For A's, Day 1 of '23 Draft is a family affair

The A’s kept a theme of baseball bloodlines throughout Day 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Following their selection of Grand Canyon University shortstop Jacob Wilson -- son of former Major League All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson -- at No. 6 on Sunday night, the A’s took infielder Myles Naylor of St. Joan of Arc secondary school in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada), with pick No. 39 in the Competitive Balance Round A portion of the Draft.

Myles is the younger brother of Josh and Bo Naylor, both former first-round picks who play for the Guardians. His cousin, Denzel Clarke, is an outfielder who is rated the A’s No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

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There does seem to be a pattern of players who come from baseball families throughout Oakland’s organization. Tyler Soderstrom (No. 1 prospect) and Logan Davidson (No. 22) are both sons of former big leaguers. Daniel Susac (No. 4) is the younger brother of former Major League catcher Andrew Susac.

“Bloodlines are important,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “It’s definitely part of the equation. Myles has been around his brothers all his life.”

Naylor, who was rated the Draft’s No. 64 prospect and committed to play college ball at Texas Tech University, stood out for his performance in the Area Code Games this past summer and showed off some raw power that impressed the A’s.

“What stood out about Myles was his own potential and his own talent,” Forst said. “This kid hits the ball as hard as any high school player in this Draft. He’s strong. He’s physical. The swing is there. We loved Myles’ bat, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s got two big brothers already in the big leagues to learn from.”

Oakland rounded out Day 1 by selecting outfielder Ryan Lasko -- ranked as the No. 89 Draft prospect -- out of Rutgers University with the No. 41 pick.

Lasko performed well in the Cape Cod League and hit .314 with a .988 OPS, 38 home runs, 35 steals and 89 walks in three seasons at Rutgers. While the A’s are high on the bat, it was Lasko’s stellar defense in center field that really caught their attention.

“We love the athleticism,” Forst said of Lasko. “Middle-of-the-diamond player who just got better every year. Plus runner, plus outfield defense. Talk about highlights on defense. You can look up some of the plays he made crashing into the wall in center field. A guy that we think is on the up and really helps the athleticism in our system. I’m excited to see him play in person.”