A's continue to refill the farm with Day 2 selections

July 15th, 2024

OAKLAND -- After making three selections on Day 1 of the 2024 MLB Draft -- headlined by No. 4 pick, Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz -- the A's continued to replenish their pipeline on Day 2 in Rounds 3-10. Day 3 of the Draft starts at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday.

Round 3, 75th overall: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS, Rutgers
Scouting Report: Contact is the calling card for Kuroda-Grauer, who rarely struck out at Rutgers. He earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 2024 by slashing .428/.492/.590 with five homers, 19 doubles and 24 steals while striking out just 18 times in 53 games for the Scarlet Knights.

Fun fact: Kuroda-Grauer, a New Jersey native, grew up idolizing Derek Jeter. He also became the third consecutive Rutgers player drafted to the A’s, who selected two of his former college teammates, outfielder Ryan Lasko (A’s No. 15 prospect) and right-hander Drew Conover, in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Quotable: “I think the best part about him is his hands. When he swings the bat, his hands are always in the right position, this level swing. He attacks the ball with a purpose.” -- Todd Frazier, former All-Star third baseman and Rutgers alum, to the New York Post.

Round 4, 104th overall: Rodney Green, OF, University of California
Scouting Report: Green showed off an exciting power-speed combination while playing just down the road from Oakland at Cal. Across three seasons with the Golden Bears, he swiped 45 bases and crushed 34 home runs in 151 games. Defensively, Green’s athletic 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame allows him to play all three outfield spots. While the raw tools are exciting, Green will have to work on tightening his overall offensive game, as his strikeout rate hovered around 30% in college.

Fun fact: Green, who grew up in Richmond, Calif., wore No. 24 through college to honor his two favorite players, Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr.

Quotable: “His tools are as good as anybody’s in the country. There are going to be some teams that really value his upside. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes because I think once you get past the hitters in the Draft [who] everybody thinks check every box when it comes to becoming a big leaguer, he should be right at the top of that discussion.” -- Mike Neu, Cal head coach, to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Round 5, 137th overall: Sam Stuhr, RHP, University of Portland
Scouting Report: Stuhr, who transferred from Oregon State to Portland for the 2024 season, brings a four-pitch mix that features a fastball that can get up to 97 mph with some carrying action, and a mid-to-upper 80s slider that generates plenty of swing-and-miss against hitters. Listed at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, he’s a bit undersized, leading some scouts to believe he might be best suited for a bullpen role in the future.

Fun fact: Stuhr played in the 2015 Little League World Series for Oregon.

Quotable: “We have a little phrase on our team that’s just, ‘Belief’ and one of them is belief in your brothers, and, I mean, these guys are pretty easy to believe in. I have no doubt they’re going to succeed every time they go out there.” -- Stuhr, on the tight bond among the pitching staff at the University of Portland last season, to KOIN.com.

Round 6, 166th overall: Josiah Romeo, RHP, Mayfield HS (Caledon, ON, Canada)
Scouting Report: The slider is the standout pitch for Romeo, who was committed to Florida State University. It’s a low-80s slider with good spin and bite and highlights a four-pitch mix that includes a sinker, changeup and four-seam fastball that clocked up to 94 mph as an 18-year-old in the MLB Draft League.

Fun fact: Romeo pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team, and joins an A’s organization that features two Canadian-born players among their Top 30 Prospects list in OF Denzel Clarke and INF Myles Naylor.

Round 7, 196th overall: Dylan Fien, C, Great Oaks HS (Temecula, Calif.)
Scouting Report: Fien went into the Draft with shortstop listed as his primary position, though the A’s selected him as a catcher. The switch-hitter was committed to UCLA and hit .433 with a .711 slugging percentage as a senior. Fien is considered to hit for more power from the right side, while being a better overall hitter from the left side, drawing some comparisons to former A’s (and current Rangers) catcher Jonah Heim.

Fun fact: Fien’s brother, Gavin, is a standout shortstop who was his high school teammate and is committed to play at the University of Texas.

Round 8, 226th overall: Davis Diaz, C, Vanderbilt
Scouting Report: Diaz does a lot of things well without necessarily carrying a standout tool, though if you were to pick one, it would likely be his hitting ability. Most interesting about this selection is that the A’s drafted him as a catcher. Diaz only played infield (third base, second base and shortstop) in college, though teams were interested in him as a catcher while he starred at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, Calif.

Fun fact: Diaz was a two-time All-Star in the Cape Cod League.

Quotable: “Davis is why people want to get into coaching and stay in coaching. His teachable spirit is tremendous. The level of consistency and focus that he displays on an everyday basis is next level. He is steady, predictable and is self-directed. He has been a very important piece of this team since his freshman year. Outstanding defensive player with reliable hands and very efficient feet … some of the best defensive skills that we have seen in our program’s history. His bat-to-ball skills are some of the best on the team.” -- Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin, on Diaz.

Round 9, 256th overall: Jared Sprague-Lott, 3B, University of Arkansas
Scouting Report: Sprague-Lott spent his first three college seasons at Richmond University before transferring to Arkansas in 2024, where he earned a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. He provides solid defense with versatility around the infield, and slashed .314/.440/.583 in his final year at Richmond. He slashed .290/.425/.491 in his lone year at Arkansas, and walked more (126) than he struck out (121) for his collegiate career.

Fun fact: Sprague-Lott competed in the 2014 Little League World Series on the Mid-Atlantic team.

Quotable: “I just like the fact that he’s a tough out. I like the fact that he can lay down a bunt for a hit or a sac bunt or hit the ball over your head. He’s gotten a lot better.” -- Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn, on Sprague-Lott’s improvements as a hitter this season to AllHogs FanNation

Round 10, 286th overall: Cameron Leary, OF, Boston College
Scouting Report: A quick look at Leary’s college numbers will show he is a classic ‘Three True Outcomes’ guy. Across four seasons at Boston College, Leary hit 43 home runs, struck out 207 times and walked 149 times in 181 games. Add in his 41 stolen bases and he certainly brings an intriguing mix of power and speed. The next step is refining himself as a hitter in order to unlock that exciting potential.

Fun fact: Leary was nicknamed “Cam Tanks” in college and is the only player in Boston College history with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases over a career.