Elephant Rumblings: 2020 MLB draft completes 1st round

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

We finally got something resembling baseball news on Wednesday, with the 1st round of the MLB draft. Of course, even the draft is different from usual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, lasting just five rounds instead of the normal 40, so Day 1 featured only one pick by most teams instead of a few apiece. But that’s still better than nothing.

The Oakland A’s held the No. 26 overall pick, and they used it on high school catcher Tyler Soderstrom — click here for our full coverage of the pick. Soderstrom is a bat-first prospect who draws raves for his current polish and future potential, though on defense he might not stay behind the plate long-term. He’s also a local product, coming from Turlock, and his father pitched in MLB for the Giants in the ‘90s.

The general consensus is that Soderstrom profiled as a Top 20 pick in this draft, so the A’s did well to get him with their mid-20s selection. One reason he fell may have had to do with signability, given his commitment to UCLA, but Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle says “all the A’s folks I’ve spoken to are certain that he will sign.”

As for the rest of the 1st round, the Tigers used the No. 1 overall pick on third baseman Spencer Torkelson, who grew up in Petaluma before going to school at ASU. Rounding out the Top 10 picks:

1. 3B Spencer Torkelson, Tigers (Arizona State)
2. OF Heston Kjerstad, Orioles (Arkansas)
3. RHP Max Meyer, Marlins (Minnesota)
4. LHP Asa Lacy, Royals (Texas A&M)
5. SS Austin Martin, Blue Jays (Vanderbilt)
6. RHP Emerson Hancock, Mariners (Georgia)
7. SS Nick Gonzalez, Pirates (New Mexico State)
8. OF Robert Hassell III, Padres (high school, TN)
9. OF Zac Veen, Rockies (high school, FL)
10. LHP Reid Detmers, Angels (Louisville)

Click here to see the full results, including all 37 picks from Wednesday and a live tracker for Thursday (Rounds 2-5). Click here for info on how to watch Day 2 today.

A’s Draft:

• Lockard: A’s thrilled to see Turlock high school star Tyler Soderstrom land at No. 26 ($$$)
• Slusser: A’s take Turlock’s Tyler Soderstrom — son of ex-Giant Steve Soderstrom — in 1st round ($)
• Hickey: Athletics Use 26th Pick for Turlock Catcher Soderstrom, Hope to Keep Him From Going to UCLA
• Hickey: Athletics Missed Out on Some Greatness in 2010 MLB Draft
• Hall: A’s draft Tyler Soderstrom with No. 26 overall pick
• Hall: A’s 2020 Community Prospect List: The final Top 30 list!

A’s Non-Draft Coverage:

• Slusser: Former A’s outfielder Claudell Washington dies at 65 ($)
• Hickey: Mike Norris Remembers Athletics’ Claudell Washington as a Great Player and a Great Friend

MLB Draft, News, & Interest:

• Callis: Draft Day 1: Pick-by-pick rundown, analysis
• Longenhagen: Day 1 Draft Recap
• Castrovince: 7 key storylines from Day 1 of MLB Draft
• Collazo: 2020 MLB Draft First Round Analysis: Four Storylines That Stood Out ($$$)
• Randhawa: ‘Told you so’: Prediction comes true 7 years later
• Shea: Petaluma’s Spencer Torkelson drafted first overall by Tigers ($)
• Todd: Did The Tigers Make The Right Choice At 1-1?
• MLBTR Poll: Biggest First-Round Surprise
• Trezza: Meet Oreo: No. 2 pick’s dog is Draft night star
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

Well that’s a start, at least.

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