Local talents with 1st Round potential.
I am not a scout.
I’m not scouting the players I’m going to write about, I’m evaluating scouting reports being made by a number of people getting PAID to scout amateur players and then talk about them to the masses for a multi-billion dollar sports entertainment industry. I use Baseball America’s Tools report on everyone because they are the most consistent at giving a grade for every tool to each player.
The player rankings are accurate as of July 10th, and any changes to the scouting reports after that may or may not make the finished product. I will make it extremely clear when I’m voicing my opinion and not pulling directly from the various scouting reports. My goal is to find a Win for Oakland at 1.19. The A’s need to hit a solid double in the gap to drive in a couple runs; swinging for the fences here would be a mistake.
Let’s begin with a pair of local college outfielders.
Rankings:
Tools:
“(Dylan) Beavers to the Athletics is the strongest connection in the second half of the first round” ~ Jim Callis 7/6/22.
Evaluation:
Classic 5 tool player when locked in. There’s loft in the swing and he looks to do damage when he swings. Unorthodox set-up. Has a hitch in the swing. Stands too close to the plate, can get tied up with velocity. Has good or “electric” hand speed to get the bat through the strike zone and can catch good fastballs when he can extend. Struggles with breaking stuff. Might be able to stick in CF or can be Plus in RF. Streaky. Struggled with wood in the Cape Cod League but it was 35 PA. Faced good competition in the Pac-12 and is one of the younger college-experienced bats in the Draft. Has been comped to Christian Yelich … if he hits.
Grover’s Take:
When Christian Yelich was drafted 1.23 in 2010 he was a high school First Baseman with questions about his position and his power potential. One thing no one doubted was his ability to Hit, having his swing compared to Mark Grace and Will Clark and being predicted to win a batting title. Beavers is Bizarro World opposite to Yelich, with his Hit Tool being questioned by EVERYBODY. Every amateur comes into pro ball needing their swing tweaked, but Beavers needs his burned to the ground, the earth salted, and an animal sacrifice performed before you can begin anew. If the Athletics draft Beavers at #19 then you can go ahead and slap an “F” on the overall Draft Grade because the A’s will be F**ked.
Rankings:
Tools:
“There are better pure hitters in this year’s draft class… but Jones beats most of them in potential upside.” ~ Keith Law 7/10/22
Evaluation:
Football strong, but still transitioning that athleticism to baseball. Played football for Stanford as a freshman before transitioning full time to baseball as a sophomore. Maxed out physically but what he has is plenty. 25/25 homer/steal potential from centerfield … if he hits. Can drive the ball from left-center to the line in right. Compact swing but can be stiff. Patient at the plate but has holes in his swing and can be late on the fastball. Struggles with breaking balls a lot and at covering the outer third of the plate. Seems to take coaching, knows his role on the team, and has some leadership qualities. Also tends to tackle problems with the aggressive mindset of the safety he formerly was in his football days. No experience with wood bats.
Grover’s Take:
Very much an athlete playing baseball and not a natural baseball player. Big upside but raw. I think he has the right mindset and work ethic to succeed … but will he hit? I think Brock Jones is the kind of guy you take a chance on at 1.19 if you already have a strong farm system, and that’s not the Oakland Athletics. He’d be a great 2nd Round pick but he won’t be there at 2.56. There’s too much risk here for the A’s, so they need to look elsewhere.
