As many of you may already know, Paly’s own B.J. Boyd (’12) was drafted in the 4th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Boyd, a dual-sport athlete, could add something that the A’s have been missing in recent years: talent.
Boyd’s sheer athletic ability has been put on display throughout his athletic career, whether it be the Division I Football State Championship or the CCS Open Division Finals for baseball, Boyd’s speed, strength and natural instinct have impressed scouts and spectators alike. Boyd has raw speed and power and he used those traits to his fullest advantage at Paly.
The Oakalnd A’s, currently the proud holder of last place in the AL West, have been writhing all season. The A’s have lacked pop all year and are currently 28th overall in runs scored, 30th in batting average, and 30th in slugging percentage. This distinct lack of offense has come at the surprise of no one. The A’s have a weak batting lineup, highlighted by such power hitters as Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick.
That’s exactly where Boyd will help out the A’s. Boyd brings unparalleled power to the plate and is able to utilize his speed to make an extra-base hit out of any well-hit ball. This could bring the A’s out of nearly dead-last in every batting category possible.
On the other hand, the A’s sport an impressive 3.57 ERA. Thus, one can assume that if the A’s could actually score a run or two, they could come out of the abyss of the AL West. In all honesty, this is probably true. Boyd can bring the pop and the runs, revitalizing a long dormant A’s roster.
It is very likely that Boyd will start with the Single A affiliate of the A’s, the Vermont Lake Monsters. Yes, you read that right, the Lake Monsters. While Boyd may not start off his career with a bang, Boyd has displayed a great deal of potential throughout his high school career and still clearly has a lot of room to grow as a player.
If Boyd can bring his monstrous abilities to the Lake Monsters, he can help turn around the A’s. As it is, the movie Moneyball has been the A’s greatest success all year, and when your programs greatest achievement all year was a B-list movie with an aging Brad Pitt, you know you need to turn things around. Boyd can help them do that come 2013.
