Draft Dope: Athletics

June 6, 2007

Draft History (Click the year to view the picks)
Year	Top Pick
1992	Benji Grigsby
1993	John Wasdin
1994	Ben Grieve
1995	Ariel Prieto
1996	Eric Chavez
1997	Chris Enochs
1998	Mark Mulder
1999	Barry Zito
2000	Freddie Bynum
2001	Bobby Crosby
2002	Nick Swisher
2003	Brad Sullivan
2004	Landon Powell
2005	Cliff Pennington
2006	Trevor Cahill

Scouting Director: Eric Kubota (first year: 2002)
Order in 2007 Rotation: 26th
Extra Picks: Supplemental first round (41st, for loss of Type A free agent Barry Zito to Giants; 59th, for loss of Type B free agent Frank Thomas to Blue Jays), second round (75th, for Zito)
Lost Picks: None
Trend: The A's famously went college-heavy in the late 1990s and early part of this decade, but in the last two years they have diversified, taking three prep pitchers high in 2005. Their first four-year college pick in 2006 came in the fifth round. None of their high school picks has made a big move yet, though, and their biggest recent success is 2005 supplemental pick Travis Buck out of Arizona State.
This Year's Outlook: While other teams will go heavily after this year's strong high school class, Oakland could use its first two picks at 26 and 41 to go back to what it knows best: college players. The A's also expect to target one of the draft's strengths--lefthanders--to address a significant shortcoming in the organization.