A’s Scouting Director Eric Kubota Offers the Inside Scoop on Oakland’s Top 11 Draft Picks of 2018

by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor

The man responsible for overseeing the A’s efforts in the amateur draft is scouting director Eric Kubota. Kubota started out his career in the baseball world by interning for the A’s in the mid-‘80s, and he eventually served as the assistant director of scouting and the supervisor of international scouting before succeeding Grady Fuson as scouting director following his departure after the 2001 season.

In past years, we’ve talked with Kubota about top picks like Addison Russell in 2012, Billy McKinney in 2013, Matt Chapman in 2014, Richie Martin in 2015 and A.J. Puk in 2016. And this year, we were eager to get his insights on #1 pick Kyler Murray as well as the rest of the A’s top eleven picks from the first ten rounds of the 2018 draft. And we also took the opportunity to check in with him on last year’s top pick, Austin Beck.

We spoke with Kubota a week after the draft and just a couple of days after the A’s announced that they’d come to terms with 26 of their 41 draft selections, including eight of their top eleven picks.

 
AF:  From your point of view, was there anything particularly distinctive about this year’s draft class for the A’s?

EK:  Well, we took a football quarterback with our first pick. So, that was sort of different! I think we approach every draft similarly. Our process is always kind of…we line the players up the way we like them and then pick them as they fall on draft day. That’s kind of what we did this year. We’re certainly happy with how it turned out, but I don’t think there was anything necessarily unusual about it.

AF:  Okay, well let’s start out with your football player, Kyler Murray. I think a lot of people would obviously characterize that as something of a ballsy pick. I’m curious to know, internally, how much discussion and debate went on about that pick, and how difficult was it to get everybody on the same page about pulling the trigger on that pick?

EK:  Right, well it was certainly a process that started early in the spring from when our first scouts started going in and seeing Kyler playing. You know, it was hard to see Kyler. Really, since his junior year in high school, he hasn’t played a whole lot. He was identified back then as a top-tier talent, but we hadn’t seen him much. He started playing regularly this spring. And as the spring went on, in our eyes, his stock kept strengthening. So, that discussion started early in the season. Obviously, we had to consider all factors – the football and everything else. But it definitely was a more involved discussion than we have normally.

AF:  Most people do view him as a very talented prospect. Do you consider him a potential five-tool player? And what about him really grabbed you so much that you wanted to go out on a limb and take that chance with him?

EK:  Well, we certainly view him as a five-tool player. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I don’t know that there’s ever been a player that has excited me as much as Kyler – just the possibility of what he could become and where he was and his baseball development despite the lack of playing. He’s just, first and foremost, a tremendous athlete – an athlete we don’t see on baseball fields very often. But he could impact the game defensively, with his speed, as well as at the plate…

AF:  So, with his football commitments, it’s my understanding that we shouldn’t expect to see him in a baseball uniform until next March. Is that right?

EK:  Spring training, yeah.

AF:  There have been some reports, but he hasn’t been announced as an official signing yet. Is it safe to assume that you have some sort of understanding with him and that you’re basically on the same page about things?

EK:  Yeah, I think we’ve had a lot of discussions, and I think both sides are very confident.

AF:  So, is there anyone at all you might be able to compare this kid to?

EK:  Well, I think a lot of people have thrown out Andrew McCutchen. You know, you never want to compare anyone to the greatest player in franchise history, but a few of our scouts have mentioned Ricky Henderson. I know Kyler, his goal is to make an impact so someone else will be the next Kyler Murray.

AF:  Well, I guess if he even comes close, that’ll be all right! So, with your second-round pick, you went with another speedy outfielder, Jameson Hannah out of Dallas Baptist. He’s known for his speed, but I guess you liked his bat quite a bit as well. Can you tell me what you liked about his swing or his approach at the plate that made you confident that this guy could definitely be a major league hitter?

EK:  Yeah, we think Jameson’s just a natural-born hitter. I mean, he’s just got those hitter’s hands, and his approach is advanced. This is a kid we think can just flat-out hit.

