by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
July 9, 2023
On Sunday, the A’s took shortstop Jacob Wilson out of Grand Canyon University with their first pick in the 2023 amateur draft. After taking college catcher Daniel Susac with their top pick last year, the A’s made a college shortstop their top selection, and the sixth overall pick, this year.
The last time the A’s made a shortstop their top pick was in 2021, when the team took high school shortstop Max Muncy and, like Muncy, Wilson also went to Thousand Oaks High School in southern California. The A’s also used their top pick to select shortstops in 2019, when they took Logan Davidson, and in 2015, when they selected Richie Martin, both of whom were college players.
The 21-year-old Wilson was MLB Pipeline’s 10th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. His father, Jack Wilson, was a big league shortstop with Pittsburgh, Seattle and Atlanta and also serves as an assistant coach at GCU.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound infielder, who was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2021, struck out just five times while slashing .412/.461/.635 in 192 at-bats this season for GCU. The righty-swinging Wilson makes a lot of contact, has a good arm and should stick at shortstop, but he doesn’t tend to hit the ball very hard, and the question is how much power he’ll ultimately be able to develop in the pro game.
In Competitive Balance Round A, the A’s took high school infielder Myles Naylor out of St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in Ontario, Canada with the 39th overall pick. The 18-year-old Naylor was MLB Pipeline’s 64th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. His brothers, Josh and Bo Naylor, have both made it to the big leagues.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound infielder primarily played shortstop in high school but is expected to make the move to third base as a pro. Naylor appears to have good enough hands and a strong enough arm to perform well at the hot corner, and the righty swinger’s raw power and bat speed give him the potential to turn out to be a productive big league hitter.
In the second round, the A’s took outfielder Ryan Lasko out of Rutgers University in New Jersey with the 41st overall pick. The 21-year-old Lasko was MLB Pipeline’s 89th-ranked prospect prior to the draft. The 6-foot, 190-pound righty swinger hit 38 home runs and swiped 35 bases with 89 walks and 120 strikeouts in 641 at-bats while slashing .314/.408/.580 over his college career at Rutgers.
Lasko’s strong arm and surprising speed could allow him to stick in center field, and his raw power could make him a dangerous hitter, but he may need to learn to make a little more contact if he wants to achieve his full potential.
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Enough with the negative waves Moriarity. The baseball acumen and dedication are the intangibles that he will exhibit.