A's Projected to Land Texas A&M Outfielder in MLB Draft
While the MLB Draft is still months away, teams are actively scouting the college and high school baseball ranks to find who their next crop of draftees will be. Last year the A's held the No. 4 overall pick, but landed the guy at the top of their board in first baseman Nick Kurtz out of Wake Forest.
This year, since the Athletics had selected in the draft lottery two years in a row as a revenue sharing recipient, the highest they could make their first selection was the tenth overall pick. The Chicago White Sox were in a similar boat, selecting in the lottery in 2024 as a revenue sharing provider, which meant that the highest they could draft was also the tenth overall selection.
Chicago finished with 121 losses last year, so they ended up with the tenth pick, slotting the A's at No. 11.
According to a recent Baseball America mock draft, the A's are slated to select Jace LaViolette out of Texas A&M. As a sophomore in 2024, LaViolette hit .305 with a .449 OBP and 29 home runs across 68 games. He also struck out 24.2% of the time and walked at a 19% clip.
This season he has been off to a little bit of a rough start by comparison, batting just .246 with a .422 on-base and five home runs. His home run rate has dropped a little overall, too, but one bright spot here is that he has walked (18) as often as he's struck out (18) in 96 plate appearances.
This past weekend against No. 17 ranked Alabama, the Texas A&M outfielder went 2-for-11 with a double, two walks, and an RBI.
LaViolette has been considered a top pick at certain points, so to see him slipping down to the A's at No. 11 could be seen as a huge get for the green and gold.
Though, some scouts are reportedly expressing concern over his body as he has put on some weight and isn't running quite as well in 2025.
In the clip above, Peter Flaherty of Baseball America says, "Last year he was this 6-foot-6 Adonis. This physical athlete. Really good body, moved really well. Could go and get it in center field a little bit. Plus run times down the line.
"This year he's more filled out, and some guys that's a positive development. But with LaViolette, how much of that weight is good weight, and how much of it is taking away from kind of that sneaky and appealing athleticism and speed that he displayed in the outfield?"
The A's have had success in developing hitters of late, with the coaching staff helping Lawrence Butler make an adjustment that helped him become one of the ten best hitters in the Majors in the second half of last year.
More polished hitters like Jacob Wilson and Kurtz, who were taken earlier in the draft, have also shown some terrific ability early in their careers.
If the A's were given the opportunity to snag a player with the 1-1 talent of LaViolette with the eleventh overall pick, then they should certainly take it. The upside is real, and if the body is the main concern, that is something that they can work with to get him where he needs to be.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.