Cowtipper
12-13-2008, 10:22 AM
LAS VEGAS -- After telling Bay Area-based reporters Wednesday night that he wasn't expecting his club to make a selection in the Major League phase of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, A's general manager Billy Beane said he didn't want his comments made public in case something happened in the 11th hour that prompted a change in plans.
Something did, so Oakland added to its stable of young outfielders by snapping up Ben Copeland from the Giants organization.
Copeland, who turns 25 on Dec. 17, batted a combined .276 with five homers, 46 RBIs and a .350 on-base percentage at Double-A Connecticut (103 games) and Triple-A Fresno (22 games) last season. If he doesn't spend all of 2009 on Oakland's Major League roster, he must be offered back to San Francisco.
A's director of player personnel Billy Owens, who has seen Copeland play at several levels, most recently in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, called Copeland "a poor man's David DeJesus."
"His numbers at Double-A [.261 average, five homers] weren't great, and that's probably why he was left unprotected," Owens said. "But he's a plus runner, he can play all three outfield positions, and he has the physicality to maybe stay in the Major Leagues."
The A's are set in left field with Matt Holliday and appear set on Ryan Sweeney in center, so barring a trade, Copeland, who stole 24 bases in 31 attempts last season, will be competing for a roster spot at Spring Training with, among others, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis and Chris Denorfia.
A left-handed hitter who hit .275 with a .367 on-base percentage for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, Copeland was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he won the Big East batting title as a junior.
He spent the 2007 season at Class A San Jose and batted .280 with seven homers, 50 RBIs and a .387 on-base percentage in 106 games.
In the Minor League phase of the Draft, the A's selected outfielder Yusuf Carter from the Cubs organization and right-hander Josue Selenes from the Yankees organization. Carter, 23, batted .233 with 13 homers, 40 RBIs and a .302 on-base percentage with Class A Dayton last season; Selenes, 23, went a combined 6-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 relief appearances for two Class A clubs in 2008.
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081211&content_id=3713431&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
Something did, so Oakland added to its stable of young outfielders by snapping up Ben Copeland from the Giants organization.
Copeland, who turns 25 on Dec. 17, batted a combined .276 with five homers, 46 RBIs and a .350 on-base percentage at Double-A Connecticut (103 games) and Triple-A Fresno (22 games) last season. If he doesn't spend all of 2009 on Oakland's Major League roster, he must be offered back to San Francisco.
A's director of player personnel Billy Owens, who has seen Copeland play at several levels, most recently in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, called Copeland "a poor man's David DeJesus."
"His numbers at Double-A [.261 average, five homers] weren't great, and that's probably why he was left unprotected," Owens said. "But he's a plus runner, he can play all three outfield positions, and he has the physicality to maybe stay in the Major Leagues."
The A's are set in left field with Matt Holliday and appear set on Ryan Sweeney in center, so barring a trade, Copeland, who stole 24 bases in 31 attempts last season, will be competing for a roster spot at Spring Training with, among others, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis and Chris Denorfia.
A left-handed hitter who hit .275 with a .367 on-base percentage for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, Copeland was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he won the Big East batting title as a junior.
He spent the 2007 season at Class A San Jose and batted .280 with seven homers, 50 RBIs and a .387 on-base percentage in 106 games.
In the Minor League phase of the Draft, the A's selected outfielder Yusuf Carter from the Cubs organization and right-hander Josue Selenes from the Yankees organization. Carter, 23, batted .233 with 13 homers, 40 RBIs and a .302 on-base percentage with Class A Dayton last season; Selenes, 23, went a combined 6-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 relief appearances for two Class A clubs in 2008.
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081211&content_id=3713431&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak