The 2021 MLB Draft has reached Day 2 of its three-day schedule. The Oakland A’s made one pick on Sunday in the 1st round, and now on Monday they’ll make nine more in Rounds 2-10.
In the 1st round yesterday, the A’s selected high school shortstop Max Muncy, and you can click here to read all about him. It’s the second straight year they’ve taken a California high school hitter in the 1st round, the second time in three years they’ve led off with a shortstop, and also the second time in the past decade that they’ve drafted an infielder named Max Muncy (though the original came in the 5th round in 2012).
The rest of the draft doesn’t come with the same level of hype as the opening burst, but a lot of stars can still be discovered in these later rounds. For example, on the current A’s roster, Sean Murphy (3rd round), Cole Irvin (5th), Tony Kemp (5th), and Mark Canha (7th) all began their pro careers in this range.
Sunday’s proceedings already got going at 10 a.m. PT with the beginning of the 2nd round, so see below for all the A’s newest picks. This post will be updated as the day goes on, so keep checking back for the latest updates.
2nd round (No. 60): Zack Gelof, 3B
Gelof is a 21-year-old college junior out of University of Virginia. MLB Pipeline ranked him 86th on their pre-draft board, with the following report for the 6’3” infielder:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50
Gelof still has some of the best raw power of any bat in this Draft class, especially among college hitters. That power showed up in games in 2020 at his pitching-friendly home ballpark in Virginia, with five homers in 18 games, though he wasn’t finding that power stroke consistently in 2021. It’s come with a bit of an all-or-nothing approach that has led to a good amount of swing-and-miss, presenting an Adam Duvall-like offensive profile. While his strikeout rate was down and he drew a lot of walks in 2021, it did not lead to an increase in offensive impact.
The 6-foot-3 infielder runs well, especially for his size, and is a better athlete than people might expect. That said, it’s unclear if he will stick at third. He has enough arm and might move well enough to stick and become an Austin Riley-type at the hot corner. But his limitations might necessitate a move to an outfield corner, where he could profile well as a power-hitting right fielder.
More info coming on Gelof, and keep hitting refresh to find out the next picks below!
3rd round (No. 97): Mason Miller, RHP
Miller is a college senior from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, currently age 22 but turning 23 in August. The 6’5” pitcher ranked No. 161 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft board, with this report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
Miller averages 95 mph with his fastball, tops out at 99 and works in the mid-90s deep into games. While his heater doesn’t feature a lot of life, he displays the ability to locate it to either side of the plate. His low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup show flashes of becoming solid offerings but need more consistency, with his slide piece sharper last fall than it has been this spring.
For a big guy, Miller has good body control and repeats his delivery well enough to reliably provide strikes. He’ll need to learn to finish off more advanced hitters, but he has a legitimate chance to start and a nice fallback as a flamethrowing reliever. He belongs in the first five rounds on talent alone and could match Gardner-Webb’s record for highest pick ever (third round) because he’ll turn [23] a month after the Draft and thus will come with a discount.
Instant take: Love this pick. Always nice to find a premium 70-grade tool in the 3rd round, and even if he just ends up as a power reliever that can still be impactful these days. Even better that he sounds like he’ll go under-slot, which can help maximize the later picks. The A’s plucked Sean Murphy out of a small school in the 3rd round a few years ago, and Miller’s age and relatively short track record provide plausible optimism for an undervalued gem.
4th round (No. 127): Denzel Clarke, OF
Clarke is a 21-year-old college junior from Cal State Northridge, measuring 6’5” and 220 pounds. MLB Pipeline ranked him 98th, with this report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Clarke gets a lot of his athleticism from his mother, who was an Olympic heptathlete at the 1984 Summer Games. He’s learned to translate his plus speed on the basepaths to be an effective basestealer and to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. He did a better job this spring using his tools more consistently overall at the plate with a strikeout rate that was trending in the right direction, with plenty of raw power still to tap into. There is still some concern about the swing-and-miss, and while he punished fastballs this year, he did struggle more against spin.
A center fielder exclusively this year, Clarke does have the chance to play there because of that speed, and some scouts feel he can stay there with some tweaks with his first step and angles on fly balls, though some think it might be safer to move him to a corner given his 6-foot-5 frame. There’s some ceiling here that comes with a little risk, with some team sure to bet on the tools at the next level.
The report also notes that Clarke is cousins with Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor and prospect Bo Naylor. Clarke is from Ontario, Canada.
Kevin Goldstein of FanGraphs loves this pick: “I can’t begin to tell you how big a fan I of of the Denzel Clarke pick for OAK in the fourth. Think there’s a second-round tool set and crazy great makeup.”
5th round (No. 158): CJ Rodriguez, C
Rodriguez is a 21-year-old college sophomore from Vanderbilt University, measuring 5’10” and 200 pounds. MLB Pipeline ranked him 235th on their board, with this report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 20 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40
Rodriguez has soft hands and does a nice job of receiving and blocking pitches, and he moves fine behind the plate despite bottom-of-the-scale speed. His arm earns average-to-solid grades and plays up because he makes accurate throws. He has strong leadership skills and earns praise for his ability to manage a game and his pitchers.
Rodriguez focuses on making contact with a simple right-handed swing. He’s rarely fooled at the plate, controls the strike zone and hits the ball where it’s pitched. He’s walking more often and driving the ball more consistently in 2021 after rarely doing so a year ago, but he still figures to top out at 10-12 home runs annually.
Rodriguez’s hometown is Newport Beach, California.
6th round (No. 188):
7th round (No. 218):
8th round (No. 248):
9th round (No. 278):
10th round (No. 308):
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