Miguel Olivo -- By Robert Sherry

Miguel was signed as a Free agent by the A's in 1996 out of the Dominican Republic. At 6 foot 1, and about 180 pounds, this righthander is overshadowed by the likes of Ramon Hernandez and A.J. Hinch in the Oakland system. No matter,I feel that Miguel was the top catching prospect in the California League during 1999 while playing for Modesto. The question regarding him was his ability to hit. Well, for the second consecutive season, Miguel hit over .300. His final stats at Modesto in 1999 were: .305 in 243 AB's, 74 runs scored, 13 doubles, 6 triples, 9 HR's, 42 RBI, 4 steals, 21 BB's, 60 K's.

In 1998, Olivo hit .311 while playing for the Athletics Rookie league team. In his 164 AB's, Miguel had 2 HR's, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 23 RBI, 30 runs scored, 8 BB's, 43 K's, and 2 steals in the Arizona League. He needs to continue to work on improving his selection at the plate.

Whats going to eventually get Olivo to the majors is his Ivan Rodriguez-type arm he possess along with his overall defensive ability at blocking balls in the dirt, framing pitches, etc. Once, a throw of his was clocked at 90 MPH to 2nd base, pretty impressive without a windup.