A's load up at shortstop, take Alabama's White
After picking Florida's Martin at No. 20, club stays in SEC for 2nd-round selection
OAKLAND -- The A's plucked another shortstop out of the 2015 MLB Draft with their second pick Monday, taking Alabama's Mikey White with the 63rd overall selection.
Florida shortstop Richie Martin came to them at No. 20.
"I think they're comparable in that they're both high-performing shortstops in arguably the best collegiate league in the country," A's scouting director Eric Kubota said. "Richie maybe is a little more explosive. Mikey maybe has more of a power component to his game. At the end of the day, there are strong similarities -- just high-performing shortstops in a high-performing league."
The Draft continues on Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 9:30 a.m. PT, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 3-10 beginning at 10 a.m. PT.
White, 21, started at shortstop in all 184 games of his three-year career at Alabama, where he closed out his junior season as the team's overall leader in several offensive categories, including average (.339), slugging (.537) and on-base percentage (.444).
Video: Draft Report: Mikey White, College Shortstop
The right-handed hitter was ranked as the 64th best Draft prospect by MLB.com and, though projected as a potential fit at either second base or shortstop, the A's believe "he has the ability to play shortstop long term," said Kubota.
"We have a lot of guys who are very positive about his ability to stay there," he said. "At the end of the day, you can never have too many good players."