Many may not know about the Oakland Athletics’ No. 21 prospect Jaycob Brugman, but the front office definitely has an eye on this outfielder. This 23-year-old utility outfielder has a lot of potential and was selected for the Arizona Fall League this season. The A’s do not have that many outfield prospect, so Brugman will be one to watch since it is predicted he will make his MLB debut in 2017.
Brugman was drafted in the 17th round in 2013 by the Athletics and has quickly scaled the farm system ladder. In his first two Minor League seasons in 2014 and 2015, Brugman went from Class A ball at the beginning of the season to playing with the A’s Double-A Midland RockHounds this year.
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Brugman has a strong bat. In 2014, he was one of three Minor Leaguers in the A’s organization along with No. 2 prospect Matt Olson and No. 6 prospect Renato Nunez to hit more than 20 homers in that season. This past year with the RockHounds, his numbers dipped slightly, but he stayed consistent throughout the entire season. Brugman ended 2015 batting .260 with 63 RBI and 27 doubles. Additionally, he knows the strike zone well and tends to draw a lot of walks. In 2015, he walked 62 times, the most in his Minor League career.
Defensively, he has quality skills in all three outfield positions. He has a solid .987 fielding percentage in the outfield. Brugman tends to play in left and right field, but has found success in center too. With a few of the Oakland Athletics’ outfielders hitting free agency in 2017 – most notably Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry, Brugman’s ability to play all outfield positions will be highly desired.
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Brugman may be flying under the radar now, but he is only one of only two outfield prospects in the Oakland Athletics’ top 30. He could be very useful for the Athletics if he continues to find success in the Minors. Perhaps fans will see Brugman and Billy Burns taking control of the expansive outfield at the O.co Coliseum in the near future.