by Bill Craig / A’s Farm Nashville Correspondent
The way Palo Alto native B.J. Boyd has started the season for the Nashville Sounds, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he finds himself back in the Bay Area playing in the A’s outfield in front of family and friends before long.
Boyd has provided a solid bat for the Sounds this season, appearing in 14 of Nashville’s first 18 games and successfully reaching base in all but one of them. The 24-year-old leads the Sounds with 11 RBIs, is tied for the team lead in total bases with 22 and is second on team in hits with 17 while leading all current Sounds regulars with a .327 batting average and a .386 on-base percentage. He’s also displayed his speed by swiping three bases for the Sounds.
Boyd was rested on Monday due to some hip discomfort, and with Tuesday’s off day, he’ll be able to enjoy a couple of days of rest and recuperation. The left-handed hitter is currently in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak, during which he’s compiled ten hits, including two doubles and a home run, while driving in nine runs.
Due to his passion for football, Boyd didn’t pick up baseball until his junior year at Palo Alto High School. Some were surprised when the A’s selected him with their 4th-round pick in the 2012 draft shortly after the team had taken top prep talents like Addison Russell, Daniel Robertson and Matt Olson, all of whom have already had the chance to make their marks in the big leagues.
Some wondered if Boyd might prefer to pursue other opportunities to play college football, but he chose to sign with the A’s and began his pro baseball career in the Arizona League in the summer of 2012. After turning in a solid season there and with Vermont in 2013, Boyd put together a few unremarkable seasons for Beloit and Stockton between 2014 and 2016 before having a breakout year with Double-A Midland in 2017.
Boyd began that season by batting .372 in April and continued to hit well all season long, finishing the year with a .323/.366/.428 slash line while amassing 40 extra-bases hits and swiping 16 bases. He was also named the Texas League All-Star Game MVP as well as a Texas League Postseason All-Star, and he finished the season leading the league in hits, tied for the league lead in runs and second in the league in total bases while also finishing third in the Texas League batting race.
The left-hander hitter possesses plenty of speed as well as versatility in the outfield, swiping 84 bases in his minor league career while spending time in center field and left field as well as in right. And if he continues to flash the talent that Sounds fans have seen from him, it might not be long before he’ll be getting the chance to show Oakland fans just what he can do.
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