Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAthleticsFarm Report: A’s Top Draft Picks Progress Report

Farm Report: A’s Top Draft Picks Progress Report

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.

More Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here
Captcha verification failed!
CAPTCHA user score failed. Please contact us!

5 Days Trending

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.