by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
June 15, 2020
Since last week’s amateur draft was limited to just five rounds this year – down dramatically from the usual 40 – we decided to do a deep dive on the five prospects drafted by the A’s this year. So, we took the opportunity to talk with some of the A’s scouts who actually scouted these players and got lots of looks at them. Unfortunately, all the A’s hard-working area scouts began being furloughed on Monday at midnight. But, fortunately, many of them were eager to share their insights on this latest batch of A’s prospects with us…
1st Round
Tyler Soderstrom
Catcher
Turlock High School
A’s special assistant Grady Fuson: “As we started to put the first part of the [draft] board together, the first day we started meeting about five days before the draft, he looked like the consensus amongst the group in that list of guys that could get to us…and I think it’s a great pick…This kid looks like the total package. This guy’s physical, he’s athletic, he’s got a plus arm, he’s got now power and is probably one of the most hitter-ish high school kids in the draft…As a group, I don’t know that we have any reservations about him becoming a catcher. He’s got very gifted hands, he’s natural, he’s flexible. You know, like any kid, he needs to learn the ins and outs of receiving and body movements and blocking and things like that, but he’s so athletic that there shouldn’t be an issue…As a group, I don’t think there’s any reservations about him catching.”
2nd Round
Right-Handed Pitcher
University of Michigan
A’s area scout Rich Sparks: “He’s got a basic three-pitch mix – fastball, slider, changeup. Fastball’s anywhere from 93-97 mph…he’s got heavy sink on the fastball at times. He’s got a slider that can be a devastating out pitch – it’s 82-85 mph and it can generate a lot of swing and miss. Changeup has a lot of arm-side run and sink to it, and he throws that about 80-84 mph. He doesn’t use the changeup as much as he does the fastball and slider…but he’s got two plus pitches and one average pitch with a chance to have three plus pitches in his repertoire once he gets his development going…I’ve been doing this for a long, long time, and this guy’s got about the best makeup and durability and mindset as anybody I’ve ever scouted.”
3rd Round
Outfielder
Georgia Tech
A’s area scout Jemel Spearman: “A kid that can hit. He can run…Everyone I talk to, they love the kid…He led the ACC in hitting this year. Last year, he was second in the ACC…Mechanically, he has a simple approach. The body works – it’s synced up. I think he’s going to keep hitting. So, if he can continue to hit and play center field, that’s a steal in my opinion…He would be the perfect #2 hitter, get on base, control the zone and let the big guys drive him in.”
4th Round
Right-Handed Pitcher
University of Oklahoma
A’s area scout Chris Reilly: “He’s got what you want in a body and a frame, clean delivery, on-line moves, with four pitches…He no-hit LSU…We were fortunate to have him available in the fourth round…Dane is a four-pitch guy. He throws his fastball anywhere from 89-92 mph – I’ve seen him touch 93-94-95 mph. But he’s more of a pitcher than probably a power arm with really good fastball command…He also throws a curveball from 79-82 mph. He told me his slider was a work in progress, and he throws that about 86-87 mph, so it’s a hard slider – and it looks better than a work in progress to me…and he has feel for a changeup obviously…He can throw any pitch in any count…and he really likes to compete…With how easy he does it and how many quality strikes he throws, his future should be as a starter.”
5th Round
Right-Handed Pitcher
University of Washington
A’s area scout Jim Coffman: “He’s already been up to 95-96 mph…and I think his better days are ahead of him. He’s still a projectable kid…His delivery’s fairly fluid. He’s somewhat of a short-strider…There’s not a lot of effort, there’s not a lot of movements in his delivery. It’s pretty compact, it’s a quick arm. He does not give up hits. He gave up three extra-base hits this year in four starts. They’re uncomfortable at-bats, a lot of late swings, which shows you that he’s got some deception with the ball coming out of his hand. And if he gets two strikes on you, he can put you away with an elevated fastball or he’s got a really good breaking ball, and he can throw his changeup for strikes. He’s just got a good set of weapons. He doesn’t over-throw. He doesn’t get himself into trouble. If you’re going to beat him, you’ve got to beat him with the bat. He’s not going to walk guys and hurt himself…It’s fun to watch him pitch.”
You can find the complete interviews on our A’s Farm podcast on A’s Cast here and here.
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