Wednesday night, the Oakland A’s scooped up Turlock High School catcher Tyler Soderstrom, son of former big leaguer Steve Soderstrom, with the 26th overall pick — straying from their recent trend of selecting established college players in the first round.
On Thursday, Oakland pivoted back on trend and to a farm need, selecting with the 58th overall pick Michigan right-handed pitcher Jeff Criswell.
Criswell was primarily a starter with the Wolverines, but pitched key innings in relief during Michigan’s College World Series run in 2019. In two appearances against Texas Tech in Omaha, Criswell recorded two saves in five scoreless innings.