The Athletics announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of five players, including shortstop prospect Nick Allen. Also added to the 40-man roster were infielders Jonah Bride and Jordan Diaz, righty Jorge Juan, and outfielder Cody Thomas.
Allen, 23, was a third-round pick in 2017 and is regarded as an elite defensive prospect — ranking third among A’s farmhands at Baseball America andMLB.com, as well as fifth at FanGraphs. Listed at 5’8″ and 166 pounds, Allen’s slight frame has led to concerns about his eventual upside at the plate, though he looked just fine in 50 Double-A games this season, hitting .319/.374/.471 through 229 plate appearances.
Allen, who also won an Olympic Silver Medal with Team USA, did struggle in his first taste of Triple-A ball this past season, hitting .243/.302/.301. That was a sample of just 151 plate appearances, though, and Allen’s glove and speed alone would likely have led him to be selected in this year’s Rule 5 had he gone unprotected. With the A’s embarking on what looks to be a considerable step back, Allen ought to get a chance in the big leagues before too long — particularly if he produces more offense in his second run through Triple-A.
Diaz, a 21-year-old corner infielder, split his 2021 season between first base and third base while hitting .288/.337/.483 with 13 homers, 24 doubles and a triple in Class-A Advanced. He’s 11th among A’s prospects at MLB.com and 13th at Baseball America, drawing praise for his plate discipline and hit tool.
Listed at a towering 6’8″ and 250 pounds, the 22-year-old Juan has a fastball that can reach the upper 90s (and likely feels even faster given the extension he gets on that huge frame). He punched out 34.5% of his opponents between Class-A and Class-A Advanced this season, albeit in a small sample of 26 2/3 innings. As you’d expect for a young pitcher of this size, Juan has missed bats in droves but also struggled to command the ball (career 14.8% walk rate). He’s regarded among Oakland’s 25 or so best prospects, but there’s a good bit of risk with him as well.
Bride, 26 next month, is a 23rd-rounder from the 2018 draft who walked in more than 17% of his Double-A plate appearances this season. Splitting his time between third base, first base and second base, Bride slashed a combined .265/.407/.424 with as many walks as strikeouts (57).
Thomas, 27, came to the A’s alongside Adam Kolarek in the trade that sent Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland to the Dodgers. While the Kolarek portion of Oakland’s return certainly didn’t go as hoped, Thomas utterly destroyed Triple-A pitching with a .289/.363/.665 batting line. In just 245 plate appearances, Thomas ripped 18 home runs, 20 doubles and four triples. Impressive as his lefty pop was, Thomas also fanned in 31.8% of his plate appearances, so there’s some obvious swing-and-miss concern with him. His 2021 season was cut short by an Achilles injury that kept him out of action beyond July 25.
As depressing as this offseason will be for Oakland, Allen could be really fun to watch at short. Hope he gets called up this year
Correct, he might be the best defensive SS alive. No idea if his bat will play in MLB but he looks promising!
Any relation to Dick Allen?!
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=allen-003nic
This is the correct page for Allen
I think sometimes evaluators can’t get out of their own way. Baseball is a skills game. Either you have the skills to hit or you don’t.
One of my favorite things about baseball is sometimes the 5’8″ guy is better than the 6’4″ guy. Anybody can play. You don’t have to be a giant like the NBA or NFL.
Have you watched Nick Allen highlight reels? His defense cooks all the big name FA’s like 6’4″ Seager, Correa etc.
Allen is built like a batboy. If his bat plays he’s an all-star. No one is saying this now, because…your point.
Glove is sweet. Feet are quick, great first step, great reads.
I love watching guys like him play.
Who cares other than a’s fans … BOTH OF THEM!!!
Zzzzzz
Bride is also learning to play catcher at instructs and Arizona fall league. A bit older as a prospect but has hit fairly well at every level and good plate approach. If he has capability to play multiple infield position plus catcher, that increases his chances. Also he’ll be hitting in AAA Vegas which should boost his stats
Can we just all agree the A’s need out of Oakland ASAP! It’s like watching the Montreal Expos in their final years.
Nope, 100% WRONG – the A’s BELONG in Oakland. The Coliseum is better than Angels Stadium and isn’t as bad as people say. The A’s need to stay in Oakland new park or not!
The A’s are perfectly fine where they are. Move MLB out of FL or AZ or the other states that promote superspreading the plague.
I’ll vehemently disagree on the stadiums. The Coliseum is nowhere near as nice as Angels Stadium. More importantly for players the clubhouses and dugouts aren’t either.
However, I absolutely love the A’s spring training park and catch a game there nearly every year.
Better to trade for Dick Allen than Nick