The A’s were considered to have snagged a few prospects this week, during the MLB Draft, and one of those snags was none other than Oakland native, RHP Tyson Ross.  The 6′5 right-hander was nice enough to chat with me about the draft, the A’s and more.

Jeremy Knight: Can you describe, or put into words, what it feels like to be drafted by your hometown A’s?

Tyson Ross: Being drafted by my hometown team is truly a dream come true.  The A’s are the team I grew up cheering for, I played little league just down the street from the Coliseum, went to countless games over the years, and now I have the opportunity to play for them.  Its every kids dream to grow up and play for their home team, and I am just lucky enough to have that dream become a reality.  

JK: The numbers look pretty good, but how would you say your season at Berkley went?

TR: This season at Cal went pretty well.  We had a really good team and were ranked in the top 25 for most of the season.  I had a minor injury early in the season that really set me back from being at 100% for a while.  My numbers this year weren’t as impressive as my past two seasons but I wasn’t at 100% for a while.  Overall we had a pretty good season and several of the draft eligible players are moving on to play at the next level.

JK: Some draft experts considered you to be the snag of the draft.  Keeping that in mind, do you think the 2nd round was a good round to be drafted in?

TR: I definitely think the 2nd round was a good place for me to go, mainly because I was picked by Oakland.  The A’s have one of the best farm systems as far as player development and opportunity to move up goes.  It looks like the A’s had several snags in the draft picking up 3 players from team USA (Petey Paramore, Brett Hunter and myself).  I am very pleased to be taken where I went and to the A’s.

JK: I read somewhere you hit the crap out of the ball as a hitter, yet you’re a pitcher.  Do you sometimes wish you could go back to bat?

TR: Yeah I used to swing it back in high school and actually went into college as a two-way player.  But a few weeks into my fr. year I decided to focus on developing as a pitcher and that has really worked out for me.  I still enjoy going out and hitting a little BP every now and then, but I know I belong on the bump.

JK: On average, how deep can you go in a game?

TR: My typical outing has been 7+ innings, but it all depends on how efficient I am with my pitches.  In the past when I would rack up a bunch of strikeouts I found that I had to be taken out of games not because I was struggling to be effective, but because I was throwing too many pitches.  This season I tried to force more contact early and try and use my defense and save my arm a little more.

JK: Obviously getting drafted by the A’s has to be pretty cool for you, so is it fair to say you’ll sign?

TR: Yes I am signing, I just can’t wait to get out there and start playing.

I really would like to thank Tyson so much for this interview, during a busy week for him.  Hopefully, he’ll be at the Nat next Tuesday.