The Athletics are in the midst of a rebuild as the organization prepares to bring their latest crop of prospects into their farm system through the 2022 MLB Draft, occurring on Sunday.
On Day One of the three-day event, Oakland holds the No. 19 overall pick. The A’s have the opportunity to go in various directions with their first-round selection and add to their prospect pool that already has Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof as the future faces of the franchise.
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Here’s what the experts are saying on what the A’s could do with their pick:
Mike Axisa, CBS Sports
Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal
“The question is which college hitter will the Athletics take, not will the Athletics take a college hitter. Beavers plays in their backyard and they’ve been connected to him all spring, though pundits (myself included) always overrate geography leading up to the draft. The larger point is second-tier college hitters figure to dominate the final 10 picks of the first round, and the A’s will have their pick of the litter at No. 19.”
Oakland Athletics
Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com
Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal
“At this point, the A’s better take Beavers as we’ve had him in this spot for eight straight mocks. There are other college bats (DeLauter, Peyton Graham, Drew Gilbert) in play here.”
Keith Law, The Athletic
Chase Delauter, OF, James Madison
“I’ve heard Oakland mostly with college bats, like Delauter, Dylan Beavers and Gilbert, although the A’s went high school in the first round in the last two years with Tyler Soderstrom and The Other Max Muncy.”
Kiley McDaniel, ESPN
Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State
“I’m consistently hearing a college-heavy mix here with Hjerpe, Cade Horton, Justin Campbell, Dylan Beavers, Drew Gilbert and Daniel Susac the likely options. The A’s are one of the teams looking at North Carolina prep C Brooks Brannon in the second round.”