A's add pitching and lots of power on Day 2

July 18th, 2022

The Athletics picked up some power and speed through the first 10 rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft. After selecting all position players on Day 1, Oakland continued that trend on Monday, but added a few arms to the mix.

Let’s take a look at who the Athletics selected on Day 2:

COLBY THOMAS, OF, Mercer University
Round 3 (95th overall)
Notable skill:
Thomas didn’t waste any time showing off his power and speed at Mercer. The Valdosta, Ga., native led Mercer with nine doubles, five home runs, 23 hits and 18 RBIs during his freshman season in 2020. As a junior, before undergoing surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder, Thomas was chasing the NCAA Division I home run lead. He ended the 2022 season with 17 home runs, 45 RBIs and 11 stolen bases on 11 attempts. Ranked as the No. 95 prospect heading into the Draft, Thomas is believed to have the quickness and instincts to play center field, though he hasn’t had that chance just yet.

Fun fact: Thomas was originally drafted out of Valdosta High School by the Baltimore Orioles in the 37th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He committed to Florida as a transfer in June 2022.

Quotable: “What really distinguished Colby was his exit velos. His max exit velos are elite, and that kind of had him stand out above the crowd. It wasn’t just the number of homers, it was the secondary metrics in a lot of cases.” -- A’s scouting director Eric Kubota

JACOB WATTERS, RHP, West Virginia
Round 4 (124th overall)
Notable skill: After pitching out of the bullpen for most of his career at West Virginia, Watters joined the rotation over the spring with a fastball that tops out at 99 mph, but has hit triple digits in short relief stints. He led West Virginia’s bullpen with 53 strikeouts in 2021. His best start of the 2022 season came against Texas, where he struck out 15 in 6 1/3 innings.

Fun fact: Watters is the cousin of former MLB outfielder Jason Michaels, who played for Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Houston from 2001-11.

Quotable: “Watters was a high-profile power arm in college. … We think he’s got big stuff.” -- Kubota

JACK PERKINS, RHP, Indiana
Round 5 (154th overall)
Notable skill:
Perkins’ best pitch is his fastball, which averages around 92-94 mph. He started off his collegiate career at Louisville, then transferred to Indiana for the 2022 season. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound right-hander led Indiana with a 5.10 ERA and 91 strikeouts this year.

Fun fact: Perkins was selected in the 39th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

BRENNAN MILONE, 3B, Oregon
Round 6 (184th overall)

Notable skill: Milone, who transferred from South Carolina, was one of the top hitters on the Ducks’ 2022 squad, leading the team with a .337/.405/.545 slash line with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 60 games. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors in his first season at Oregon and was named to the Louisville Regional all-tournament team after going 9-for-15 with two homers, two doubles, four RBIs and five runs.

Fun fact: Milone was drafted out of Woodstock High School (Ga.) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

YENIEL LABOY, 3B, Carlos Beltran Academy (PR)
Round 7 (214th overall)

Notable skill: Laboy is a 6.68 runner in the 60-yard dash and is a big presence on the left side of the plate, according to Perfect Game.

Fun fact: The 18-year-old infielder was named to the Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-Region Team, which recognizes the top senior high school baseball athletes in the U.S. He committed to Wabash Valley College.

Quotable: “There’s a power bat potential. A lot of upside with [Laboy].” -- Kubota

MICAH DALLAS, RHP, Texas A&M
Round 8 (244th overall)

Notable skill: Dallas’ slider is one of his most reliable pitches. His fastball sits around the low 90s. Dallas helped the Aggies punch their ticket to the NCAA College World Series in his first season at Texas A&M after transferring from Texas Tech. He finished the year with a 7-3 record while posting a 5.18 ERA with 86 strikeouts.

Fun fact: Dallas was homeschooled and played for the Fort Worth Texas Homeschool Educators Sports Association before heading off to Texas Tech, where he spent the 2019-2021 seasons. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander comes from an athletic family. His brother, Bo, is a pitcher at Oklahoma Baptist University. His father, Steve, played basketball for Baylor. One of his grandfathers is in the University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame as a three-time All-American in swimming, while the other is in the USC Sports Hall of Fame.

CAEDEN TRENKLE, OF, Oklahoma State
Round 9 (274th overall)

Notable skill: Trenkle is a speedy outfielder from Hillsboro, Texas. He was one of Oklahoma State’s leaders in stolen bases over his previous two seasons. Trenkle finished the 2022 season with a .302/.429/.467 slash line and went 11-for-13 in stolen bases.

Fun fact: Trenkle was previously selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Quotable: “We do think there’s some power in there to develop, but certainly right now, his strengths are his speed and defense.” -- Kubota

BROCK RODDEN, 2B, Wichita State
Round 10 (304th overall)

Notable skill: Rodden’s high baseball IQ and ability to hit are two of his most notable skills. Named as the AAC Newcomer Position Player of the Year, the switch-hitter led the Shockers in batting average (.338), on-base percentage (.441) and slugging percentage (.653) with a 1.093 OPS during a sophomore season in 2022 that saw him hit 13 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs.

Fun fact: He played for his father, Kevin, at Oktaha High School in Oklahoma. He also spent two seasons at Seminole State College before transferring to Oklahoma State.

Quotable: “He had a huge year at Wichita State. … We think he can hit and we think he’s got surprising strength.” -- Kubota