Latest MLB Mock Draft Has A's Taking College Outfielder

Jason Burke | Jun 14, 2024

May 23, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Braden Montgomery (6) bats against the Tennessee Volunteers during the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB Draft is exactly a month away, and with the MLB Draft Combine being held next week at Arizona's Chase Field, things could begin to get interesting at the top of the Draft. The Oakland A's hold the number four overall pick thanks to the lottery system after finishing the 2023 season with a league-worst 50-112 record.

In their latest mock draft, MLB Pipeline still has the Cleveland Guardians selecting Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick. He's the top player in the draft.

Yet, things start to change with the second overall pick, held by the Cincinnati Reds. Pipeline now has them taking right-hander Chase Burns out of Wake Forest, which is what has caused a bit of a shake-up for the A's at pick number four.

With Burns moving up, that then led the mock to project the number two overall draft prospect, Charlie Condon of Georgia, to the Colorado Rockies. The Rox, like the A's, could use some good players in their system, and in the MLB Draft there are a number of conisderations to be made, such as sign-ability and draft strategy. What position a draftee plays isn't typically part of the discussion given the length of time it typically takes to reach the big leagues (unless you're drafted by the Angels). The goal is to acquire talent.

All of that said, the A's are now projected to follow a similar plan to the one that they deployed last year, selecting the number eight ranked draftee, Braden Montgomery out of Texas A&M, as an underslot pick. Montgomery suffered a season-ending ankle injury on June 8 after hitting .322 with a .454 on-base, 27 homers, and five stolen bases in 61 games.

Oakland did the same thing last season, taking Jacob Wilson, who was ranked 10th by MLB Pipeline, with the sixth overall selection. Condon and Bazzana are the top two draft prospects, and if the A's don't land one of them, they could bank some draft capital early in an effort to have more money to spend in later rounds.

Last year the A's selected Wilson, and signed him for about $1.1 million under his slot value. They used some of that cash to go out and snag high schooler Steven Echavarria at the beginning of the third round and sign him for $3 million, nearly triple the slot's value.

With the A's unable to have a pick higher than tenth next year after picking in the lottery for two consecutive years, they could look to make a splash in the later rounds this year by conserving some of their bonus pool once again.