Oakland A’s MLB Draft: Responding to a Low Draft Position
With the MLB Draft fast approaching, the Oakland A’s are entering the second straight season with a low draft position. Of course this is due to being one of the best teams in baseball last year, however it is a trade off that is taken with ease.
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A total of 24 teams will enter the draft ahead of the A’s come Thursday. The team had the 24th pick last year, sliding one spot to 25 this year. They will also have the 65th selection in the second round.
"“As long as the big league club’s winning,” said scouting director Eric Kubota. “That’s the Catch-22, I guess.”"
This is Kubota’s 13th season in this position; 30th total with the organization as a whole. He is confident that the position within the draft will have no impact as to how they will approach it. With only two selections in the first two rounds, there is only so much preparation that can be done. There is no use in worrying over the unknown and will be experienced as it happens.
"“The farther you go down, the harder it is to know in all the picks ahead of you,” Kubota said. “But I think if you’re thorough in your process, you end up just being in a position to react with the best player that’s on your board at that point. It’s a little easier now, with TV and the built-in breaks, giving us a little more time to discuss things.”"
This is a day that many in the league look forward to, including Kubota:
"“It’s the greatest day for us, because it’s what we work for all year round. For us, it’s a bit of a grind in the week leading up to it, but it’s a year’s culmination of work. So we get excited. You still get the same butterflies, and you still get anxious, and there’s still that thrill every time we get closer to our first pick.”"
Athletics bonus pool is as follows according to the MLB:
ATHLETICS BONUS POOL
| Pick | No. | Pick value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | $1,898,000 |
| 2 | 65 | $873,300 |
| 3 | 101 | $519,200 |
| 4 | 132 | $385,000 |
| 5 | 162 | $288,300 |
| 6 | 192 | $215,900 |
| 7 | 222 | $164,200 |
| 8 | 252 | $153,500 |
| 9 | 282 | $143,300 |
| 10 | 312 | $137,600 |
| TOTAL | $4,778,300 | |
| AVG | $477,830 | |
| MLB RANK | 27 |
The MLB rank is in terms of the total bonus pool. As you can see, the A’s have a total of $4,778,300 to spend in the first 10 rounds. Tune in Thursday at 3:00 pm PDT for the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com. The live Draft will begin at 4:00 pm including Round 1, Comp. A, Round 2, Comp. B.