Jonah Cox Stats & Scouting Report

Top Rankings

BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Cox transferred to Oral Roberts prior to the 2023 season and won Summit League Player of the Year, hitting .412 with 11 homers and 28 steals. The A’s signed him to a $300,000 bonus in the sixth round of the draft, and he hit .264 with 14 steals in 28 games with Low-A Stockton. Cox’s father, Darron, was a fifth-round pick in 1989 and briefly reached the majors with the Expos in 1999.

Scouting Report: A’s staffers frequently compare both Cox and fellow 2023 draft pick Ryan Lasko to former Oakland outfielder Eric Byrnes because of their frenetic play styles. Cox is a twitchy athlete and plus-plus runner with speed that excels on both the basepaths and in center field. He takes a slasher’s mentality to the plate with an unconventional swing and downward bat path. He makes plenty of contact to all fields--Cox had a 47-game hit streak at Oral Roberts--but generates just fringe-average exit velocities. His aggressive mentality also leads to bouts of chase out of the strike zone. A former shortstop, Cox doesn’t have the strongest throwing arm, but he covers plenty of ground and should remain in center field.

The Future: Cox faces questions about his ultimate impact with the bat, but his contact ability, speed and aptitude provide a nice foundation for a potential fourth outfielder with room for more.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Field: 55 | Arm: 45

School: Oral Roberts Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.9
A 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder, Cox played his first two college seasons at Butler (Pa.) JC and Eastern Oklahoma State JC, where he hit over .400 with 13 home runs across both seasons. After transferring to Oral Roberts for his 2023 junior season, Cox led the team in hitting and helped push the program to a College World Series appearance. He slashed .412/.470/.646 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles, 28 stolen bases, a 16.7% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate and made Baseball America’s All-America third team. Cox has solid pure bat-to-ball skills, but has below-average raw power, with most of his game power going to the pull side. He’s a plus runner who previously played shortstop and has the tools to be a good defender in center field, though his arm strength is a bit light. Cox is the son of Darron Cox, who was a big league catcher in 1999 for the Montreal Expos.