A’s ink high-school star Nick Allen, LSU’s Deichmann
Oakland’s gamble of drafting a high-school player considered to be unsignable by many clubs paid off Saturday when the team officially agreed to terms with Nick Allen, a defensively gifted shortstop from San Diego.
“We evaluated Nick as a first-round talent and considered it a great opportunity to get him where we did,” scouting director Eric Kubota said.
The A’s also signed second-round pick Greg Deichmann, an All-American outfielder from LSU.
Deichmann started all 72 games for LSU this year, helping lead the Tigers to a College World Series berth.
Other signings announced Saturday: right-hander Brian Howard, an eighth-round pick from TCU, and left-hander Jared Poche (9th round, LSU).