AF:  And does he look like a guy who could stick in center field?

EK:  Yeah, you can never have too many center fielders.

AF:  And is there anyone you might be able to compare him to?

EK:  On Hannah, some of our guys compared him to Matt Lawton.

AF:  Now with your competitive balance pick, you took shortstop Jeremy Eierman from Missouri State. I know that he was originally thought of by a lot of people to be a potential first-round pick. I heard he kind of changed his approach at the plate and changed his swing a bit and became a little pull-happy and started swinging for the fences this season. Is that what enabled him to fall to you at that point?

EK:  Well, it’s hard to say exactly what happened. He certainly was a very high-profile guy coming into the spring. I’m sure he would be the first to admit that his performance wasn’t at the level that he hoped it would have been at [this season]. But it’s hard to know what any other teams are thinking. We were just happy that he got to where we were able to pick him.

AF:  I guess he’s got plenty of speed and plenty of power and plays a premium position. So, is that pretty much all you needed to know to want to grab him at that point?

EK:  Sure, yeah, and he also was able to hit over 20 home runs last year [2017]. There’s baseball bloodlines – his brother played professional baseball, his dad played professional baseball. He’s definitely got a speed and power combo. So, yeah, there’s a lot to like about Jeremy.

AF:  He’s one of your few top picks who hasn’t signed yet. Should we expect that you’ll probably be coming to some sort of agreement with him?

EK:  I’m hopeful, yeah.

AF:  And do you have a comparison for him?

EK:  Yeah, Paul DeJong.

AF:  In the third round, you took your first pitcher, Hogan Harris, who’s a big, strong southpaw out of Louisiana. Since he was the first pitcher you took in the draft, I’m assuming there must have been a lot of things you liked about him.

EK:  Sure, I mean, he’s left-handed, like you said. We’ve seen him up to 96-97 mph. We think he’s got a starter mix. He’s got a slider and a changeup that are both very effective pitches for him. And we think there’s a lot of upside here.

AF:  I think he had an oblique injury this year and has had some other little injuries along the way. Has he had any arm injuries at all or has it just been other stuff?

EK:  No, nothing major that we know of.

AF:  Okay, so as far as we know, the arm’s been solid then. Are there any pitchers you might compare him to?

EK:  Another kid from that neck of the woods, Wade Miley, is someone you’d compare him to a little bit.

AF:  In the fourth round, you took Alfonso Rivas, who’s a left-handed first basemen who’s known as a real contact hitter with good plate discipline. That kind of sounded a bit like a guy you took a few years ago – Max Muncy. But how do you look at Alfonso Rivas?

EK:  Yeah, they probably look a little different physically. Rivas is a very, very good first baseman. He is more than athletic enough to play either of the corner outfield spots. And he can really hit. We kind of compare him a little bit to James Loney.

AF:  I was going to ask you about that. I know he’s listed as a first baseman, but he’s played a little bit in the outfield too. So, it sounds like you’re looking at him as a possible first baseman or a corner outfielder in the future then.

EK:  Right.

AF:  In the fifth round, you went with Brady Feigl. He had Tommy John surgery after high school, then started pitching as a reliever for Ole Miss and ended up as a starter this year. He was the first right-hander you took this year. So, what made you want to go out and grab Brady Feigl in the fifth round?

EK:  Well, he throws 92-93 mph and he’s got a very good curveball. His curveball, both from a scouting evaluation standpoint and from an analytical standpoint, as far as spin rate, his curveball has got a chance to be a major league weapon.

AF:  I guess he projects as a starter as far as you’re concerned.

EK:  Yeah, certainly all these guys we hope are starting pitchers. A lot of that kind of works itself out as their career goes along.

AF:  In the sixth round, you took your only high school pick in the top 30 rounds – so we’re kind of back to the A’s old ways – 17-year-old Lawrence Butler from Georgia. I’m guessing there must have been an awful lot that you liked about him to make him your one high school pick in the top 30 rounds.

