The A's first-round pick sounded like a natural on the mic, breaking down future teammates from Mason Edwards to Alex Sosa.
Earlier this month, the A's followed familiar trends, drafting established college players and pursuing few high school players. While they selected prep stars Tyler Soderstrom (2020) and Max Muncy (2021) in the first round in previous drafts, those picks have been more the exception than the rule.
Of late, the A's have focused on college bats primarily, and it has worked out well for them since 2023 when they landed Jacob Wilson. The following year they selected Nick Kurtz, and he is looking like a perennial MVP contender. In that same 2024 class, the A's also selected Gage Jump, Tommy White, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, who have all made it to the A's roster this season.
Last year the A's selected Jamie Arnold with the No. 11 overall pick, and then took outfielder Devin Taylor with their second-round selection. Taylor has been a force in the minors, batting .311 with a .414 OBP and a .915 OPS this season between Hi-A and Double-A, adding 15 home runs.
This year's top selection, Drew Burress, smashed 60 home runs in his three seasons at Georgia Tech — a new school record — and officially signed with the A's this week for a reported $7.5 million.
As part of this introduction to the franchise, he took batting practice in Arizona on Tuesday, and then was interviewed on the broadcast, where he came off sounding like a natural behind the microphone, calling plays and giving analysis.
Some of his analysis focused on fellow A's draftees he has faced in college.
"I think they did a phenomenal job to be honest with you," Burress said of the A's draft class. "A lot of guys I've played with or against in the ACC."
Five of the A's first nine selections were players from the ACC: Burress, fifth-round third baseman Alex Hernandez from Georgia Tech, third-round right-hander Jacob Dudan from NC State, catcher Alex Sosa from Miami, and right-hander Aidan Weaver from Duke.
"Mason Edwards I'm pretty sure led the country in strikeouts this year. I haven't seen much, but he seems like a great dude. I'm excited to watch him throw the rock."
Edwards was the A's second-round selection out of USC, and he did indeed lead the country in strikeouts. A's Director of Scouting, Eric Kubota, said that the easy comp for him would be Barry Zito.
"I played with Alex Sosa a little bit when I was younger. He had a great year this year. I think he had like 18-19 homers at Miami."
Burress was correct again, as Sosa mashed 18 homers and posted 71 RBI while batting .338 with a .448 OBP and a 1.119 OPS.
"Faced Jacob Dudan, [who] throws freakin' rocket ships out there. 97-99 [mph], sinker, slider, he's been really good."
Dudan underwent Tommy John surgery after making eight starts this spring, and according to Kubota, he isn't expected back until about July of 2027 at the earliest.
"The Athletics now have the 2022, 2024, and 2025 ACC Freshman of the Year, with me, Tommy [White], and Alex [Hernandez]," Burress said. He closed by saying that he's been hanging around the complex, and he thinks the A's drafted a bunch of "good dudes."
The A's current clubhouse often says how much they enjoy spending time with one another both at the ballpark and away from it, so drafting and acquiring "good dudes" seems to be a piece of their roster construction formula.
As for Burress, not only did he shine in his first exposure to the fan base, but he also had a little blurb about each of the players he's most familiar with from the A's draft class that helped not only inform the viewer from an on-the-field perspective, but also pump up his own future minor-league teammates.
That's some good dude behavior.
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