Oregon’s Brennan Milone was picked in the sixth round, 184th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2022 MLB draft Monday.
The first baseman/DH had a breakout season in 2022 after transferring to Oregon from South Carolina. He became a completely different hitter than in his time with the Gamecocks, lowering his walk rate but drastically increasing his batting average and slugging percentage. He hit .337/.405/.545 in 60 games with Oregon.
Milone lacks an obvious defensive position. He played shortstop in high school but hasn’t appeared there at the college level. He was Oregon’s regular DH, though he started to fill in at first base occasionally in the latter part of the season.
Offensively, he showed little weakness in Pac-12 play, bringing a well-rounded profile to the three-hole in the Ducks’ lineup. He has struggled in two brief stints in the Cape Cod Baseball League, so there’s some skepticism among scouts as to how he’ll perform at the next level.
Still, this is a high pick for Milone, showing that results matter in draft selection. He was ranked the No. 282 draft prospect by Prospects Live and No. 452 by Baseball America, and he was completely unranked by MLB. In 2019, he was picked by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 28th round.
He’s the fourth Duck to be picked in the 2022 MLB draft, joining Jackson Cox (second round), Josh Kasevich (second round) and Anthony Hall (fourth round). He’s also the fifth Duck drafted by the A’s in the modern era.
Milone’s pick carries an estimated value of $277.10k.
