Oakland A's Draft Report

Oakland was pretty much in the middle of the pack in spending this year and split pretty evenly between high school and college. They also did a great job signing their picks. They inked their first 14 picks and 19 of the first 20 picks. I really liked what they did late in the draft, taking flyers on high upside players but didn't sign any of them. They drafted heavily toward positional players.

 

The Draft:

Michael Choice, OF, 1st Round

Choice has a loud swing. He has a lot of movement prior to it and it is loud when he makes contact. He has improved some since high school but he is still raw. He has a lot of power, some of the best in the draft. He has a solid arm and decent range. He looks like a power hitting LF. He will strike out a lot early in his career but has a ton of potential.

Yordy Cabrera, 3B, 2nd Round

Cabrera was a 2-way player in high school but his future is as an everyday player. He has a great arm, good speed and some decent power. His Dad works in the Detroit org. and looks like he'll fit well in pro ball. His actions look easy on the field, almost lazy at times. He is old for a high schooler but he should move faster than most high school players.

Chad Lewis, 3B, 4th Round

Lewis has very good actions at 3B and should be able to stay there. He has a short, quick level swing that he produces some loft with. He has strength in his swing so the HR's will come with time. He is an average runner at best, though. Really like this pick in the 4th round.

Aaron Shipman, OF, 3rd Round

Shipman jumped up draft boards with a really good spring. He flashes a ton of tools but is very raw. He has fantastic speed, a strong arm that could play in RF but has the range for CF. He has a smooth lefthanded swing but doesn't generate much power with it. He is an athlete who will need time to gain polish, so don't write him off if he has a couple poor season. If he does well out of the gate, I will be surprised.

Anthony Thompson, 3B, 6th Round

Thompson is a solid hitter with a lot of power. He didn't do overly well in his pro debut, but the power should translate to the pro game. He is a below average fielder at 3B due to his lack of quickness. His speed is also below average and he will be relegated to 1B down the line. His bat will need to come around to be a MLB first baseman.

Blake Hassebrock, RHP, 8th Round

Hassebrock worked almost solely out of the bullpen after signing and did ok. He has an easy delivery but it's very inconsistent. He can run it up to 93 pretty easily and has a long lean build that scouts love. He is athletic but raw on the mound, so he may take some time to develop. I wouldn't be surprised to see him held back in extended spring training next season due to that, but getting him plenty of work and innings is what he really needs. He has very good upside for an 8th round college pitcher.

Antwoin Kirby-Jones, 1B, 9th Round

Kirby-Jones can flat out crush the ball. His power followed him to pro ball hitting 14 HR's in 247 AB's in his pro debut. He is selective at the plate and has good at bats. He's not a very good runner and will be strictly a 1B/DH as a pro but he should hit for enough power to justify that position. He won't be a big average guy, but at worst he should be very good protection in whatever batting order he is in to allow top prospects to get good pitches to see. At best, he is a .260 hitting 1B with 30 HR power.

Tyler Vail, RHP, 5th Round

Vail has a high effort delivery but did well in his pro debut striking out 29 in 31 IP. He has a 90 MPH fastball with decent movement but I don't see him gaining much velocity because of the delivery. The arm is there but he is going to need some time to refine his other pitchers.  

Best Unsigned Player from the Draft:

Krey Bratsen, CF, 45th Round

Bratsen is extremely athletic and has a rocket arm. His main asset is his speed and will display it well at Texas A & M. His bat is his least developed skill and needs to gain consistency and make better contact. He has good bat speed but he has a hitch at the start of his swing that needs to be worked out. I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops over the next 3 years.

Andrew Smith, RHP, 40th Round

Smith can throw in the low 90's and has a very good curveball but his arm lags behind his body when pitches. It could cause shoulder issues. He is a long lean pitcher with a projectable body and should help out North Carolina very early in his collegiate career.

Tyler Skulina, RHP, 46th Round

Skulina is 6'6" and 230 LBS with a wicked slider. He needs to gain consistency but it can be unhittable. His fastball is in the low 90's and he has good command. His change is below average but he has a ton of potential, especially if he improves his conditioning. He will have 3 years to work on it at Virginia.

Lonnie Kauppila, SS, 44th Round  

Kaupilla has a very strong swing but his hands go back and up before he swings. This could cause issues against better pitching. He is a solid SS with good actions but is inconsistent with his throws. He is headed to Stanford to join what could be the best recruiting class by any college this season. He could play SS, 3B or 2B at Stanford and has time to work out his swing. Stanford teaches their own way of hitting, lets hope it doesn't effect his development too much.

All 4 of these guys have top of the draft potential when they are able to be drafted again.

International Signings: