MLB Draft 2018 Preview: Looking back at Oakland A’s recent 1st-round picks

The 2018 MLB draft begins in just over an hour! By the end of the evening the Oakland A’s will have the rights to a few more top prospects, helping beef up a farm system that already ranked in the Top 10 in MLB. Their first pick will come at No. 9 overall in the 1st round, which is slightly later than the last two years.

As the anticipation builds toward this evening, let’s take a look back at how some past drafts are panning out. A decade ago the A’s went through a stretch of poor drafting, with a bunch of 1st-round college picks who went nowhere: pitcher James Simmons (2007) never reached the bigs, infielder Jemile Weeks (2008) had one good half-season, and Grant Green (2009) and Michael…