dutton, Auburn
Slot value: $194,100. Signing bonus: $150,000 ($44,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #387.
Samuel Dutton has been around a while, but it wasn't until 2025 that he really got a chance to shine. Spending three seasons at LSU, he worked in a variety of different roles but ran an ERA over 6 and never quite settled in. A native of East Alabama, he transferred back closer to home and spent his senior year at Auburn, where he spent the entire season in the rotation and more than doubled his career high in innings. Now, he's sitting in the low 90's and touching 95 with his average fastball, adding a full arsenal of secondary pitches including a get-me-over curveball, a tighter slider, and a solid changeup. Nothing stands out as plus or even as above average, but he has long been a great strike thrower and finished his four year career with a 5.9% walk rate. The 5'11" righty isn't tall but is sturdily built, repeating his delivery well and showing the durability to last a full pro season in the rotation. While he lacks the explosiveness, athleticism, and bat-missing stuff to become an ace, Dutton's command and four pitch mix gives him a chance to be a #5 starter or long reliever at the big league level. Having spent four seasons and appeared in 73 games (31 starts) in the SEC, he has the big game experience as well.

17-500: SS Jared Davis, Virginia Tech
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $100,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Jared Davis has been around, and now he'll cross the country again. An Orlando native, he started off across the country at Arizona Western JC in Yuma before returning home to play his sophomore season at Florida Southwestern JC, hitting over .320 with an OBP above .410 at both stops. Evidently only playing at schools in the southwestern corner of their respective states, he answered the call when Virginia Tech gave him a Division I opportunity and served as the team's starting second baseman, where he hit more home runs (9) than he had at two years in junior college combined (8). Undersized at 5'9", he packs a lot of punch for his size and has become more adept at pulling the ball in the air, helping him make the most of his modest raw power. The ball jumps off his bat well for a smaller guy and there is reason to believe he could continue to flirt with double digit home runs in the pros. For a hitter jumping from JuCo ball to the ACC, he manages the zone reasonably well and makes solid contact, giving him a chance to be a fringe-average hitter with below average power. Important to note, though, that his performance suffered in conference play where he hit just .220/.313/.450, showing power but seeing his strikeout rate double from 10% to 20%. His arm limits him to the right side of the infield, but he moves well at second base with strong range and some speed. If he can show enough to play short or third in a pinch, he could work his way up as a utility infielder, but a more likely role as a 2B/LF will put a little more pressure on the bat if he wants to become a bench option for the A's.

20-590: RHP Kade Brown, Sacramento State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #487.
At least for now, Kade Brown gives the A's a hometown product if he can get to the big leagues quick enough. A native of Elk Grove in the southern Sacramento suburbs, he attended the same powerhouse Elk Grove High School that has produced numerous big leaguers including Buck Martinez, J.D. Davis, Rowdy Tellez, Nick Madrigal, Dylan Carlson, and David Hernandez, plus agent Scott Boras. Brown stayed home for college, heading just ten miles up Power Inn Road to play for Sacramento State. There, he blossomed into the Hornets' closer, saving 22 games with a 3.31 ERA and a 103/38 strikeout to walk ratio over two seasons. Brown does not have overpowering stuff, which is contrary to most pure college relief prospects, nor is he a pinpoint command guy, but he gets the job done. The fastball sits around 90 and peaks at about 93, playing up a bit with some life to sneak by bats. The ball dances well out of his hand with a nice, sharp slider that dives under barrels late, while his splitter has equally effective, late drop in the opposite direction. Between those three pitches, he's able to consistently keep hitters off balance as they have a hard time picking up the baseball out of his hand. That stuff played up in the Cape Cod League last summer, when he was a tad hittable but posted a sharp 19/3 strikeout to walk ratio in 15.1 innings. His command is probably fringy, which is tough sledding when you're a reliever throwing 90, so he has to rely on his secondary stuff dancing to remain effective. If the A's can help the 6'6" righty find an extra few ticks of velocity, he can crack it as a junkballing reliever. And if he can get up quickly, he could pitch in his hometown at Sutter Health Park before the team moves to Las Vegas.

2024 MLB Draft Review: Oakland A's

Full list of draftees

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. 
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
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.

2023 MLB Draft Review: Oakland Athletics

Full list of draftees

To be honest, given the A's draft capital versus what they brought in, this is one of my least favorite draft classes of the season. I personally think the A's didn't bring in nearly as much upside as they could have while picking near the beginning of each round and holding an extra CBA pick to boot, but of course, time will tell. The team was also put in a tough position when despite having the second worst record in baseball, they fell victim to the draft lottery and slid back to the sixth pick in a draft class that wound up having a clear top five prospects. Overall, it turned into a pitching heavy class after the A's spent their first three picks on position players, with the bulk of their overslot money going to two high school pitchers in rounds three and four.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
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.

1-6: SS Jacob Wilson, Grand Canyon {video}
Slot value: $6.63 million. Signing bonus: $5.5 million ($1.13 million below slot value).
My rank: #28. MLB Pipeline: #10. Baseball America: #9. Prospects Live: #13.
The A's started off their draft by getting Jacob Wilson at a massive discount, paying him closer to the slot value for the #10 pick here at #6 and saving over a million dollars in the process. Wilson has an extreme profile, to say the least. The son of former Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, Jacob has gotten better and better each year at Grand Canyon and slashed .411/.461/.635 with six home runs and a 5/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 49 games in 2023. His profile is carried by the best pure bat to ball skills in the entire class, perhaps the best since Nick Madrigal back in 2018. The man has struck out just twelve times over the past two seasons combined, a span of 108 games, with seven in 2022 and five in 2023. Wilson is actually a pretty aggressive hitter that chases more than most other hitters, but it doesn't matter because his 80 grade pure bat to ball skills help him make absurdly consistent contact both inside and outside the zone. He simply does not swing and miss, period. Because he never whiffs and also likes to chase outside the zone, he also doesn't walk much, and 88% of his plate appearances ended with a ball in play (including home runs). For comparison, just 49% of current Athletic Ryan Noda's plate appearances have ended as such this year. Wilson has a jittery setup at the plate, wagging back and forth and constantly in motion, then slashes at the ball with a quick, precisely accurate right handed swing. He's built like a string bean at 6'3", 190 pounds, and because of his hit over power approach, there's not a ton of impact in the bat yet. His exit velocities are well below average and at this point he projects for no more than a dozen or so home runs per season at best, so he'll need to fill out his frame considerably if he wants to change that. Right now, he projects as a high average type that provides most of his value through just that, with Luis Arraez obviously the first name that pops into mind. Defensively, he has received mixed reviews at shortstop and could stick there with some refinement despite just average speed. He's light on his feet but does take quick, short steps that could profile better for him at second or third base. He has the arm strength to make third base work. The bat profiles better at shortstop due to the potential lack of impact, but he should be able to play every day regardless of where he ends up defensively. So far, his numbers are right in line with expectations as he's slashing .333/.391/.475 with one home run and an 11/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 26 games between the Arizona Complex League and High A Lansing.

CBA-39: 3B Myles Naylor, St. Joan of Arc HS [ON] {video}
Slot value: $2.2 million. Signing bonus: $2.2 million.
My rank: #85. MLB Pipeline: #64. Baseball America: #66. Prospects Live: #97.
In being drafted 39th overall, Myles Naylor became the third highest drafted member of his family. His oldest brother, Josh, was drafted twelfth overall out of St. Joan of Arc Secondary School in 2015, while his middle brother, Bo, went 29th overall in 2018. Myles will join them out of the same high school here in 2023, and next he'll look to join them in the majors. He's primarily a power bat, with a whippy right handed swing that produces above average power especially to the pull side. His approach is pull oriented at this point as well, which can cause him problems with soft stuff, so finding more balance at the plate will certainly be on the docket for Oakland's player development. He's a pretty patient hitter and he's young, so it should be doable, and that power and athleticism in the box give a lot to dream on. The Toronto-area product is also a solid defender that should be able to stick at third base with a strong arm and the athleticism that I mentioned. There's nice upside here as a potential 20-30 home run bat with solid on-base percentages and good defense, something like a Josh Donaldson type of player with perhaps a tick less glove. He has held his own after being pushed aggressively to start his pro career, especially in the power department, slashing .214/.288/.381 with six home runs and a 55/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 34 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Stockton.

2-41: OF Ryan Lasko, Rutgers {video}
Slot value: $2.09 million. Signing bonus: $1.7 million ($394,900 below slot value).
My rank: #73. MLB Pipeline: #89. Baseball America: #75. Prospects Live: #78.
Ryan Lasko is a really interesting one for Oakland. He has been one of the best all-around players in the Big Ten over the past two seasons, where he has combined to slash .340/.430/.614 with 27 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and a 77/67 strikeout to walk ratio over 114 games. Lasko does a lot of things well. He takes pretty professional at bats and in 2023 walked more than he struck out for the first time in his college career, while he's not huge at 6', 190 pounds, his longer arms and legs give him average game power which plays well to the pull side. His pitch recognition is strong enough that he can turn on the ball with authority despite fringy raw exit velocities, though I'm not sure how well the power will play to the opposite field in pro ball with wood bats. Overall, it's not the flashiest offensive profile, but there aren't really any holes, either. He's an above average runner with excellent instincts that help him stretch for extra bases and steal bags, aiding to that all around offensive profile. The New Jersey native plays a mean center field, where his speed and instincts translate to plus defense that will keep him up the middle long term. That's important because it takes some pressure off his bat and will enable him to profile well as a bottom third of the order hitter while still playing every day. If the impact doesn't come around in pro ball, his defense will also buy him a place as a fourth outfielder who can play all three outfield positions. Lasko is a slow starter at times and may take some time to adjust to each level, but he'll come around. He's also young, having only turned 21 shortly before the draft. He didn't hit much in his pro debut, slashing .154/.233/.231 with a 5/3 strikeout to walk ratio over ten games in the Arizona Complex League but like I said, he's usually a slow starter.

3-72: RHP Steven Echavarria, Millburn HS [NJ] {video}
Slot value: $1.01 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($1.99 million above slot value).
My rank: #71. MLB Pipeline: #60. Baseball America: #73. Prospects Live: #67.
The A's saved about a million and a half dollars against their bonus pool with those first and third picks, so they deployed all of it and more into third rounder Steven Echavarria, who signed for just over the slot value of the #27 pick here at #72. Echavarria will be an interesting one for the A's to develop with one of the most well-rounded profiles of any high school pitcher in this class. A velocity bump means that he was sitting in the low to mid 90's in 2023, touching 98 at best with running and sinking life. His above average slider is his best secondary, while his solid average curveball and changeup give him a full arsenal to mix and match against pro hitters. Everything plays up because he has excellent command not just with the fastball but with the secondary stuff too, which is a huge separator for a high school pitcher. The 6'1" righty has a loose, elastic delivery with strong, repeatable mechanics that help him maintain that stuff and command deep into his starts. He's skinny and doesn't have a ton of projection remaining, but he's already up to 98 and looks like he'll settle in as a mid-rotation starter. The North Jersey native didn't turn 18 until after the draft, making him extremely young for the class, and he's about as polished as they come for a high school arm. 

4-103: RHP Cole Miller, Newbury Park HS [CA] {video}
Slot value: $653,300. Signing bonus: $1 million ($346,700 above slot value).
My rank: #83. MLB Pipeline: #121. Baseball America: #107. Prospects Live: #83.
This is the first pick the A's made in this draft that I can say I actively like. Cole Miller went well above slot value in the fourth round to sign for early third round money, almost exactly slot value for Steven Echavarria's position one round ahead of him and will bypass a UCLA commitment in the process. Miller was a bit of a late riser in this class who seems to be coming into his own, and I believe he'll continue to trend in the right direction for a long time. The fastball has ticked up and now sits in the low 90's and touches 96 at best, playing up because he gets great extension down the mound to give it flatter plane. His slider is now flashing above average and his changeup is coming along nicely as well, giving him a very solid three pitch mix. I really like the way he moves on the mound with a smooth, athletic delivery that promises to help him continue to add velocity as he gets stronger. For now, it's more athletic and efficient than it is explosive, so the A's will hope to find a little more quick twitch in him and bring it out. His command is generally pretty solid, though he can cast the ball and will have to tighten that up. At 6'6", 225 pounds, he's a big kid with room to mature his frame. So long as his command holds together, there's a nice floor here as a back-end starter with a ton of upside if he can find a way to get more explosive on the mound and add a couple more ticks of velocity.

5-139: RHP Nathan Dettmer, Texas A&M {video}
Slot value: $459,800. Signing bonus: $425,000 ($34,800 below slot value).
My rank: #169. MLB Pipeline: #198. Baseball America: #81. Prospects Live: #171.
Nathan Dettmer's stock has been on a bit of a rollercoaster, so the A's are buying into his highs. He showed a ton of promise as an underclassman, then after a strong fall last year, was many scouts' pick to click in 2023. Dettmer had worked his way into top two round discussions at that point, but unfortunately he struggled in 2023 with a 6.32 ERA and a 65/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 72.2 innings. His strikeout rate dipped from 20.1% as a sophomore to 19.2% as a junior while his walk rate more than doubled from 6.1% to 12.4%. as his command backed up. He sits in low to mid 90's and touched 99 in the fall with hard running and sinking action to keep it off barrels, though it flattened out in 2023 and his velocity was inconsistent. The San Antonio native flashes a plus slider which functions as his best pitch, and it did still look good in 2023. The changeup had been coming along nicely but stalled a little in 2023, so it's fringy but has shown above average potential. He's working in a curveball as well to give a softer look. Dettmer pounded the strike zone as an underclassman, albeit with better control than command, but struggled to find the zone consistently in 2023 as he often spiked his slider and had trouble locating his fastball. The 6'4" righty has a very strong, sturdy frame which should lend itself well to starting, and he did do a good job of maintaining his stuff through starts in 2023. Even so, if he can't rediscover his previously loud stuff and find a way to get ahead in counts, he may have to fall back to the bullpen and let his fastball/slider combination overpower hitters. To this point, he has struggled to miss bats even when he has his best stuff, adding to the reliever risk. It will be interesting to see if the A's can finally help Dettmer put it all together and become the turbo sinker/slider power arm that he has shown flashes of. He threw three innings in his first taste of pro ball, allowing no runs while striking out three and walking one in the Arizona Complex League.

6-166: OF Jonah Cox, Oral Roberts {video}
Slot value: $354,500. Signing bonus: $300,000 ($54,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #161. Baseball America: #403. Prospects Live: #117.
Jonah Cox gives the A's a fun do-it-all type. He's been all over the middle of the country, having grown up in the Denver area before playing at three different schools in three years – Butler JC (Kansas) as a freshman, Eastern Oklahoma State as a sophomore, and Oral Roberts as a junior. 2023 may have been his first season at the Division I level, but you would never tell by watching him play. Cox slashed .412/.470/.646 with eleven home runs, 28 stolen bases, and a 53/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 games, highlighted by a 47 game hitting streak that marked the third longest in Division I history. If he had one more hit as a freshman, he would have hit over .400 in all three college seasons. Cox uses a simple, easy right handed swing to spray the ball around the field with extreme consistency, perfectly willing to go the other way or poke one through the hole. At 6'3", 200 pounds, he's strong enough to turn on the ball for some power to the pull side, keeping pitchers honest and helping him project for potential double digit home run totals at the big league level. Cox can get aggressive at the plate, especially against advanced pitching, so that will be something to watch as he has made the jump from JUCO to a small Division I conference to pro ball in consecutive seasons. A plus runner, he stole 120 bases in 175 career games over three seasons, with his instincts and baseball IQ providing an additional boon. He's just now learning the outfield after spending most of his career at shortstop and needs more refinement there, but there's no reason to think he won't put it together and become a solid center fielder. Overall, it's a fourth outfielder projection with many different ways to impact the game. So far, he's slashing .287/.366/.403 with a pair of home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a 41/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 35 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Stockton.

11-316: RHP Drew Conover, Rutgers {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #220. Baseball America: #329. Prospects Live: #247.
The A's picked up their second Rutgers Scarlet Knight here and get an interesting arm in the process. He spent the first two years of his college career as a hard throwing reliever at Seton Hall, then parlayed a strong summer in the Cape Cod League (1.35 ERA, 20/6 K/BB in 20 IP) into a transfer opportunity to Rutgers. Transitioning to the rotation, he pitched to mixed results with a 4.50 ERA and an 83/45 strikeout to walk ratio over 68 innings. Conover provides a tough look for hitters. His fastball sits in the low 90's as a starter but touches 97 out of the bullpen, coming in with hard running and sinking action from a lower slot. He drops in an above average slider that looks plus when he locates it, with hard sweep that makes it a true bat misser. The West Jersey native can work in a cutter that splits the difference between his running fastball and sweeping slider, which together creates a nice spectrum to work against hitters. Conover is long and lean at 6'5", 185 pounds and utilizes a very loose delivery and a low arm slot that can be difficult to repeat at times. His 14.8% walk rate in 2023 was far too high if he wants to cut it as a starter, and without a reliable changeup, he has multiple factors working against his future in the rotation. He's probably a reliever, where he can let the fastball/slider combination eat and work the cutter in to keep hitters off balance. I do think that he could be very effective in that role. He faced four batters in the Arizona Complex League, striking out two and walking two.

15-436: OF Will Simpson, Washington {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #349. Prospects Live: unranked.
In Will Simpson, the A's get one of the more accomplished hitters in the Pac-12. After a pair of big seasons as a sophomore in 2021 and as a junior in 2022, he rode out on a huge 2023 in which he slashed .335/.418/.643 with 18 home runs and a 59/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games. He's a big guy at 6'4", 225 pounds, using his size, strength, and loose right handed swing to tap above average power in games. Meanwhile, he's an aggressive hitter with below average bat to ball ability, which could put a strain on his ability to tap power in games in pro ball. Simpson will need to shore up his approach to ensure his bat plays, and he'll have to do it quickly as a below average defender limited to first base. If the Seattle-area native can learn to better control the strike zone against high quality pitching, his power could make him a platoon or bench bat in at the major league level. Though he's a senior sign, he's young for his class and didn't turn 22 until a month and a half after the draft. He's on the right track so far, slashing .319/.367/.543 with six home runs and a 34/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 36 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Stockton.

17-496: 2B Colby Halter, Florida {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #452. Prospects Live: #403.
Colby Halter has been known to area scouts around Florida for a long time. He was a nationally known prospect out of Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, alma mater of star relievers Jonathan Papelbon and Darren O'Day, but made it to campus at Florida. Jumping straight into the starting lineup as a true freshman, he hit .302/.379/.453 as a teenager but unfortunately that would be far and away his best season. He was eligible as a sophomore in 2022 but slashed just .240/.338/.380, then came back in 2023 to slash .247/.354/.397 with three home runs and a 34/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games. While the shine is gone from his prospect profile, he still stands out as an extremely professional hitter that has risen to the occasion everywhere he's gone. After showing well on the high school showcase circuit and hitting over .300 as a true freshman at Florida, he also snuck in a very strong Cape Cod League performance (.288/.387/.471, 7 HR) last summer and has never looked overmatched at the plate. He makes a lot of contact from the left side, albeit with below average power that has stalled in college. He's got some range on the infield as well, though he's not an explosive defender and will likely be a second baseman going forward. Overall, it's hard to see enough upside for him to carve out a long term role in the big leagues, but it's hard to bet against Halter's advanced bat and feel for the game. He hit very well in the Arizona Complex League but slumped upon an aggressive promotion to High A Lansing, overall slashing .272/.366/.351 with a 36/16 strikeout to walk ratio through 34 games.

2022 MLB Draft Review: Oakland Athletics

Full list of draftees

The A's drafted four consecutive position players to start off the draft, including three outfielders that all have a broad enough skill set to develop into true five tool players. They kind of spent the rest of the draft playing bonus catchup after going more than $650,000 above slot value to sign second rounder Henry Bolte and six figures over slot again to sign third rounder Colby Thomas, but they have to feel great about getting a whole new outfield and a potential starting catcher all early in the draft. There are no slam dunk starting pitchers in this class, with the first two arms they selected showing considerable stuff but difficulty harnessing it and perhaps their best bet, eleventh rounder Christian Oppor, turning them down so he could attend JuCo in Florida.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-19: C Daniel Susac, Arizona. My rank: #15.
Slot value: $3.53 million. Signing bonus: $3.53 million.
The A's got great value here in the back of the teens, landing a catcher that many thought was talented enough to go in the top ten picks. The younger brother of former Giants catcher Andrew Susac, Daniel is also a hometown kid that grew up in the northeastern Sacramento suburb of Roseville, meanwhile commuting to Carmichael to attend Jesuit High School. He earned a lot of draft attention there in the five round 2020 draft, but opted to head to Arizona for college and that move paid off. Susac made an immediate impact in Tucson, slashing .335/.392/.591 with twelve home runs as a freshman, then stepped it up a notch in 2022 by slashing .366/.429/.582 with twelve more home runs and a 52/23 strikeout to walk ratio over 64 games. Working with a strong, long limbed, 6'4" frame, he produces high exit velocities from the right side that give him plus raw power when he lifts the ball. He's an aggressive hitter whose 7.4% walk rate was actually the lowest on my entire draft board this spring, but his above average bat to ball skills help him make a ton of hard contact regardless and strikeouts have never been an issue. In pro ball, he'll probably want to refine that approach a little bit as pitchers start to take advantage of the chases, but it's not terribly concerning given the rest of the profile. Behind the plate, he stands out as one of the better pitch framers in the class, so he'll provide immense value in that regard until MLB one day implements robo umps. His defense is otherwise average, enough to help him stick back there but he probably won't be winning many Gold Gloves. Together, it's an everyday catcher's profile that could produce 25+ home runs annually with solid on-base percentages. Two of the Athletics' past three first round picks have been catchers from the Central Valley, with Susac joining Turlock's Tyler Soderstrom, though Soderstrom is playing less and less catcher. Susac debuted in the Arizona Complex League and picked up three hits in his first two games.

2-56: OF Henry Bolte, Palo Alto HS [CA]. My rank: #41.
Slot value: $1.34 million. Signing bonus: $2 million ($658,100 above slot value).
After going local to the east with the Sacramento area's Daniel Susac, the A's went local again to the west by grabbing Henry Bolte out of Palo Alto High School. Bolte didn't come cheap, costing more than $650,000 above slot value to sign away from a Texas commitment, but he has a chance to be a special hitter in Oakland. He's a great athlete with a big, physical 6'3" frame oozing with tools. His right handed swing produces a ton of torque and high exit velocities, so the next step there will be helping him loft the ball more effectively and turn that plus raw power into more home runs in games. He also has a ways to go with his approach at the plate, but he does show the ability to impact the ball to all fields and should take well to pro pitching with a little refinement. Bolte has plus speed that could keep him in center field, where his plus arm could make him a Gold Glover if it all comes together. There is huge upside here as a potential five tool player, and he's not terribly far off from that ceiling for a high schooler. Oakland may opt to take it slow with their potential future star, but this will be a fun one to track and he has two hits in his first six at bats in the ACL.

CBB-69: OF Clark Elliott, Michigan. My rank: #81.
Slot value: $977,500. Signing bonus: $900,000 ($77,500 below slot value).
Clark Elliott has a lot of fans out in the Midwest, and it looks like the A's were among them. He didn't put up big numbers in his first two years at Michigan, but turned a lot of heads when he hit .344/.464/.478 with a strong 20/17 strikeout to walk ratio in the elite Cape Cod League last summer. He continued that success in Ann Arbor this spring, where he hit .337/.460/.630 with 16 home runs and a 56/49 strikeout to walk ratio over 61 games. Elliott has plenty of wiry strength in his lean 6' frame and has always shown strong feel for the barrel, previously employing a line drive, all-fields approach. In 2022, he began turning on and elevating the ball more effectively, tapping some pull side power that should play in pro ball. There are some concerns over his ability to handle quality breaking stuff, but overall it's a very well-rounded offensive profile augmented by plus speed that will help him stay in center field. There's no one plus tool here aside from that speed, but the Chicago-area native projects to be a well-rounded profile that can impact the game in a number of ways. He walked and scored in his first game in the ACL.

