MLB mock draft: Who experts predict A’s will select at No. 6 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With the 2023 MLB Draft set to begin Sunday, the Athletics have the chance to make a splash with the No. 6 overall pick.
The A’s were among the teams with the best odds to land the No. 1 pick through MLB’s inaugural draft lottery in December, but they ended up unlucky and disappointed in their ultimate sixth pick. But even after they received No. 6, general manager David Forst kept things in perspective.
“It’s not the NBA or NFL; you’re not picking guys who are ready,” Forst said of the draft. “It’s sort of a balance between ceiling and what you know.”
There certainly is a chance an eventual impact player will be on the board for Oakland come Sunday, when the team makes its first top-six selection since 2017 and first top-10 pick since 2018. Here’s who MLB experts predict the A’s will land in the first round:
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian
“College hitters are getting most of the attention here, and the A’s could be discussing bats like Taylor, Teel, Wilson and Gonzalez, while they’ll still consider Lowder and Dollander. If the Twins go the college hitter route, the A’s could easily shift gears and nab whichever of the top five gets to them.”
Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss
“I’m hearing mostly slot-or-below college position players. I think both Clark and Jenkins would be over slot if they got here and I don’t have a good feeling that Oakland wants to do that if given the chance. think the A’s will consider Rhett Lowder but end up going hitter, with Gonzalez, Brayden Taylor and Kyle Teel the slot-adjacent options and Jacob Wilson the money-saving option.”
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian
“I think the A’s are the team most likely to go college bat in this area of the draft, with Taylor, Gonzalez, possibly Jacob Wilson, and maybe an outside shot at Matt Shaw. There’s a small chance they’d go arm with Chase Dollander or Rhett Lowder. I don’t believe they’d take Walker Jenkins if he’s here.”
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian
“It seems like Taylor has a significant number of landing spots from around this range and into the middle of the first round. Oakland gets tied to Max Clark, Rhett Lowder and Kyle Teel a considerable amount, and Jacob Wilson could make sense as well. It’s mostly college names, plus Clark—though I don’t have any strong conviction about who leads this group of players. Scarcity at the position could make Lowder a decent option, but he’s gone in this scenario.”
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian
“If Minnesota doesn’t take one of the high school outfielders, I suppose it’s possible either could go here, although most industry rumors have the A’s on college bats like Taylor (strong buzz on that at the Combine) and Virginia catcher Kyle Teel, with Wake Forest righty Rhett Lowder also in the mix. If a high school outfielder is still on the board here, it might take an over-slot bonus to get a deal done, and if the number is high enough that it paints Oakland into a corner with their next two picks, it’s possible they blink and let Clark or Jenkins go by because they badly need depth in their system. A college guy here and two abnormally good high schoolers at 39 and 41 (thanks to the depth of the draft) feels better than an over-slot deal with Clark and at least one college guy later.”
Kyle Teel, C, Virginia
“Even if one of the high school outfielders are still on the board, college bats seem to be the focus for the Athletics. TCU third baseman Brayden Taylor and Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson are also very much in play here, but the A’s have done a great job developing catching talent, and Teel is hands down the best backstop in this draft class.
A three-year starter at Virginia, Teel hit .407/.475/.655 with 25 doubles, 13 home runs and 69 RBI in 65 games this spring.”