The Oakland Athletics picked up some quality baseball players during the 2015 draft including shortstop Mikey White. White is currently the A’s No. 15 prospect and, out of all of the Athletics’ 2015 draftees, has excelled the most during his short time in the minor leagues this year. Even though Oakland took another shortstop – Richie Martin – before choosing White, his offensive power allowed him to be the A’s second overall pick in this year’s draft.
While Martin was chosen by the Athletics for his defensive skills, Oakland liked White because of his bat. Since these two shortstops have different strengths, the A’s were able to draft Martin and White as their No. 1 and No. 2 picks respectively. Interestingly enough, White was able to find more success in the Minor Leagues in 2015 than Martin.
White started the season in Class A – Short Season ball with the Vermont Lake Monsters and quickly demonstrated his power at the plate. In 29 games with the Lake Monsters, White hit .315/.405/.459 with an .864 OPS. White’s short swing allowed him to rack up those hits quickly.
Because of his success in Vermont, the A’s promoted him to their full season Single A team, the Beloit Snappers. He did not fare as well while in Beloit, only hitting .200 with a .544 OPS over 35 games played. White might not have played well while with the Snappers, but he did gain some valuable experience that most of his other fellow 2015 draftees were not. Hopefully he was able to take away some knowledge of what it will take to excel in full season Single A ball and can perform better in 2016.
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When it comes to fielding, his defensive skills are not up to par with Martin. However, he is an adequate defender who will need to work on his range while he makes his way through Oakland’s farm system. It is speculated that second base may end up being a better position for White overall.
The path White will take through the MiLB will be an interesting one. The A’s farm system is now packed with middle infielders, so he will need to stand out among the other prospects if he wants to succeed. Whether it is his bat or making a smooth transition from shortstop to second base, White will need to continually prove throughout his time in the Minors that he deserves a spot on the MLB roster over Oakland’s other shortstop and second base prospects.