A Closer Look: Miles Head
By Joseph Lopez
Over the next couple of days Swingin’ A’s will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Athletics scored in the Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Andrew Bailey trades. Next on our list is prospect Miles Head, whom the A’s acquired in the Bailey trade.
Relax, A’s fans. Billy Beane and the A’s appear to have run out of trade chips. Oakland’s December exodus was painful, but it is, in my mind, finally over. The A’s could trade a few other players, but the big trade chips are now off the table.
Now, it is up to Beane and the rest of the team’s front office to stay the course of this recent rebuild. The A’s have been in this position before, but Beane’s execution has been shaky at best in recent years. That Matt Holliday trade from a few years ago still has many people scratching their heads in confusion.
Oakland, in trading away their biggest players, have replenished their farm system with a few good names. Those names, though, need to stay in Oakland and out of the trade rumors.
Beane did well in both the Cahill and Gonzalez trades, but people were less impressed by the Bailey deal. The A’s scored top prospects with the Cahill and Gonzalez trades, but the team didn’t get as much from Boston in exchange for All-Star closer Bailey.
One of the players the A’s received in the Bailey deal is corner-infielder Miles Head, 20. According to SoxProspects.com, Head is a solid prospect worth keeping an eye on.
He’s got solid power potential along with above-average bat-speed. At 20, though, he’s still got a lot of maturing to do.
The former 26th round draft pick was drafted as a third-baseman, but was moved over to first during the 2010 season. SoxProspects ranks Head as an average fielder at first base, but still projects as a solid, above-average defender at first.
Head hit a combined .299/.372/.515 with 22 HR and 82 RBIs while splitting time with Greenville (A) and Salem (A+). He posted a 10.1 BB% and a 17.8 K% with Greenville.
He also posted a .274 ISO with Greenville. He had a little more trouble in Salem, posting a 7.7 BB% and a 21.6 K%. He’ll need to prove that he can hit in higher levels before getting his shot with the A’s.
Still, Head has proved he’s a mid-level prospect with some serious power potential. He’s still a year or two away from hitting in Oakland, but he can hit, which isn’t something you can say about most of the current players on Oakland’s big league roster.
The A’s didn’t score big with the Bailey deal, but the A’s got a decent haul for their former All-Star closer. Along with Josh Reddick, the A’s could see Miles Head hitting the ball in Oakland for the years to come.
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