A's Grab Green

Day two of the MLB Amateur draft is in the books, so I figured now would be a good time to go ahead and asses how things are going with the A's.

Of course, if your an A's fan, you know by now that Oakland took USC shortstop Grant Green with their first pick in round 1. We've talked about Green here before as a possibility for the A's at pick 13, and since Tyler Matzek and Aaron Crow went just before they had their pick, it was an easy choice for them. Green brings dynamic ability to the shortstop position as he's got all five tools you look for in a player. When I look at him, I see a lot of Michael Young from the Texas Rangers. Solid power, but more of a doubles, gap-to-gap type hitter with average. Scouts expect him to be around .300 with 15-20 homers a year and plenty of stolen base ability. He had kind of an awkward year in 2009, underachieving mightily in the first half, but I don't think there is any question as far as what kind of talent he can bring when he gets to the big leagues. He's the type of guy who will move along as quickly as his play will allow him to since he's had a lot of experience in college. I really like this pick for the A's and I do expect Green to become one of the better shortstops in baseball over the next 5 years.

Following Green, the A's took a couple of catchers, a third basemen and a few starters in the remaining early rounds. With their second pick (third round), they nabbed Justin Marks, a left-handed starter from Louisville. Marks was the 83rd ranked prospect on Baseball America's top-100 draft board and the A's got him at 92, so he was definitely a good value pick. Marks was dominant at times as a junior for Louisville, going 10-2 in 15 starts, carrying a 3.50 era while striking out 116 batters in 93 innings pitched. The strikeout number and the win total really jumps out at you and shows you what you need to know about the kid; He's got good stuff and he knows how to win. After Marks, the A's took a high school catcher from Northern California by the name of Max Stassi. Billy Beane has never been one to shy away from drafting catching, but Stassi could be the real deal. He's got nearly perfect mechanics behind the plate, and although his skills behind the plate are ahead of his bat, he's still got potential to be a plus hitter in the bigs. His athletic ability and skill set kind of remind me of Russell Martin from the Dodgers. Here's a quick video on him.

Other Notable A's Selections:

Pick 153: Stephen Parker, 3B, BYU- All-around third-basemen from BYU was probably a stretch at 153.

Pick 183: Ryan Ortiz, C, Oregon St.- Good pick, great bat that really came alive as season wore on. Carried Oregon State offensively in many ballgames and a good, strong pick at 183 though he probably ends up in the outfield.
Scouting Video

Pick 303: Samuel Dyson, RHP, Columbia SC- Formerly drafted by the Washington Nationals, Dyson never signed and ended up going to school. He's got a power arm and can get it up there around 97 mph and a slider around 86 mph. He's had some injury concerns to deal with, which hurt his draft stock. I really like his easy delivery and how the ball comes firing out of his hand. He should be OK as long as he's healthy.
Scouting Video

More Draft Coverage to Come! As always, for Giants' draft coverage and news, check out The Giants Baseball Blog.