Joshua Kuroda-Grauer started his skilled profession this previous summer season on the heels of a stellar junior season at Rutgers College. The 21-year-old shortstop from New Brunswick, New Jersey, was named Huge Ten Participant of the Yr after slashing a strong .428/.492/.590 with 5 house runs. Furthermore, he swiped 24 bases, had extra walks (23) than strikeouts (18), and performed properly defensively. The primary participant chosen on the second day of the beginner draft — he went seventy fifth total — Kuroda-Grauer is No. 12 on our just lately launched 2025 Athletics Prime Prospects record.
His professional debut was indicative of his skillset. Over 126 plate appearances throughout Low-A Stockton, Excessive-A Lansing, and briefly Triple-A Las Vegas, the right-handed-hitting center infielder slashed .324/.421/.343 with a 123 wRC+, and simply as he’d executed as a Scarlet Knight, he had extra free passes (12) than strikeouts (9). As our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen described in his writeup, “Kuroda-Grauer’s offensive profile is constructed round his superior bat-to-ball chops…. [he] is brief to the ball with common bat pace.”
Towards the top of the minor league season, Kuroda-Grauer mentioned his draft expertise, how he’s developed as a hitter, and the position mannequin mindset that was ingrained in him by his two moms.
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David Laurila: You have been drafted within the third spherical. What have been your expectations?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I used to be informed to anticipate something from the second to the fourth, so I fell type of the place I assumed I’d fall. I’m simply actually completely satisfied and lucky to be with the A’s group, particularly with the group of fellows that got here in.”
Laurila: Have been the A’s a shock, or have been they a workforce you knew was on you?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I undoubtedly knew they have been . After I went out to the mix in Phoenix, I had an important assembly with them. So I wasn’t too shocked, however a loopy factor concerning the draft is you can meet with nevertheless many groups, however then you definitely get picked up by one which by no means actually talked to you.”
Laurila: You hadn’t been drafted out of highschool, appropriate?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I had not. I actually wasn’t even recruited to play faculty ball, simply based mostly on the place I went to highschool. It wasn’t the largest sports activities college or sports activities city in Jersey. So, I didn’t actually discuss to anybody.”
Laurila: How did you progress from being an missed highschool participant to a man who put up the numbers you probably did in faculty?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I undoubtedly have to offer the credit score to our hitting coach [at Rutgers], Michael Garza. He actually helped me together with my swing, and simply understanding the sport of baseball. He helped me to change into a greater participant usually. The burden room, getting stronger, taking part in three years at that stage… I believe you naturally modify alongside the way in which. However once more, the teaching that I bought at Rutgers was superb.”
Laurila: What sort of changes did you make on the plate? As an example, if I checked out movie of your hitting as a freshman and in contrast it to at this time, would I see principally the identical setup, the identical swing?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I believe you’d see a a lot cleaner unhealthy path. The swing continues to be rhythmic, nonetheless flowy — that’s type of how I’ve all the time swung — however you’d see a extra polished swing from the mechanical facet. My finest attribute as a hitter might be my ball-to-ball expertise. I simply have an innate means to place the ball in play, and I believe cleansing up my bat path from freshman yr to junior yr actually helped me to make good line drive contact.
“I undoubtedly prefer to be a tablesetter for the massive boys within the lineup behind me, get them some RBIs. I need to be the man that scores 100 runs in a season. That’s what I see myself as.”
Laurila: The place are you by way of exit velocities?
Kuroda-Grauer: “My exit velocities have jumped, which is a testomony to the burden room and getting larger and stronger, in addition to cleansing up the mechanical stuff. I believe the best this yr is one thing like 109 or 110 [mph]. I do know I had rather a lot that have been 100-plus, and that’s the greatest factor for me, simply to remain on the barrel. Should you’re hitting the ball 100-plus each time you stand up to the plate, you’ve a great likelihood of getting a success.”
Laurila: Do it’s essential to improve your stroll charge [9.5% to go with a 7.1% strikeout rate in pro ball] with the intention to be a great tablesetter on the highest ranges?
Kuroda-Grauer: “I believe I’ve a great consciousness of the strike zone — I don’t chase rather a lot — however particularly in professional ball, that’s one thing that everybody, together with myself, must work on. The zone is the zone and also you don’t should go exterior of it. In faculty you would possibly get an enormous zone right here and there, however in professional ball, for probably the most half it’s a smaller zone. So, simply get your pitch to hit. If it’s not there, simply take it.”
Laurila: What about your defensive sport? How do you are feeling you profile there?
Kuroda-Grauer: “Shortstop, 100%. As a lot work as I’ve put into hitting, I’ve put in the identical quantity of labor, if no more, into my protection. I would like to have the ability to stick at shortstop all through my skilled profession. I’m all the time going to offer my offense the nod due to my contact charges — I believe I’ve all the time been a extremely good hitter — however I believe my protection is up there as properly.”
Laurila: Altering course a bit, I’ve heard that you’ve got robust management expertise. I assume that’s one thing you are taking satisfaction in.
Kuroda-Grauer: “Completely. One factor I heard coming into the draft was that skilled baseball is actual individualized, and probably not that workforce facet you get in faculty. So far as me being a frontrunner, what I need to do probably the most is win, whether or not that’s at an affiliate or, hopefully, someday with the massive league membership. That’s how I see myself as an individual, and as a participant. I believe that type of perspective, that want to only win, is infectious. Hopefully I’m in a position to carry a few of that management with me to skilled baseball.”
Laurila: I learn a story during which you spoke about your two moms and the way they raised you to be accepting of others. The piece then talked about the time you introduced meals to an unhoused lady exterior your lodge. You’re fairly the position mannequin. Is it essential to you that folks learn about issues like that?
Kuroda-Grauer: “Yeah. I believe that being a task mannequin is essential, particularly for the youth and the individuals in my city. I’ve had quite a lot of Little Leaguers from Franklin Township, the place I grew up, attain out and say they give the impression of being as much as me. That stuff means the world. And it’s not simply on the baseball discipline, it’s off the sphere. It’s academics-wise and simply being a great particular person total. That’s the way in which I used to be raised by each of my dad and mom, each of my moms, to do the suitable factor. Irrespective of who’s watching, even when nobody is watching, I attempt to do the suitable factor. I believe that’s going to take me far.”