3-95: OF Colby Thomas, Mercer. My rank: #71.
Slot value: $642,100. Signing bonus: $750,000 ($107,900 above slot value).
The A's rounded out their outfield by selecting Colby Thomas out of Mercer, and he has a chance to be the best player in the group. He was up and down as an underclassman then showed well in the Cape Cod League last summer before breaking out in 2022 with a .325/.451/.734 slash line, 17 home runs, and a 32/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 42 games. Thomas is not huge at a listed 6', 190 pounds, but he can really put a charge into a baseball with a very leveraged right handed swing, great bat speed, and strong feel for the barrel. Those 17 home runs in 42 games this year were no fluke, and he should continue to hit for power in pro ball. Previously an aggressive hitter with some swing and miss in his game, the South Georgia native smoothed that out considerably this year and walked more than he struck out. It remains to be seen how Thomas handles the jump to professional pitching from the Southern Conference, but if it goes smoothly, this could end up being a steal of a pick. Meanwhile, he's not quite as fast as Henry Bolte or Clark Elliott, but he is a good runner that has a shot at center field if he hits and those guys don't or if Bolte slows down as he fills out. He has a good arm to top it off, giving him a chance to be a five tool player just like the other two outfielders here.

4-124: RHP Jacob Watters, West Virginia. My rank: #146.
Slot value: $483,500. Signing bonus: $491,750 ($8,250 above slot value).
The first pitcher of the draft for Oakland is an interesting one. Jacob Watters didn't get much exposure growing up in one of the most remote corners of Virginia, so he ended up on campus at West Virginia and has shown off some of the more impressive arm strength in the class. The numbers weren't pretty this year, with a 6.22 ERA and a 75/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 59.1 innings as a swingman, but he did strike out fifteen Longhorns during a start against Texas in May and there is a lot to work with. Watters sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and can touch triple digits in relief, just overpowering hitters when they're not explicitly sitting on the pitch. His curveball is his best pitch, coming in with huge spin and tight break, and together it's one of the better fastball/curveball combinations out there. He also throws a changeup, but it's well behind the fastball and curveball. Watters has shown well in relief but has really struggled as a starter, where his below average command really hurts him and he struggles to maintain his stuff. The 6'4", 230 pound righty is country strong and does have a chance to start if he can get that command ironed out and work on his changeup, but his most likely destination is the bullpen where he'll rely on the fastball and curveball. It's a fun profile with some upside here in the fourth round.

5-154: RHP Jack Perkins, Indiana. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $361,000. Signing bonus: $270,750 ($90,250 below slot value).
The A's spent big on their first five picks and now in the fifth round find themselves nearly $700,000 over their bonus pool pick for pick, so the money savings start in earnest here. Jack Perkins had serious draft interest out of Louisville last year, but walked 22 batters 16 innings and decided to stay in school. He transferred from Louisville to Indiana, which was closer to home, and got the opportunity to start that he wouldn't have gotten at Louisville. This year, he put up a 5.10 ERA and a 91/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 83 innings for the Hoosiers, unremarkable numbers on the surface but a big step forward from where he was. Perkins can sit in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, getting up to 97 in relief and coming in with big spin rates, but there were times in 2022 where he hung closer to 90. He works in vicious, plus slider that looks like one of the better breaking balls in the draft at its best, while also showing a cutter and a changeup. The Kokomo native's command improved from non-playable in 2021 to below average in 2022 as he smoothed out his delivery considerably, and if he moves back to the bullpen in pro ball, it should be good enough. Given how he couldn't quite maintain his stuff in a starting role, in addition to the command questions, I think the bullpen is where he belongs, and he could be a nasty reliever if the transition goes how it should. Aside from being a year older and a few inches shorter, there are some similarities here to Jacob Watters.

6-184: 3B Brennan Milone, Oregon. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $277,300. Signing bonus: $200,00 ($77,300 below slot value).
Brennan Milone was a big name for the 2019 draft out of high school in the Atlanta area, but made it to campus at South Carolina where he played sparingly and struggled to make an impact for two years. Looking for a change of scenery, he transferred across the country to Oregon this year and broke out with a .337/.405/.545 slash line, 12 home runs, and a 36/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 games for the Ducks. He makes a ton of contact from the right side, with a strong approach at the plate and good pitch recognition ability. Though there isn't huge power in his 6'1" frame, he finds the barrel frequently enough to tap what he has, and should continue to hit for impact at the next level. It's not the most exciting offensive profile, but he should get on base and could hit around 15 home runs per season at his peak if things break right. He's an average defender with enough arm for third base, adding to the well rounded profile here. To top it off, he's young for a college junior and only turned 21 in May, adding a little extra development time, not that he really needs it. He picked up two hits, including a double, in his first four at bats in the ACL while adding a walk.

8-244: RHP Micah Dallas, Texas A&M. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $177,100. Signing bonus: $125,000 ($52,100 below slot value).
Micah Dallas earned some draft attention after a successful three year career at Texas Tech, but decided to transfer to Texas A&M for his senior season rather than turning pro. The results were more good than great with a 5.18 ERA and an 86/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 81.2 innings, so all in all his stock is roughly in the same place it was last year. He sits around 90 with his fastball usually a tick above and tops out around 93, coming in with steep angle. His best pitch is a downer slider, while he also works in a solid changeup. It's not the loudest stuff in the draft, but he's a bulldog on the mound that throws everything with conviction, daring hitters to hit it, and as a result walks have not been an issue for him. The 6'2" righty throws with some effort and given the average stuff, he's probably better suited for bullpen work where it can hopefully take a step forward, and his demeanor would work very well in that role. He never quite took the step forward I was hoping to see, but I still like this pick as an eighth round money saver.

