Oakland A's Take First Baseman in Recent MLB Mock Drafts

Jun 17, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons first baseman Nick Kurtz (8) celebrates after retiring Stanford Cardinal third baseman Tommy Troy (not pictured) to end the game at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports | Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's have the fourth overall selection in next month's MLB Draft, and that means that more and more outlets are releasing mock drafts. Two of those mocks in particular have the A's landing interesting college players, and both are first basemen.

The first mock, coming from Baseball America, has Oakland snagging Florida first baseman and left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone with their first pick. The 21-year-old has been an absolute monster with the bat this season, mashing 29 home runs in 212 at-bats while batting .414 with a .525 OBP. He has also drawn 41 walks compared to just 21 strikeouts, good for an 8% strikeout rate.

From BA: "Caglianone has the biggest raw power in the class with some of the most impressive top-end exit velocities you’ll see. His chase rates remain overly aggressive and could hinder his in-game power production in pro ball but he has made some improvements in this area as well."

Every draft prospect is going to come with questions, but if you're the A's, the reason Caglianone is so appealing is because of the improved strikeout-to-walk numbers, and that raw power. We saw the A's take a contact bat that doesn't strike out with the number six pick in Jacob Wilson last season, and that skill has been something the organization has been targeting a bit more in recent years.

Add in that the ball tends to carry a bit more in Las Vegas, where the A's intend to be playing games in 2028, and Caglianone's raw power could be an attribute that carries a little more weight. They could pitch him to the public as Aaron Judge playing at Coors.

The other first baseman that could end up with Oakland Nick Kurtz of Wake Forest, according to both MLB Pipeline and Bleacher Report. Pipeline has actually switched back and forth with the A's selection, giving Oakland Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery in two other recent mocks, with Kurtz also in the mix.

Kurtz, 21, battled a shoulder injury earlier in the season but has still hit .313 with a .538 on-base, 22 home runs, and 76 walks compared to 39 strikeouts. That approach is something that the Moneyball A's would have fallen in love with. He may not have the amount of raw power that Caglianone possesses, but it's still well above average, per Pipeline. They also say that he makes better swing decisions that either Caglianone or Charlie Condon, who is projected to go second overall.

Montgomery figures to still be around for the A's at four as well, so if they don't feel like selecting a first baseman that early in the Draft, they can take someone with a little more athleticism.

All of these players have significant bright spots. For Caglianone, it's his power and the fallback plan of having him pitch. With Kurtz, it's his more refined approach that could lead him to be the safer bet. Montgomery isn't anchored to first base, so he could provide a little more defensive value as well.

This is an important Draft for Oakland, because they will be out of the top-9 next year after holding lottery picks the past two seasons. Both the A's and Chicago White Sox are impacted by this new rule, so whichever team finishes with the worse record of the two will pick tenth, with the other club selecting 11th in next year's Draft. As things stand, the A's are 8.5 games better than Chicago, which would land them pick No. 11 in 2025.