Oakland Athletics 2024 MLB Draft Report Card

Best Pure Hitter: First baseman Nick Kurtz (1) was long regarded as one of the most well-rounded offensive players in the 2024 class. He hits for average, makes solid swing decisions, takes his walks and hits for power. He’s a career .368 hitter with Wake Forest who owns a 24.1% college walk rate. Kurtz reinforced his advanced pure hitting chops by hitting .368 with a 14.3% in-zone miss rate in his 12-game pro debut.

Best Power Hitter: Kurtz (1) is a big and physical 6-foot-5, 240-pound slugger with huge raw power to go with his pure hitting ability. His 90th percentile and max exit velocities were some of the best in the class, he managed 61 home runs in his three-year college career and has 30+ home run potential in his peak seasons.

Fastest Runner: Outfielder Rodney Green (4) is a plus runner and instinctual base stealer who went 45-for-51 (88.2%) in his three-year career with California. 

Best Defensive Player: Shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer (3) is a versatile defender who has played all over the field, including shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions. He’s more of a steady defender at shortstop than a dynamic one, and his arm could make him a better long-term fit for second base, but he has reliable hands and good infield actions.

Best Fastball: Righthander Sam Stuhr (5) has a fastball that averaged 94.4 mph this spring with Portland and has been up to 98 at peak velocity. The pitch has solid riding life and generated an 18% miss rate this spring.

Best Secondary Pitch: Righthander Kyle Robinson (11) uses a mid-80s changeup as a go-to secondary. The pitch earned consistent plus evaluations from amateur scouts and features plenty of armside fading life that results in empty swings and weak groundball contact. The changeup had about 10-mph separation from his fastball and an eight inch difference in vertical break during the spring with Texas Tech.

Best Pro Debut: A’s draftees were responsible for an outsized percentage of the better draftee debuts this summer. Kurtz (1) slashed .368/.520/.763 with four home runs, three doubles and more walks than strikeouts while reaching Double-A Midland. Kuroda-Grauer (3) was one of just three debut players to reach Triple-A. He slashed .324/.421/.343 across three levels and 28 games with standout bat-to-ball skills.

Best Athlete: Green (4) is a big and powerful 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder with a pro body and loud power and speed tools. He tracks the ball down well in the outfield thanks to his running ability, instincts and natural athleticism.

Most Intriguing Background: Third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott (9) spent three seasons with Richmond before transferring to Arkansas as a senior for the 2024 season. He replicated his on-base skills in the SEC and turned that into a top-10 round selection. Before college, Sprague-Lott was a talented high school basketball player and also played in the 2014 Little League World Series.

Closest To The Majors: Kurtz (1) was one of the most advanced hitters in the 2024 class and has already gotten some exposure to Double-A. If he keeps producing there’s not much he needs to add to his game to be a reliable big leaguer, and he’s already a strong defender at a position that doesn’t require much glovework.

Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): The A’s managed to sign Robinson (11) for just $150,000 despite the fact that he ranked 101 on the BA 500. The slot value for the 101st pick in the 2024 draft was $724,800.