What the A's Are Up To

God knows everyone lauds the A's. I'm still on the fence about them--especially since they seem to go all over the place. After their obsession with OBP got them a team full of plodding sluggers, they're now obsessed with defense--as evidenced, perhaps, by their selection of Jemile Weeks with the #12 pick in today's MLB draft.

It's very uncommon for a second baseman to go this high in the draft. Often, a second baseman isn't drafted until the 3rd or 4th round--the 6th, in 1999.

This is the 44th year of the draft, and Weeks is only the eighth 2B to be in the first 15 picks. The last was his brother Rickie, who went 2nd to the Brewers in 2003.

But Jemile doesn't have the power potential that Rickie had (and has fulfilled). It seems clear that the A's are making a pretty strong statement that they are going after line-drive hitting and speed. (Interestingly, MLB.com says that Weeks' "defense is somewhat in question" and that he might be shifted to CF. Still, the A's seem to be valuing players a lot differently than teams have in the past.)

Second Basemen taken in the top 15 picks:
Jemile Weeks, #12, 2008
Rickie Weeks, #2, 2003
Chris Burke, #10, 2001
Chase Utley, #15, 2000
Todd Walker, #8, 1994
Ty Griffin, #9, 1988
Pat Rockett, #10, 1973
Rich Puig, #14, 1971

(All played in the majors except for Griffin, who, ironically, was probably the most celebrated pick of all of these, since he'd helped lead the USA to a Gold medal in Seoul last year.)