With the 8th overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, the A’s went the college route yet again and selected Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress:
The first few picks have featured a couple of surprises and the Athletics benefit by having their pick of some of the top prospects in the draft that fell. Burress, who is a short king at 5’9”,
profiles as a power threat in the batter’s box and could remain in center field, though many scouts expect him to eventually slide to a corner spot on the grass.
Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about the newest A’s prospect:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60
Scouts liked Burress’ tools and loved his makeup when he was a Georgia high schooler, but he told teams he’d attend Georgia Tech unless they took him in the first round of the 2023 Draft. He went unpicked and then broke into college baseball with nine homers in his first eight games en route to setting a school record with 60 blasts in three seasons. He should be the first college outfielder selected and crack the top 10 choices.
Though he’s shorter than his listed 5-foot-9 and lacks projection, Burress has solid or better tools across the board. He has a compact and quick right-handed swing, plenty of strength, a disciplined approach at the plate and plus power that plays to all fields. His stance became very open and led to struggles in his second stint with the U.S. collegiate national team last summer, but he made the necessary adjustments to recover from a slow start this spring.
Burress is a quality athlete with a high baseball IQ and a strong work ethic. He uses his solid speed to steal an occasional base and to chase down balls in center field, where most evaluators believe he can remain as a pro. If not, he has the bat and plus arm to profile well in right field, and he set a Yellow Jackets record with 10 outfield assists in 2024.
