A's select Jacob Wilson, Myles Naylor, and Ryan Laske on Day 1 of MLB Draft
The 2023 MLB Draft got going on Sunday, July 9, with the Oakland Athletics slotted in the sixth-overall position after coming out as losers of the draft lottery held at the end of the 2022 calendar year.
With the no. 6 selection, and following a chalky start to the event in which all five players expected to get off the board did so, the A's selected Jacob Wilson, a shortstop from Grand Canyon University.
When a dream becomes reality 🎥 pic.twitter.com/Ei7ISs1iFy
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 9, 2023
Wilson considered one of the top college hitters, has impressive offensive skills and is also considered a pretty fantastic defensive player. He was ranked as the 10th prospect by MLB Pipeline, and he's known mostly for his bat-to-ball skills putting up gaudy batting averages.
Most scouting experts have projected Wilson as a prospect sure to make the MLB at some point down the road. At the end of the day, he's a top-10 prospect in the 2023 class and the best infielder in MLB Pipeline's ranks.
He's considered and expected to turn into an everyday average player at the very least. That said, his ceiling might not be much higher than that floor if he can't add power to his great contact/average skills.
The pick is in 🔈
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 10, 2023
With the 39th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, we have selected Myles Naylor from St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in Ontario, Canada! pic.twitter.com/Fgbts0tBHt
With their second pick in Day 1, the A's chose Myles Naylor, a high school infielder from St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in Ontario, Canada, with the 39th overall pick. Naylor, who is 18 years old, was ranked as the 64th prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Naylor is the youngest sibling of Cleveland Guardians brothers Josh and Bo. He's committed to Texas Tech, so this A's pick might end up vanishing in thin air if he pursues a collegiate career instead of signing with the MLB organization to play minor-league ball.
With the 41st pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, we have selected Ryan Lasko from @RutgersBaseball! pic.twitter.com/2LsJufd4Dn
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 10, 2023
Finally, the A's picked outfielder Ryan Lasko from Rutgers with the 41st overall pick. Lasko, a 21-year-old player, was ranked as the 89th prospect by MLB Pipeline before the draft.
Lasko earned a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in his collegiate career batting .330 and putting 11 balls past the fences last year while bagging 38 total homers through his amateur career. He's been described as one of the best defensive players in the class, let alone a top-tier defensive outfielder.
More Oakland A's News
feed