MLB Draft 2022: Evaluating Zach Neto and Peyton Graham as potential A’s picks

I am not a scout.

I’m not scouting the players I’m going to write about, I’m evaluating scouting reports being made by a number of people getting PAID to scout amateur players and then talk about them to the masses for a multi-billion dollar sports entertainment industry. I use Baseball America’s Tools report on everyone because they are the most consistent at giving a grade for every tool to each player.

The player rankings are accurate as of July 10th, and any changes to the scouting reports after that may or may not make the finished product. I will make it extremely clear when I’m voicing my opinion and not pulling directly from the various scouting reports. My goal is to find a Win for Oakland at 1.19. The A’s need to hit a solid double in the gap to drive in a couple runs; swinging for the fences here would be a mistake.

So far we’ve looked at two local college outfielders, Dylan Beavers (Cal) and Brock Jones (Stanford), as well as two out-of-state outfielders, Drew Gilbert (Tennessee) and Jacob Melton (Oregon State). Let’s continue with a pair of shortstops.

Zach Neto, SS, Campbell

• Bats/Throws: Right/Right
• Height/Weight: 6’0, 185
• DOB: 1/31/2001
• 2022: 53 Games Played. 256 PA. 407/514/769. 23 Doubles/2 Triples/15 Homeruns. 39 BB/19 K.

Rankings:

• Keith Law: #9
• Baseball America: #16
• MLB/Jim Callis: #17
• Prospects Live: #10

Tools:

• Hit: 55
• Power: 55
• Run: 55
• Field: 50
• Arm: 60

“Neto shows only average raw power in batting practice, but he backspins the ball consistently and has solid bat speed and barrel manipulation—enough so that scouts think he’ll get to every ounce of the raw power that he does have.” ~ Baseball America 7/6/2022

Evaluation:

Short to the ball and makes high-quality contact. Set up may need tweaking but it’s solid bat speed and he gets in good hitting position to do damage. Played all over the infield, should be able to stick at SS and has the arm for the left side. Aggressive baserunner. 31-for-36 in SB the last two seasons. Hit .304/.439/.587 in 57 PA for the Cape Cod League in 2021. Hit .439/.537/.765 in 123 PA (with wood) for the South Florida League in 2020. Had 25 XBH in 180 PA with wood bats and a 26/28 BB/K rate.

Grover’s Take:

Melissa Lockard did a mock draft for Prospects Live about a week ago and she picked Neto for the A’s when he was (surprisingly) still on the board. She said that while Oakland was looking hard at local college bats, she had no doubt they’d jump all over Neto if he fell to 1.19. You feel more comfortable about small school guys when they have defensive ability and put up video game numbers … Neto has that. He’s also shown his power can play with wood bats; he might not be a 30 HR guy but 15-20 bombs plus 30-40 doubles works for me. Neto shouldn’t be available at #19 but if he is there’s no excuse for him to still be on the board at #20.

Peyton Graham, SS, Oklahoma

• Bats/Throws: Right/Right
• Height/Weight: 6’3, 185
• DOB: 1/26/2001
• 2022: 67 Games Played. 335 PA. 360/417/640. 17 Doubles/4 Triples/20 Homeruns. 28 BB/69 K.

Rankings:

• Keith Law: #26
• Baseball America: #35
• MLB/Jim Callis: #28
• Prospects Live: #36

Tools:

• Hit: 55
• Power: 55
• Run: 55
• Field: 55
• Arm: 55

“He made adjustments in the final three months, doing a better job of staying back on breaking pitches and understanding that his combination of bat speed and projectable strength will allow him to develop into a solid power hitter without swinging for the fences.” ~ Callis 7/6/2022

Evaluation:

Loose, quick hands. Exit velocities up to 108 MPH. Power from CF to LF. There are still swing & miss concerns, especially vs. sliders. Plus runner, stole 49 in 55 attempts while in school. Played almost entirely on the left side of the infield for Oklahoma then added OF time while at the Cape in 2021. Batted .247/.367/.370 in 98 PA with wood, which is a bit meh. Earns solid-to-plus defensive grades on the left side of the infield, might outgrow SS in a few years.

Grover’s Take:

In 2021 the A’s selected Max Muncy at 1.25, signing him slightly above slot. They then selected Denzel Clarke at 4.127, signing him above slot. What they had in common was the ability to play a premium defensive position and the track record of overcoming early season offensive struggles by making midseason adjustments. That’s Peyton Graham in 2022 and it makes me think he’s going to be on Oakland’s radar. I still think Drew Gilbert is the smart, safe choice and Zach Neto is the unicorn who shouldn’t be in reach … but if both are off the board then I would not be surprised if Graham is next on the list.