The Oakland A’s are going to need to add as much talent to their farm system as possible. They had started to do so with their trades as they began the rebuilding process; however, aside from Shea Langeliers and Matt Allan, one can say that their returns were disappointing at best. Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof could be key parts of the middle of their lineup, but the A’s remain in desperate need of top of the rotation caliber arms.
Help could be coming in the upcoming draft. MLB.com held their second mock draft of the year, with the A’s selecting Blade Tidwell with the 19th overall selection.
Blade Tidwell could be what Oakland A’s need
This is a draft that is projected to be dominated by hitters, with the top ten selections in the mock draft all falling on the offensive side. However, that does not mean that this draft is devoid of intriguing talents. That is certainly the case with Tidwell.
As it stands, Tidwell is considered to have two plus offerings – a fastball with arm side run that sits in the mid 90s but can reach 99 MPH and a slider with strong sweeping action and solid depth. His changeup is not rated as plus but is one of the better swing and miss offerings out there. Tidwell also has what is considered an average curve that he primarily shows against lefties.
There are some concerns. While he throws strikes and carries his stuff later into the game, he is not exactly consistent with his stuff and loses his command at times. He had some injury concerns as well, with shoulder woes early in his collegiate career.
Nonetheless, Tidwell is the type of pitcher that could rise through the ranks quickly. With his two plus offerings, solid overall command, and the possibility of a third plus pitch, he could be the future ace the A’s need. If the A’s were able to land Tidwell in the draft, he could pair with Allan to give Oakland a pair of young aces that they desperately need.
The latest mock draft has the Oakland A’s taking Blade Tidwell with the 19th overall pick. If that happens, the A’s could get a potential steal.