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White Cleat Beat

Oakland A’s top ten prospects for 2020

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: A.J. Puk #31 and Jesus Luzardo #44 of the Oakland Athletics sit in the dugout prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 21, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Rangers 12-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: A.J. Puk #31 and Jesus Luzardo #44 of the Oakland Athletics sit in the dugout prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 21, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Rangers 12-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

6. Austin Beck

Austin Beck has the tools to be a key part of the Oakland A’s future. It is just a matter of whether or not he can put them all together.

There are certainly signs that he can. He has displayed signs of being able to tap into his power potential and his speed, belting 22 doubles and eight homers in 367 plate appearances in the California League. He also struck out 126 times as his strikeout rate spiked to 34.6%

Those numbers essentially illustrate Beck’s scouting report to a T. He has tremendous raw power with excellent bat speed and reflexes. His speed is an asset as well, although he has yet to see that result in steals. There is a lot to like about Beck.

There is also a lot to be concerned with. He struggles against breaking balls and with pitch recognition. His raw power still has not consistently appeared during games. And that uptick in strikeouts is a major red flag.

But those tools… If Austin Beck can ever put everything together, he could be a star. If that fails to happen, he will be a career minor leaguer for the Oakland A’s.