A's Prospect Jose Dicochea is Turning Heads in Single-A

There's one thing that continues to excite me about the Oakland A's organization--their prospects. No matter what, there is always a prospect that will just pop up and give me pause. And then, after I've done some more digging, I'd have to share it.

One prospect on your radar should be Jose Dicochea, a former eighth-round pick from the 2019 class of MLB June Amateur draftees coming off Sahuarita High School in Arizona.

Dicochea, a righty pitcher now plying his trade at Single-A Stockton, has a 3.20 ERA with 47 SOs and 17 walks in almost 40 innings. He's currently holding opposing batters to a .163 average, one of the lowest in the California League.

The 2019 eighth-rounder underwent Tommy John surgery just two years after being drafted by the A's. Before the surgery, the average velocity of Dicochea's fastball ranged from 91-94 mph. Now, he regularly tops out at 95 mph. He's also steadily improved his slider and added a change-up to the mix.

Oakland's GM, David Frost, was recently asked about their farm system pitchers, and singled out Dicochea as one of "a good group of pitchers" part of his organization. While not the most descriptive and colorful commentary, it speaks volumes that a 22-year-old in Single-A has already garnered some attention from the man calling the shots in Oakland.

Billy Owens, A's assistant GM, added more, noting Dicochea's promising start.

"Overall, his command has taken a step forward. He definitely has an interesting arm," said Owens.

What does this signal for Oakland? They still have a deep and promising farm system. Players like Dicochea, all the way down in Single-A, are getting well-deserved praise from the leaders of the organization.

Particularly, the depth pitching prospects is something that fans can look forward to and root for - regardless of what city the team might end up in.