Oakland A’s 2020 MLB Draft: Scouting Chris McMahon
The Oakland A’s have been linked to a new target in the most recent 2020 mock draft, with University of Miami pitcher Chris McMahon listed as the pick.
The 2020 MLB Draft will take place on June 10th and 11th, a five round affair where teams will hope to find building blocks for their future. The Oakland A’s first selection will come with the 26th pick, just four picks away from the end of the first round.
Naturally, with any late pick, there is a lot of speculation as to what the A’s will do. The latest mock draft on MLB.com has Oakland drafting Chris McMahon, a right handed pitcher out of the University of Miami. This would continue the A’s trend of drafting college players, which they have done in five of the past six drafts.
McMahon would continue that trend. He was considered one of the better prospects in the 2017 MLB Draft, but slid to the 33rd round before opting to take the college route. That career did not begin well, as a knee injury hindered his freshman season, and he had a roller coaster ride as a sophomore.
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However, McMahon put himself firmly back on the prospect radar with his performance on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. His strong start there carried over into his abbreviated junior season, where he allowed just three runs on 19 hits and five walks, striking out 38 batters in 25.1 innings.
McMahon does have an intriguing arsenal. His fastball is considered to be a plus pitch, sitting in the mid 90s, and has been clocked as high as 98 MPH. He has a solid changeup with sinking action, a pitch that he has an excellent feel for. His change is a swing and miss weapon, and is an extreme ground ball offering. McMahon also has a breaking ball that might be best classified as a slurve, which is at least average.
There are concerns with McMahon. The development of that breaking pitch could depend on his future role. He also loses his mechanics at times, causing him to leave pitches up where he can get hammered. If that continues, McMahon could end up in the bullpen, where his fastball/changeup combination could be overpowering, especially if he adds a bit more velocity.
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The latest mock draft has the Oakland A’s selecting Chris McMahon with the 26th overall selection. He would be another collegiate player, although one with a few question marks.