13-394: RHP Jake Pfennigs, Oregon State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
The A's picked up an interesting senior sign in Jake Pfennigs, though it will take some work to make him a major league option. He did a good job keeping runs off the board in 2022 with a 3.96 ERA for Oregon State, but was otherwise mediocre with a 1.79 WHIP and a 30/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 36.1 innings. He stands 6'7" with a high release point, giving his low 90's fastball some of the most extreme downhill plane in college baseball. Despite that, its generic movement makes it extremely straight and easy to square up, so the A's will want to play with his release and find a way to help the pitch play better to its slot. He works with a slider, curve, and changeup to round out his arsenal, with decent feel for spin that can keep hitters off his fastball but nothing to this point that misses a ton of bats. Oakland's main focus will be that fastball, but helping him sharpen up at least one offspeed pitch will help too. The northern Idaho native throws enough strikes to make it work, and it's hard to find another prospect with his release characteristics so they have themselves a unicorn. He's probably middle inning reliever but he could crack it as a #5 starter if everything breaks right and the A's unlock something with his fastball.

2021 MLB Draft Review: Oakland Athletics

Full list of draftees

For the second straight year, the A's grabbed a prep hitter out of California in the back of the first round, but from there it was virtually all college with Puerto Rican prep pitcher Eduardo Rivera (eleventh round) representing the only other high schooler in the haul. There was no one big overslot signing here, as Oakland instead opted to spread its money around pretty evenly and grab a couple of moderately overslot college players in the middle of day two. It was a little more hitter-heavy on days one and two and a little more pitcher-heavy on day three, but ultimately the A's picked up a diverse variety of players and didn't really stick to one demographic, aside from mainly college guys. They also took a lot of guys that I'm a little extra interested to see how they turn out, including first rounder Max Muncy, third rounder Mason Miller, fourth rounder Denzel Clarke, and ninth rounder Shane McGuire.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-25: SS Max Muncy, Thousand Oaks HS [CA]. My rank: #37.
We've probably all heard multiple times by now that this isn't the Dodgers' Max Muncy and he shares no relation, even though he did grow up in the Los Angeles suburbs. I've been interested in the younger Max Muncy throughout the whole draft cycle, and I wasn't surprised to see him rising towards the end of the spring. He has plenty of room to grow into his rangy 6'1" frame, and while he might not be the most athletic kid in the class, he uses his body very well and gets the most out of it, which will bode well for him as he grows and adds strength. Muncy shows great feel for the barrel from the right side, with plenty of plate coverage and the ability to do damage to all parts of the park, which again is something that he'll only get better at as he gets stronger. Defensively, there's a split camp as to whether he's athletic enough to handle shortstop, but I see enough arm strength to make it work as an above average third baseman and the A's likely think he'll stick at shortstop outright. Overall, Muncy may not have one standout tool that most first rounders show, but I like the overall package a lot and I think he'll grow into his game nicely. It took $2.85 million to sign him away from an Arkansas commitment, which was about $110,000 above slot value.

2-60: 3B Zack Gelof, Virginia. My rank: #101.
The industry was a bit split on Zack Gelof, who has been a bit more inconsistent than the typical Virginia draft prospect. He was off to a hot start in 2020, slashing .349/.469/.746 when the season shut down, but got off to a slow start in 2021 before righting the ship later on and finishing at .312/.393/.485 with nine home runs and a 40/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 63 games. Those who have watched Gelof regularly see all of the offensive tools to succeed, but not necessarily at the same time. There's above average raw power in his 6'3" frame, which he has shown the ability to tap despite playing at a pitcher-friendly home park. The Delaware native also has shown a disciplined approach that has enabled high on-base percentages in Charlottesville and makes him an all-around asset at the plate. To this point, though, he hasn't quite shown both at the same time. He can hit for power, but when he does, it often comes with some moderate swing and miss. On the other hand, when he's focused on making contact and putting the ball in play, sometimes he can hit for less impact. The A's likely believe that's partly due to that power-suppressing home park, and once he gets into more neutral environments in pro ball, he'll put it all together. The Coliseum may be similar to Davenport Field in Charlottesville, but at least he won't experience the same drop-off as other hitters. Gelof signed for slot value at $1.16 million.

3-97: RHP Mason Miller, Gardner-Webb. My rank: #128.
Mason Miller is a really interesting one. He was lightly recruited out of his Pittsburgh-area high school and began his college career at Division III Waynesburg University, where he was a non-factor over his first two seasons before being diagnosed with Type I diabetes and taking a step forward as a junior in 2019. He transferred to Gardner-Webb after graduating and has continued to build his stock, finishing with a 3.30 ERA and a 121/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 92.2 innings. Miller is a power arm that comfortably sits in the mid 90's and touched 99 at the combine, coming in with a low release point and high spin that give his fastball a very flat plane up in the zone. The 6'5" righty adds an above average slider as well that is his main secondary, while his changeup is his clear third pitch. Miller fills up the strike zone and has the frame and stuff to project as a starter at the next level. Working against him is age, as he'll turn 23 in August, but the A's are buying into the incredibly steep, upward trajectory he's on and think he'll continue to improve in their system. If the changeup doesn't come along or the command doesn't make the transition, his fastball/slider combination could be deadly out of the bullpen. Miller signed at slot value for $599,100.

4-127: OF Denzel Clarke, Cal State Northridge. My rank: #115.
In the fourth round, the A's came back to the west coast and brought on one of the best athletes in the class. The son of an olympic heptathlete and a cousin of Josh and Bo Naylor, Denzel Clarke has combined that athleticism with performance by slashing .341/.464/.615 with eleven home runs, twenty stolen bases, and a 65/31 strikeout to walk ratio in 53 games over the last two seasons. There's plus raw power in his 6'5" frame, and he has been tapping it more and more consistently in games. He's also a plus runner that can make an impact on both sides of the ball, giving him the chance to stick in center field in the long run. The hit tool is a bit less proven, as Clarke struck out at a 23% clip against decent Big West pitching this year, and some evaluators noted that most of his damage came against lower quality arms and he struggled against better stuff. Still, others will note that the Toronto-area native is absolutely trending in the right direction with his approach, and getting him into a pro development system to continue that trend could bring big results. The A's are betting on Clarke's considerable ceiling this year and think that he could be the type to burst into pro ball and take a lot of people by surprise. He signed for $700,000, which was about $252,600 above slot value and the equivalent to mid-third round money.

