Oakland Athletics: Breaking down first-round pick SS Logan Davidson

The Oakland Athletics used their first-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft to select Clemson shortstop Logan Davidson 29th overall. Here is a breakdown of what he brings to the table.

In so many ways, the MLB Draft is a so-called crapshoot, especially once you move outside the top five or 10 selections. But when it comes down to it, teams are looking for upside when it comes to prospects and that’s exactly what the Oakland Athletics are hoping to get out of first-round pick Logan Davidson.

At the very least, the A’s will be hoping that this year’s pick turns out better than last year’s. Fortunately, Davidson doesn’t also play football.

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Instead, he solely played baseball while in college at Clemson and he did so at a pretty high level. Davidson improved his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in each of his three seasons with the Tigers finally slashing .294/.409/.592 during his junior year.

The 21-year-old also became the first player in Clemson history to total 10 home runs and 10 steals in three different seasons. On top of that, he also racked up 40 or more walks in each of his three seasons showing off his excellent plate discipline.

However, the Cape Cod League wasn’t nearly as kind to him.

Davidson struggled using wood bats in the summer league slashing just .194/.292/.266 over the 2018 season. He posted an OPS of just .570 over his two years there as opposed to his .939 OPS while at Clemson.

That said, Davidson insisted that the issue wasn’t the wood bats.

"“I love using a wood bat, to be honest with you. I think it feels better off a wood bat, and it definitely sounds better. I think the biggest difference for me between Cape and college ball was just the resources I had and just learning to deal with the resources that were available to me. You have to find a new routine and different ways to work with what you have.”"

Even if the transition to wood bats was a bit difficult, it isn’t entirely uncommon for young players to struggle when switching over early in their careers. Still, it is a cause for concern and likely a major reason he fell as far as he did in the draft.

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In fact, Davidson was ranked as the No. 22 prospect by MLB Pipeline making his selection at No. 29 a bit of a steal. At 6-foot-3, the switch-hitter clearly has plenty of tools that scouts love. Here’s MLB Pipeline’s brief scouting report on Davidson.

"Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50As a North Carolina high schooler, Logan emerged as an early-round prospect for a handful of teams late in the 2016 Draft process. He ultimately turned down the Phillies as 30th-rounder to attend Clemson, where his father Mark had played en route to a big league career. Much like former Clemson star Seth Beer, an Astros first-rounder in 2018, Davidson has confounded evaluators with the dichotomy between his success with metal bats (.939 OPS, 42 homers in two-plus years with the Tigers) and struggles with wood (.570 OPS, three homers in two summers in the Cape Cod League).If scouts were convinced that Davidson will hit with wood, he’d likely be the first college shortstop drafted in June. A switch-hitter, he has some timing issues and a swing that tends to get long, leading to strikeouts. His strength and leverage already generate plus raw power, and he should have more as he fills out his lanky 6-foot-3 frame.There are no holes in the rest of Davidson’s game. He produces solid to plus run times and uses his speed to steal a few bases and cover ground at shortstop. He’s tall for the position but should be able to remain there with his athleticism and strong arm."

This is a pick that makes sense to a degree for the A’s as they’re looking for a safer player who is going to sign after last year’s Kyler Murray debacle. As such, it makes complete sense that they opted to select from the college ranks.