Oakland takes high school outfielder at No. 6.

The A’s recently worked out Austin Beck at the Coliseum, and the high school outfielder from North Carolina had an extraordinary batting practice. His first swing, the ball easily cleared the left-field wall, and he hit many more baseballs to the stadium’s outer regions.

On Monday, the A’s selected Beck with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

“It was really great. I hit quite a few balls out of the yard,” said Beck, recalling his June 3 batting session that followed a Nationals-A’s game.

“It was amazing. I was so excited to hit at the Coliseum. I heard the ball flies there, so it was nice to get out there and take BP.”

Beck is from North Davidson High in Lexington, N.C, where he put up cartoonish numbers: .590 batting average, .700 onbase percentage, 12 homers, 38 RBIs.

In Beck’s final high school game, he homered three times. He committed to play at North Carolina, but a generous offer from the A’s — the suggested slot value is $5.3 million — should make pro ball an easy call.

“It’s always been my dream to get drafted really high and play for a spot on the 40-man roster,” said Beck, who’ll be represented in negotiations by Adam Rosenthal.

Several front-office executives witnessed Beck’s BP at the Coliseum, including Billy Beane and David Forst. Teams generally say they don’t draft for need because roster makeups can drastically change year to year, but let it be said the A’s are in desperate need of young outfielders.

A’s scouting director Eric Kubota said Beck’s Coliseum visit was “as impressive a high school workout as I’ve seen in the stadium. He hit in our stadium like big-leaguers hit in our stadium.”

Evidently, coming off left knee surgery wasn’t an issue. Beck tore his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus last spring, keeping him out of summer showcases. The A’s had him checked by their medical staff and are convinced Beck’s bat speed and foot speed remain intact.

“It was really tough,” the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder said of his injury. “I had to have my family and friends back me up and support me. I would definitely say I’m a better player. I appreciate the game a whole lot more.”

Beck said of his strengths, “My competitiveness would rank up there. Power and average. I really love to win.”

Center field is Beck’s preference because it can be more of a leadership position, and Kubota said the plan is to leave him in center.

The A’s made two other picks Monday. They used the 33rd pick in the competitive-balance round on speedy infielder Kevin Merrell of the University of South Florida and their second-round pick (43rd overall) on LSU outfielder Greg Deichmann.

The A’s also had the sixth overall pick last year and selected 6-foot-7 lefty A.J. Puk of Florida, who’s 4-4 with a 3.98 ERA and 1.123 WHIP at Class A Stockton. He has appeared in 13 games, including 10 starts.

Austin Beck’s Coliseum visit was “as impressive a high school workout as I’ve seen in the stadium. He hit in our stadium like big-leaguers hit in our stadium.” Eric Kubota, A’s scouting director