Graham Koonce

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Oakland Athletics #5 prospect in 2004
  Released by the Tigers in 1997, Koonce spent two years in the independent Western League. He signed with the Padres in 1998 and has exploded since the A's took him in the minor league Rule 5 draft in December 2001. He led the minors in homers and was the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2003, and served as Team USA's first baseman in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Koonce is similar to Dan Johnson in many ways. As he has grown older, he has developed outstanding power. He's a good fastball hitter who uses the whole field. The A's particularly adore his knack for drawing walks. At 28, age is Koonce's enemy. He's slow and relegated to first base or DH. He's an adequate defender, slightly better than Johnson and adept at digging balls out of the dirt. Koonce will come to spring training competing for a big league job. He's known for his slow starts, and a continuation of that trend could send him back to Triple-A. He has the potential to offer a lot more production than Oakland got out of DH Erubiel Durazo and first baseman Scott Hatteberg last year.