The Oakland A’s selected catcher Daniel Susac from the University of Arizona in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, the club announced today.

Susac hit .366 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI in 64 games with the Wildcats this season. He tallied 23 walks, 19 doubles, and two triples for a .429 on-base percentage and a .582 slugging percentage. As a sophomore, he led the Pac-12 with 100 hits, ranked second in average, third in RBI, and fourth in total bases (159). The 21-year-old right-handed hitter was named Pac-12 All Conference, Baseball America Second Team All-American, and ABCA Second Team All-American in 2022 and played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2021. Last season, he was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award.

The Roseville, Calif., native entered the Draft as the No. 11 prospect by Baseball America and No. 12 by MLB Pipeline. Over two collegiate seasons, Susac batted .351 with 43 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, 126 RBI, a .412 on-base percentage, and a .586 slugging percentage in 125 games. 

Susac was selected with the 19th overall pick, marking the fourth consecutive season the A’s first pick has come late in the first round. Oakland chose Thousand Oaks High School shortstop Max Muncy with the 25th pick last year, Turlock High School catcher Tyler Soderstrom with the 26th pick in 2020, and Clemson University shortstop Logan Davidson with the 29th choice in 2019. 

Susac is the first player out of the University of Arizona to be selected in the first round since 2020, when the Yankees selected Austin Wells with the 28th overall pick. The A’s have drafted 13 Wildcats dating back to 1974, including, most recently, infielder Alfonso Rivas in 2018 (fourth round, 113th overall). 

Daniel is the younger brother of catcher Andrew Susac, who played in parts of six Major League seasons for San Francisco, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. Andrew was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Oregon State University. 

The Draft continues tonight with round two, plus eight compensation picks and Competitive Balance Rounds A and B. Rounds three through 10 will begin tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT, and the Draft will conclude on Tuesday with rounds 11 through 20.