EK:  Right. You know, we never go into it trying to do something like that. That’s just part of the process. Sometimes it works out that way and sometimes it doesn’t. You get to certain points in the draft and it’s hard to sign high school players as well. But Lawrence is all about the upside. He’s got a tremendous body, he’s young, he’s got a great frame to fill into. He’s a left-handed hitter and, if everything goes right, you can certainly envision him as a left-handed power hitter. He’s a very athletic kid who will project above average. He’s all about the upside.

AF:  I know he’s listed as an outfielder, but he’s also played a lot of first base. Are you looking at him primarily as an outfielder?

EK:  Yeah, mainly as an outfielder.

AF:  Any comp on Butler?

EK:  Dominic Brown was also from the Atlanta area and that’s who some of our scouts have compared him to.

AF:  It seems like that area has been very productive.

EK:  Yeah, they play baseball a lot in the Atlanta area. It’s certainly a productive place for all of us.

AF:  In the seventh round, you went with right-hander Charlie Cerny, who’s worked primarily as a reliever at Illinois and looks like he gets a lot of strikeouts. Can you tell me a little bit about how you profile Cerny?

EK:  Well, we think he’s a starter. He went into the rotation as the spring went on and kind of established himself in that spot on a pretty good staff. We’ve seen a plus fastball and a plus curveball. So, he’s got good stuff, he’s physical, and he’s kind of a good piece of development clay to work with.

AF:  Okay, so you’re definitely looking at him as a starter then.

EK:  Right.

AF:  In the eighth round, you went with a catcher, JJ Schwarz. Everybody needs a catcher, and you certainly got one with plenty of experience there at Florida with A.J. Puk and Logan Shore and all those guys. He also has something of a reputation as a power hitter. So, tell me what you liked about Schwarz?

EK:  Well, JJ’s a kid we’ve seen a lot of. We scouted him very heavily when he was in high school. He decided to go to Florida and had a tremendous freshman year. We’ve just seen a lot of him. We scouted Puk, we scouted Shore, we scouted the guys who were there this year. He didn’t catch a lot early in his career but caught a lot this year, especially with [Brady] Singer and [Jackson] Kowar, the kids who were there this year. We think he can definitely hit and he has power. We do think his catching is a little bit underrated.

AF:  I was going to ask you about that. I know he doesn’t have a great reputation in general as a defensive catcher and he’s spent some time playing first base. But are you looking at him as a guy who has some real potential to stick behind the plate then?

EK:  Yeah, we liked him as a catcher in high school and we still like him as a catcher now.

AF:  What would you say are his greatest strengths as a catcher?

EK:  We think he receives the ball well, and he’s handled good stuff over the years. If you’re a catcher at Florida, you’re always dealing with some of the best stuff in college baseball. So, certainly, those two things are benefits for him.

AF:  The two guys you took in the ninth and tenth rounds seem to have pretty similar profiles. Your ninth-round pick was right-hander Chase Cohen out of Georgia Southern. I know he started out as a starting pitcher his first couple of seasons and then he ended up working mainly as a reliever this season. He looks like another big strikeout pitcher. So, tell me a little bit about what you like about Chase Cohen?

EK:  Yeah, he’s got a good body and he throws hard. He just finds a way to miss bats.

AF:  Your next pick in the tenth round, righty Clark Cota, has so far worked strictly as a reliever. He was the closer at UNC Wilmington this year, and he’s another guy who gets a lot of strikeouts. So, what did you like about him?

EK:  Yeah, he throws hard and he’s got a really good 12-6 curveball.

AF:  Yeah, I read that somewhere. Any comp for him?

EK:  Jason Isringhausen.

AF:  It seems like there were a lot of those big, strong, hard-throwing, big-bodied guys, a lot of them who’ve pitched out of the bullpen, that you took this year. Is there any sort of philosophy behind that or anything that we can discern from that focus on those similar types of pitchers this year?

EK:  Not necessarily. You mentioning it is the first time I’ve really even thought about that. So, it’s not something that we targeted. The one thing that you can’t teach is velocity. These guys all have velocity, and they have some performance to back that up. So, that certainly means a lot to us when we’re trying to choose between potential picks. So, if anything, I would say they’re physical and they throw hard.

AF:  If you’re a big guy who throws hard, you’re definitely going to get a lot of points for that.

EK:  By all 30 teams!

AF:  You mentioned looking at Cerny as a starter. What about Cohen and Cota? How are you looking at those two guys?

EK:  Well, I think Cohen at least has started some. Cota has not. That doesn’t mean that that couldn’t change. All that stuff just kind of works itself out as the development arc progresses.

AF:  Okay, I wanted to wrap up by asking you about last year’s top pick, Austin Beck. You’ve had him in the system for a year, so everybody’s had a chance to get a much better look at him now. So, what he’s looking like to you as he spends his first full season at Beloit?

EK:  Yeah, we’re really happy with where Austin is in his development. He’s gone to a very, very notoriously bad hitter’s league and performed at a high level. For him to do that is a testament to his hitting ability, and everything he’s done has just kind of validated what we believed about him a year ago.

AF:  I think he’s just got the one home run this year. Any concern about that or do you feel that’s just a matter of circumstance at this point?

EK:  We have no concern about Austin’s power potential.

AF:  So, I guess you’re expecting he’ll be running into enough of them as time goes on.

EK:  Well, I think it’s not exactly easy to hit home runs when it’s 40 degrees. That is part of it. But everything is there and it’s just a matter of things coming around, so we have no concerns about that.

AF:  Well, I guess Stockton might eventually offer a warmer and more welcoming environment than the Midwest League anyway.

EK:  Right, yeah.
 

A’s 2018 Draft Class

1st OF Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), 2nd OF Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist), Comp Bal Rd B SS Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State), 3rd LHP Hogan Harris (University of Louisiana-Lafyette), 4th 1B Alfonso Rivas (University of Arizona), 5th RHP Brady Feigl (University of Mississippi), 6th OF Lawrence Butler (Westlake HS, GA), 7th RHP Charlie Cerny (University of Illinois-Chicago), 8th C JJ Schwarz (University of Florida), 9th RHP Chase Cohen (Georgia Southern), 10th RHP Clark Cota (University of North Carolina-Wilmington)

11th RHP Joe DeMers (University of Washington), 12th OF Noah Vaughan (University of Texas-Arlington), 13th RHP Dallas Woolfolk (University of Mississippi), 14th RHP Gus Varland (Concordia University), 15th RHP Calvin Coker (Auburn University), 16th RHP Bryce Nightengale (George Mason University), 17th OF Devin Foyle (University of Kansas), 18th SS Cobie Vance (University of Alabama), 19th C Matt Cross (Niagra County CC), 20th 2B Max Schuemann (Eastern Michigan University)

21st RHP Daniel Martinez (Riverside CC), 22nd RHP Aiden McIntyre (Holy Names University), 23rd 3B Jonah Bride (University of South Carolina), 24th RHP Dakota Mills (Sam Houston State), 25th OF Alonzo Jones (Vanderbilt), 26th RHP Leudeny Pineda (ASA College Miami), 27th OF Chase Calabuig (San Diego State), 28th RHP Reid Birlingmair (University of Illinois-Chicago), 29th LHP Austin Briggs (McNeese State), 30th 1B Gio Dingcong (St Thomas Aquinas College)

31st RHP Alex Pantuso (Slippery Rock University), 32nd C John Jones (North Greenville University), 33rd SS Joseph Pena (St Thomas Aquinas College), 34th 2B Nick Ward (West Chester University), 35th RHP Brandon White (Simsbury HS, CT), 36th RHP Chad Bryant (Pensacola State), 37th 1B Andrew Miller (Casa Grande HS, CA), 38th OF Austin Piscotty (St. Mary’s College), 39th OF Hudson Haskin (Avon Old Farms HS, CT), 40th OF Lyndon Weaver (Redan HS, GA)

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