A's Pitching Prospect Wins Home Run Derby
Jake Garland was selected by the A's in the 17th round of the 2022 Draft and made his debut in full-season pro ball this season with the Stockton Ports. With the A's A Ball affiliate, he held a 2.78 ERA in six outings (four starts) and 32 1/3 innings. He also struck out 22.6% of the hitters he faced, walked 5.8%, and had a WHIP of 1.30.
He was promoted to Lansing in the middle of May, getting into 18 games (15 starts) and holding a 6.51 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP. On the bright side, his FIP was more than two runs lower than his ERA at 4.13, which means that the results may not have been telling the entire story when it comes to how he was pitching.
In his time with the Lugnuts, his walk rate increased slightly to 7.4% (or from 2.23 per nine to 2.99 per nine) and his strikeout rate dipped to 15.5%. At stops in the Complex League last year and Stockton and Lansing this season, Garland has been a big-time ground ball pitcher. With Stockton his ground ball rate sat at 65%, and in Lansing it was still well above half of the time at 56.5%.
All of this brings us to the home run derby that happened at his old high school in Jupiter, Florida. With his sleeves cut off, he launched a ball into the night sky that sealed the victory for the former first baseman.
While he played first base in high school, he was set on pitching when he attended the University of Miami, and had terrific command back in college, too. It should come as no surprise that at 6-foot-5, 236 pounds, that Garland can hit tanks.
It's unclear whether Garland is set to become the next Shohei Ohtani.