5-158: C CJ Rodriguez, Vanderbilt. Unranked.
CJ Rodriguez's ascent to stardom came relatively quickly. He played in twelve games in the shortened 2020 season, but became Vanderbilt's starting catcher in 2021 and produced, slashing .249/.393/.378 with five home runs and an excellent 19/36 strikeout to walk ratio over 58 games. Rodriguez is not a flashy player – rather, he uses his high baseball IQ and good knowledge of his own game to contribute quietly. While the 5'10" backstop doesn't have a ton of power, he finds the barrel consistently with a simple right handed stroke and manages the strike zone superbly, which will make the transition to pro pitching much easier for him. Behind the plate, he's a quiet leader with plenty of big game experience, and has deftly handled famous arms like Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Christian Little, and Patrick Reilly. Again, that experience with first round stuff will come in handy in pro ball. The Los Angeles-area native also has a strong arm that plays up due to his quick release and strong instincts. To me, it's a pretty clear backup catcher profile, but if he can tack on a little bit of power he could manage as a glove-first regular. He signed for $400,000, which was about $69,900 above slot value.

6-188: RHP Grant Holman, California. My rank: #167.
Grant Holman entered campus in Berkeley as a two-way player, and he actually slashed .264/.348/.414 with five home runs over his first two seasons. However, he dropped hitting during the pandemic and came back to campus in the fall of 2020 as a pitcher-only, and his stuff took a boost. The fastball touched 97 and sat in the mid 90's in fall practice, and his secondaries looked a bit sharper as well. After sitting out the first month of the regular season with biceps problems, he came out and had a solid but unspectacular spring with a 3.83 ERA and a 46/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 47 innings. The stuff looked good, but he didn't quite build the fall like some scouts had hoped. The huge, 6'6" righty gets great lower half extension down the mound, then releases from high off the ground to put steep downhill plane on his pitches. He gets nice life on his fastball, though it should be noted that today, low release heights with flat approach angles are more in style. Behind that big fastball is a full array of secondaries, all of which are a work in progress. His slider is probably his best, flashing above average at times, though it and his curveball can get loopy at times. The changeup is fringe-average for now, while his command can flash average but is inconsistent. He's more of a traditional starting pitching prospect in that his pitch and delivery data don't uncover any high spin rates or the like, but the A's are buying into his frame, arm strength, age (he just turned 21 at the end of May), and the fact that he just gave up hitting last year. The San Diego-area product signed for $375,000, which was $119,700 above slot value.

9-278: C Shane McGuire, San Diego. Unranked.
This is a really interesting one for me. Shane McGuire improved every year at San Diego, jumping from .287/.417/.362 as a freshman in 2018 to .325/.444/.401 as a sophomore and .469/.561/.688 in his pandemic-shortened junior season. That didn't quite carry over to 2021, where he hit a quieter but still respectable .278/.389/.483 with a career high six home runs and a 14/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 45 games. The younger brother of Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire, Shane stands out first and foremost for his exceptional bat to ball skills, which have led to just a 10.9% strikeout rate over four years at San Diego and a minuscule 6.5% rate in 2021. He shows some easy pop in his 6' frame and slight uppercut swing, but he tends to get on top of balls and hits a lot of low line drives, which led to hitting just one home run in each of his first three seasons. The Seattle-area native is a bit choppy behind the plate, but shows off a strong arm that will keep him back there for now and possibly for good once robot umpires show up. Though he's a bit older as a fourth year player who turned 22 in April, I think there's more upside here than you might expect, as some swing tweaks could help him tap more power in pro ball and his plate discipline will enable him to make the most of it. He signed for $100,000, which was $50,800 below slot value.

14-428: OF Jonny Butler, North Carolina State. Unranked.
Jonny Butler spent his freshman season at Heartland JC in Illinois, then transferred to NC State and improved every year. In 2021, Butler was one of the best hitters in the ACC, slashing .376/.452/.663 with 14 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and a 45/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games against a tough schedule, anchoring a Wolfpack lineup that made a deep Omaha run only cut short by a COVID outbreak. Butler brings a very interesting bat with a left handed swing that's long through the zone but still manages to put plenty of loft on the baseball, enabling him to handle and do damage against premium arms. In fact, he was one of just five players to homer off of Golden Spikes winner Kevin Kopps this year. There's at least average power in the tank as he manipulates the barrel well and hits the ball hard. He's an average runner who probably profiles as a left fielder in the long run, so the bat will have to carry him, and he's a fourth year guy who turned 22 in February. Still, I really like this pick in the fourteenth round, where he signed for $125,000.

2020 Draft Review: Oakland Athletics

1-26: C Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS (CA)
2-58: RHP Jeff Criswell, Michigan
3-98: OF Michael Guldberg, Georgia Tech
4-127: RHP Dane Acker, Oklahoma
5-157: RHP Stevie Emanuels, Washington

The A's probably weren't expecting Tyler Soderstrom to fall to them at 26th overall, and while he likely threw off their entire draft plan, they were more than likely to grab him. His true impact bat leads this class, while Jeff Criswell, Dane Acker, and Stevie Emanuels all bring something a little different to the mound. Criswell has now stuff but could use a little refinement, Acker more or less just is what he is, a safe bet #4/#5 starter, and Emanuels is a projection arm trending up. Aside from Soderstrom, the lone bat is Michael Guldberg, a money-saving pick who likely figures in as a fourth outfielder. The success of this class comes down to how much Soderstrom hits, though I personally see Emanuels as the under the radar x factor who could define the second through fifth picks.
Full index of team reviews here

