New A's Outfielder From Kansas City Royals Off to Hot Start

Jason Burke | Aug 4, 2024

Tennessee outfielder Jared Dickey (17) runs to first during a NCAA College World Series elimination game between Tennessee and LSU at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the Oakland A's traded right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg to the Kansas City Royals earlier this week, they received a pretty solid return given that Erceg is still under team control for five more seasons. One of the pieces of that return was outfielder Jared Dickey, who is off to a hot start in High-A Lansing.

Dickey, 22, was an 11th round selection by the Royals in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tennessee. In his brief time in the minors since he turned pro last year, the lefty bat has hit .295 with a .384 OBP, nine home runs, and 12 stolen bases in 117 games.

Since joining the Lansing Lugnuts, Dickey is 9-for-17 (.529) with a .556 OBP, a double and three RBI in four games, improving on what was already a solid month of July (.305 average, .352 OBP).

The one thing that multiple prospect analysts have said in their write-ups on Dickey is that he is going to have to generate more power than he currently is to profile as a corner outfielder long-term. Since joining the A's organization, Dickey has been the Lugnuts' DH twice, and played one game left field, and another in right.

The one key factor here is that he does make a decent amount of contact, which is a skill set the A's have been targeting more and more with recent additions. 2023 first rounder Jacob Wilson is the ultimate high-contact guy, and 2024 first rounder Nick Kurtz is also known for limiting his strikeouts.

The A's have a player with a similar profile already on their roster in Miguel Andujar. The 29-year-old has been a hitting machine since joining the A's, batting .297 with a .325 OBP and a 111 wRC+. He has also hit just four home runs in 57 games played while striking out just 14% of the time.

That profile seems to be working just fine in Oakland at the moment. Since Andujar made his season debut on May 24, the A's offense ranks ninth in baseball with a 107 wRC+ (100 is league average).

While having a bunch of big home run hitters on the roster would be ideal, the A's don't typically have the luxury of adding those big bats without spending a large sum on payroll. Bringing in guys that make contact and strike out a bit less than league average could be the A's way of clawing for those few extra wins per season, which could eventually land them in the postseason hunt down the line.

Dickey may not be a future superstar player, but he has the skill set to be a very effective addition to the A's roster in a couple of years.