MLB Draft Prospect Outlook: Austin Wells

The 2020 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft is rapidly approaching. Without any official baseball games up to this point in the calendar year, the 2020 Draft is the first notable event of the baseball calendar since teams initially reported to spring training in February.

Coming off their third consecutive postseason appearance, the Oakland Athletics have found ways to maximize talent through the draft despite not always picking in the top half of every round.

The A's hold the 26th overall selection in this year's draft, and will have lots of talented amateur players to pick from. Unlike other sports where draft picks have an immediate impact once they're selected, baseball teams have the luxury of choosing whoever the organization views as the best available prospect.

Lots of experts across the media landscape have been following the amateur scene across the country and compiling their mock drafts through speaking with scouts and front office staffs.

We obviously all don't know exactly what's in the head of every team's general manager, but there are certain teams that prefer certain types of prospects.

The Athletics have a history of preferring college players over their high school counterparts, due to the fact that they develop faster than 18-year olds who will need more seasoning at the minor league level.

Let's dive into one of the guys that Billy Beane and company might be looking to add to the organization.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo in his Mock Draft had the Athletics selecting catcher Austin Wells out of the University of Arizona with the 26th overall pick.

Wells was one of the most dominant hitters in the Pac-12 during his tenure at Tucson. He's a tall, athletic, sweet-swinging left hander who can play multiple positions.

He won the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award and was an All-American selection by multiple outlets following his first season in the desert. He slashed .352/.462/.552 during his freshman campaign, but hit only five home runs.

Some might have been concerned about his lack of home run power, but a summer in the Cape Cod League working with a wood bat eased many concerns.

As a member of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox last summer he hit seven home runs and produced a .526 slugging percentage. His performance won him the award of best pro prospect in the league after excelling at the plate and playing multiple positions to highlight his versatility.

Wells does have some detractors, concerned with if he's truly able to stick around at catcher. While he does have experience in the corner outfield his bat will play at any position.

It will come down to how each organization values the upside of his bat and the potential to expand his defensive skill set.

Expect Wells to come off the board in the 23-35 range in the draft.