Quick post draft analysis

After just missing out on having Justin Smoak fall into their lap, The A's took 2B Jemile Weeks out of Miami U. Some considered this pick somewhat of an overdraft due to the fact that most draft analysts pegged him to go in the 18-22 range. At first glance, he may not appear to be the sexy pick that most A's fans hoped for with the 12th pick, a la Smoak and his 40+ HR potential. However, despite his slight stature (5'9 165), Weeks has enormous potential and offers a different skill set that could be essential to the A's becoming a complete team in the future.

Jemile Weeks:

Classification: Lead-off hitter with speed and gap power

Strengths- He should develop into a good hitter who posts a BA in the .280 to .300 range with good patience. He isn't a slap hitter- he has quick wrists and should develop anywhere from 10-20 HR's. His speed, which could help produce 30-35 sb's annually, rounds out his offensive package. Defensively, He has great range and good hands.

Weaknesses- Still raw given the fact that he is a junior in college, could be good or bad. Defensively, while he possesses the range and hands to stick at 2B, he has yet to learn the nuances, i.e. positioning, of being a good defensive second basemen. His arm is also not very strong.

Overall- Some say Weeks might have to move off 2B to CF. However, I am of the opinion that the A's would not have drafted him if they weren't full confident he could stick at 2B. He just seems to athletic to not be able to handle second. Offensively, he could be an essential tablesetter at the top of our lineup who puts tremendous on the D with his speed and versatility. Also given the lack of quality middle infield prospects in the minors, Weeks should instantly be placed in the top 5 list of 2B prospects. His tools give him a good chance to be better than any of them.

BEYOND WEEKS:
The two picks I like the most were the selections of Tyson Ross SP Cal in the second round and Brett Hunter SP Pepperdine in the seventh round. Both selections were high risk/high reward given the fact that both have electric stuff coupled with extreme mechanical issues in their delivery which could lead to injury. Briefly:

Tyson Ross- He has the perfect pitchers body at 6'5 235. However, he does not use that size to his advantage displaying an extremely upright delivery in which he fails to properly use his lower body to generate the velocity that he is capable of. He has the potential to generate a mid 90's fastball but if he doesn't tweak his delivery he might only generate velocity in the 88-90 range with good secondary pitches. He could end up as just a reliever. However, the possibility that he makes a couple of adjustments and reaches his untapped potential as a frontline starting pitcher makes him a great round 2 pick.

Brett Hunter- might be my favorite pick of the draft. His stuff ranks among the best in the draft headlined by 95-97 fastball. The reason he fell to the 7th rd. is b/c he was injured for most of the season and, like Ross, has strong mechanical flaws which scouts were concerned would contribute to potential injuries in the future. With that said, if he can make some adjustments and stay healthy, he could become another potential frontline starter. And if he doesn't amount to anything- who cares- he was a 7th round pick anyways.

Finally, an interesting dynamic to the draft was the amount of athletes they drafted who have the potential to be basestealers in the future. This could indicate a shift in philosophy with Beane in which he is starting to believe in the value of having basestealers.