2nd-rounder Criswell among 4 signed by A's

June 23rd, 2020

OAKLAND -- The A’s had a busy afternoon on Monday, agreeing to terms with three of their five picks from the 2020 MLB Draft and an undrafted free agent.

Outfielder Michael Guldberg, catcher William Simoneit and right-handed pitchers Jeff Criswell and Dane Acker all signed their first professional contracts and officially became members of the A’s organization.

Acker, the A’s fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma, signed right at slot value for $447,400, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. He made headlines just before the college baseball season was shut down when he no-hit No. 11 LSU at Minute Maid Park on March 1, striking out 11 batters and walking just one in what was the first no-hitter thrown against LSU in the school’s history.

“Acker is an advanced pitcher,” A’s scouting director Eric Kubota said. “Definitely has a starter look to him. He’s got upside, but we feel he could really pitch right now.”

Criswell, the A's second-round pick out of Michigan, helped the Wolverines reach the College World Series in 2019, going 7-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 106 innings over that sophomore year.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound righty brings a heavy fastball that sat around 93-96 mph as a starter to go with a good changeup and a breaking ball that plays like a slider. In three seasons at Michigan, Criswell went 10-4 with a 2.88 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings.

“We’ve seen him up to 97 [mph], and he’s got a good breaking ball,” Kubota said. “He’s got some delivery issues we think can be worked out. We do think there is a chance he could start.”

Guldberg, a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech, was leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with a .450 batting average and had just three strikeouts in 72 plate appearances in 16 games this year before the season ended early. He was second in the ACC with a .355 batting average last year after hitting .368 as a freshman. The 20-year-old right-handed hitter batted .374 with three home runs and 50 RBIs in 104 games in three seasons with the Yellow Jackets.

Simoneit, an undrafted catcher who also has experience playing both corner-infield spots, spent three seasons at Cornell University and earned All-Ivy League honors each year. He batted .306 with 27 doubles, 13 home runs and 74 RBIs in 99 games before transferring to Wake Forest as a graduate student. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter was batting .377 with five doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs in 17 games for the Demon Deacons this year.