1-26: C Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS, CA (my rank: 19)
Though they didn't get to pick until towards the end of the first round, the A's started off the draft with a bang, picking up Turlock High School catcher Tyler Soderstrom, a top twenty talent according to most. A semi-local kid who grew up in the Central Valley about an hour and a half west of the Coliseum, Soderstrom brings an exceptional bat that has been praised around the industry. Coming from a strong, 6'2" frame, he finds the barrel consistently and against very good competition with a strong left handed swing with plenty of loft. More recently, he's begun to grow into more power, taking that part of his game from average to safely above average, with potentially plus power projected. He gets a ton of leverage out of his frame and swing, driving the ball with authority to all fields, and his strength combined with his above average feel to hit enable scouts to be confident he'll tap that power in pro ball. His defense is behind his bat, as he's very athletic but hasn't quite refined his game behind the plate. If the A's are willing to work with those raw skills behind the plate and be patient, he could be one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, but the team may decide they want the bat sooner and decide not to worry about catching – especially with Sean Murphy in tow. Because of that athleticism, he could potentially handle third base or the outfield well, and he certainly has the bat to profile at any position. At his ceiling, he could project for as many as 25-30 home runs annually with high on-base percentages, even at the spacious Coliseum. Committed to UCLA, he's going to be a very expensive sign, likely significantly over the $2.65 million slot value. Pre-draft profile here.

2-58: RHP Jeff Criswell, Michigan (my rank: 58)
Criswell ranked 58th on MLB Pipeline, 58th on my list, and went 58th overall, so I guess we're being consistent (Baseball America is the outlier, ranking him 53rd). He's been a consistent performer in some strong Michigan rotations, holding a 2.88 ERA and a 174/78 strikeout to walk ratio over 162.1 innings throughout his career in Ann Arbor. The repertoire is led by a mid 90's fastball with some armside tail that makes it hard to square up, and he also brings an above average slider and changeup. With a little bit of funky, but clean, arm action in the back, it can be hard to pick up his pitches out of his hands. However, he still has work to do on his control and command, as his mediocre strike throwing ability can hurt him at times and won't work in pro ball. The A's will hope to get him a little more consistent with his release point, because he has everything else he needs to start: a 6'4" frame, three above average pitches, and a good track record in a large conference. If he can get up to average command, he has the type of arsenal to effectively tunnel his pitches and have them make each other better. Slot value is $1.21 million here near the end of the second round, and I wouldn't be surprised if he took a slight discount. Pre-draft profile here.

3-98: OF Michael Guldberg, Georgia Tech (unranked)
If you like hit tools and on-base percentage (of course you do, you're an A's fan!), you're going to love this pick. Michael Guldberg is a career .374/.463/.459 hitter at Georgia Tech, striking out just 41 times in 104 games while drawing 44 walks. He's very much a singles hitter, with just 19 extra base hits in those 104 games, but he does an exceptional job poking line drives over infielders heads and going to all fields. He's more of a solid runner than a true plus speed guy, making him mostly just a one-dimensional player. Guldberg can handle center field or second base if needed, but he fits better in left. Overall, despite his uncanny ability to make solid contact, he's unlikely to end up a full time player down the road, with more of a fourth outfield projection. That said, you don't hit .374 over more than 100 games against an ACC schedule by accident, and with a June birthday, he's relatively young for a college junior. Slot value is $593,100, but he'll likely sign for significantly less as the A's work to reel in Soderstrom.

4-127: RHP Dane Acker, Oklahoma (unranked)
Dane Acker is much more of a right now product than a projection play. Hailing from the small town of Brenham, Texas, Acker moved from Rice to San Jacinto Community College to Oklahoma over the last three years and looked like he was finally finding his place when the season shut down. In his second to last start of the season, he tossed a complete game no-hitter against LSU, striking out eleven Tigers and thrusting himself onto draft radars. It's a pretty average four pitch mix overall, sitting in the low 90's with his fastball and adding a curve, slider, and changeup. The curve is ahead of the slider, but he mixes all four effectively and maintains his stuff deep into games. Acker's command is above average, though his lack of a true out pitch means that any wavering of that command could sink a start. Case in point: after no-hitting LSU on March 1st, he allowed four runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings against San Diego State on March 8th, right before the shutdown. It's a pretty safe #4/#5 profile, and he could have some modest #3 upside if he sharpens his offspeeds a little or adds some velocity. Slot value is $447,400, though the A's will likely ask for another slight discount to afford Soderstrom.

5-157: RHP Stevie Emanuels, Washington (my rank: 105)
It's easy to love the Tyler Soderstrom pick, but aside from that one, this is by far my favorite pick of this draft for the A's. After a solid sophomore season at Washington (2.35 ERA, 65/22 K/BB), Emanuels was taking it to another level in 2020, holding down a 0.79 ERA and a 38/9 strikeout to walk ratio across 22.2 innings, with six of those nine walks coming in his first start of the season. He's a 6'5" righty with an extremely loose arm that has continued to add velocity, now sitting consistently in the low 90's while touching 96, and he rattles off a really sharp slider that can miss bats in bunches. There's a solid curveball that he's still working on differentiating from his slider, as well as a changeup, and he's been working in more two seam fastballs that show nice run. A pretty lanky dude, it seems like he's still growing into his body a bit, but his strike throwing has gotten better and now plays as solid average, with the chance to work towards above average in the future. I look at the arm action and frame and think this kid could continue to get better and better and better, with a huge ceiling in addition to a nice baseline of skills. He could be an impact starter, with a fallback of a fastball/slider reliever. Slot value is $333,300, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to save much here.

Undrafted: RHP Grant Judkins, Iowa: 2-0, 2.33 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24/5 K/BB in 21 IP
Undrafted: C William Simoneit, Wake Forest: 3 HR, .377/.462/.642, 0 SB, 14/7 K/BB in 17 games
Undrafted: C Cooper Uhl, Loyola Marymount: 0 HR, .361/.487/.443, 5 SB,  8/14 K/BB in 16 games
With 25 more draft reviews to write, I don't have the bandwidth to research all of these guys, but off the bat it looks like these are older players (all at least 22 years old) who figure to be role players long term. Uhl (a California kid from Orange County) has no power to speak of but has a good eye at the plate, while Simoneit was hitting for more impact this year after transferring from Cornell to Wake Forest as a graduate student. Judkins was showing a sharper strikeout to walk ratio at Iowa.