The A’s were fortunate enough to be able to sign all of their 11 picks from the first 10 rounds of this year’s amateur draft. And it’s been almost two months since the first of those players signed by the A’s began playing with the Class-A Vermont Lake Monsters or the rookie-ball Arizona League A’s. So, this week on my Athletics Farm site, I took a look at how some the A’s newest prospects have been performing down on the farm.
You’ll find the A’s top 11 picks from the first 10 rounds of the 2017 draft along with their current statistics through Sunday, August 13 listed below. The teams they’ve played for so far this season are noted, with the team they’ve appeared in the most games with listed first and their current team in bold…
#1 – 1st Round
Austin Beck
Age: 18 / Outfielder
AZL A’s
98 AB / 1 HR / 5 BB / 35 K / .194 AVG / .245 OBP / .296 SLG / .541 OPS
Beck got off to a bit of a slow start, going 1 for his first 21 with 12 strikeouts. And his 5/35 BB/K ratio on the season will still need to see quite a bit of improvement. But Beck’s bat’s been starting to warm up a bit of late, and the 18-year-old just hit the first home run of his pro career in Thursday’s game. He’s also gone 4 for 4 in steal attempts while starting 21 error-free games in center field for the AZL A’s.
#2 – 1st Round Supplemental
Kevin Merrell
Age: 21 / Shortstop
Vermont Lake Monsters
116 AB / 2 HR / 9 BB / 21 K / .310 AVG / .357 OBP / .414 SLG / .770 OPS
Merrell’s basically been doing what was expected of him when he was drafted – making contact, getting on base and utilizing his speed to make things happen. While primarily hitting in the leadoff spot, Merrell’s .310 batting average is third-best for Vermont and his 10 stolen bases and 25 runs both lead the squad.
#3 – 2nd Round
Greg Deichmann
Age: 22 / Outfielder
Vermont Lake Monsters
102 AB / 4 HR / 17 BB / 26 K / .324 AVG / .421 OBP / .569 SLG / .990 OPS
Thus far, Deichmann has been the best batter to come out of this year’s draft for the A’s. The slugger from LSU appears to be an advanced college hitter who’s demonstrated both power and plate discipline. He currently leads Vermont in extra-base hits, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage while also showing a good arm in right field.
#4 – 3rd Round
Nick Allen
Age: 18 / Shortstop
AZL A’s
82 AB / 1 HR / 4 BB / 18 K / .244 AVG / .279 OBP / .354 SLG / .633 OPS
Allen got off to a slightly late start after taking a little longer to sign than most. But since the start of July, he’s been playing shortstop regularly while usually leading off. He’s been doing a decent job while still getting his feet wet as a pro, and the 18-year-old has shown his speed by tallying 2 triples and stolen 3 bases so far for the AZL A’s.
#5 – 4th Round
Will Toffey
Age: 22 / Third Baseman
Vermont Lake Monsters
142 AB / 0 HR / 27 BB / 29 K / .232 AVG / .353 OBP / .324 SLG / .677 OPS
Toffey has pretty much been serving as Vermont’s everyday third baseman since play began in the New York-Penn League. He’s done a good job of getting on base, and his 27 walks and 9 doubles both lead the team, but he’s failed to record a home run in his first 38 pro games for Vermont.
#6 – 5th Round
Santis Sanchez
Age: 18 / Catcher
AZL A’s
50 AB / 0 HR / 6 BB / 16 K / .160 AVG / .250 OBP / .180 SLG / .430 OPS
The A’s have been bringing the 18-year-old backstop along slowly and he’s been playing sporadically for the Arizona League squad. Sanchez has mostly struggled at the plate early on, going 8 for 50 with just 1 extra-base hit for the A’s.
#7 – 6th Round
Logan Salow
Age: 22 / Left-Handed Pitcher
Vermont Lake Monsters + AZL A’s
16 2/3 IP / 13 H / 3 ER / 11 BB / 23 K / 1.62 ERA / 1.44 WHIP
There was talk of the college closer getting a shot at serving in a starting role, but that may have to wait until next season. For now, the southpaw has been serving out of the Lake Monsters bullpen. He’s been victimized by bad defense at times, but Salow has managed to post 23 strikeouts over his first 16 2/3 innings as a pro.
#8 – 7th Round
Parker Dunshee
Age: 22 / Right-Handed Pitcher
Vermont Lake Monsters + AZL A’s
29 1/3 IP / 16 H / 3 ER / 6 BB / 35 K / 0.92 ERA / 0.75 WHIP
Dunshee has been the most promising pitcher to come out of this year’s draft so far for the A’s. After allowing 3 runs in his first appearance for the AZL A’s, Dunshee moved to Vermont, where he’s now failed to allow a run in his first 27 1/3 innings of work for the Lake Monsters. The former Wake Forest star is an experienced college hurler, and he’s been striking out nearly 11 batters per 9 innings while notching nearly 6 times more strikeouts than walks.
#9 – 8th Round
Brian Howard
Age: 22 / Right-Handed Pitcher
Vermont Lake Monsters
22 1/3 IP / 20 H / 4 ER / 1 BB / 22 K / 1.61 ERA / 0.94 WHIP
Howard has been almost as impressive as Dunshee in the early going. The 6-foot-9 righty has demonstrated great control, walking just 1 and striking out 22 while also failing to allow a home run over his first 22 1/3 innings of work for the Lake Monsters.
#10 – 9th Round
Jared Poche
Age: 22 / Left-Handed Pitcher
Vermont Lake Monsters
2 IP / 3 H / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0.00 ERA / 1.50 WHIP
Poche made his first appearance in July, throwing 2 scoreless innings for Vermont, before landing on the disabled list with a forearm strain that’s expected to end his first pro season prematurely.
#11 – 10th Round
Jack Meggs
Age: 22 / Outfielder
Vermont Lake Monsters
69 AB / 3 HR / 9 BB / 14 K / .290 AVG / .370 OBP / .449 SLG / .820 OPS
The 10th-round draft pick out of Washington started out strong. Meggs smashed 3 home runs in his first 17 games, a number that’s still good for second-most on the Lake Monsters squad. He was also boasting a .370 on-base percentage and a .449 slugging percentage for the season before landing on the disabled list in late July.
–TOP HITTER—
#3 – 2nd Round
Greg Deichmann
Age: 22 / Outfielder
Vermont Lake Monsters
102 AB / 4 HR / 17 BB / 26 K / .324 AVG / .421 OBP / .569 SLG / .990 OPS
–TOP PITCHER—
#8 – 7th Round
Parker Dunshee
Age: 22 / Right-Handed Pitcher
Vermont Lake Monsters + AZL A’s
29 1/3 IP / 16 H / 3 ER / 6 BB / 35 K / 0.92 ERA / 0.75 WHIP
Visit Athletics Farm for updates on the A’s minor league teams and all the top prospects down on the farm.