Oakland Athletics: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018

We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the Oakland Athletics!

Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Oakland Athletics.

This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.

The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!

Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.

System overview

Last year’s list

The Oakland Athletics have had to play on the margins of salary structure for many years, which often means a run at competitiveness, and then multiple seasons of building up the farm system again.

Multiple times the system has been very, very good, but it’s rarely, if ever, been quite this deep with raw talent. Now, should A’s fans expect to see a future Hudson/Zito/Mulder trio come out of this farm system or another Tejada/Chavez infield? No, that’s not realistic. However, there could be a handful of players in total that are even better than those mentioned, certainly with higher overall ceilings!

How the Oakland Athletics use this deep and talented system over the next few years will be very interesting to watch as there are a handful of players I considered for this list that will play enough at the big league level in 2018 to not be eligible for next year’s list. There are also players that are in their teens and 3-5 seasons away from the major leagues. Handled well, the A’s could be sitting on a system that will provide waves of talent for years to come.

Let’s take a look at that system….

Next: #9 and #10

8. Sean Murphy, C

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/10/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Stockton Ports, AA Midland RockHounds
2017 Stats: .250/.313/.410, 395 PA, 13 HR, 32/67 BB/K

Info: Considered one of the best catchers in a loaded college catching class in the 2016 draft, Murphy fell into the Oakland Athletics lap in the 3rd round, and they’ve enjoyed their luck ever since.

Murphy has hit just .246/.312/.393 as a pro thus far overall, but his defense has been at an elite level, and Murphy offers an impressive power swing that allowed him to belt 13 home runs in just 98 games this season.

His 2016 struggles were explained away due to a hamate injury, and his struggles in AA were likely due to some wear and tear overall, but once he got some rest under his legs, Murphy tore up the Arizona Fall League, hitting .309/.413/.368.

Murphy does have a solid eye at the plate with good zone recognition, and his big swing is able to be cut down to keep his strikeout numbers in check.

Offense isn’t going to be what pays the bills for Murphy, however. His double-plus arm, plus defense behind the plate, and highly-regarded handling of pitchers has him considered one of the top defensive backstops in all of the minor leagues.

After some injury issues to end 2017, Murphy needs to stay healthy for a full season in the minors, likely opening 2018 in AA again, but he could be challenging for the Oakland Athletics starting job as soon as 2019.

7. Sheldon Neuse, 3B/SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/10/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Hagerstown Suns, high-A Stockton Ports, AA Midland RockHounds
2017 Stats: .321/.382/.502, 490 PA, 16 HR, 14 SB, 40/112 BB/K

Info: Coming from the University of Oklahoma in 2016, many wondered if Neuse would be able to hold up defensively at shortstop and projected him to move to third base quickly as a professional due to a stocky lower half and plus arm strength.

After a rough go of things in his pro debut in the New York-Penn League, Neuse was ready for full season ball in 2017. He jumped up the ranks, splitting time between shortstop and third base nearly even, playing 61 games and third base and 51 and shortstop during the regular season across three levels and even playing 14 games at third and 4 games at short in the Arizona Fall League.

While Neuse jumped up three levels with impressive play on the season, it was his play in the Arizona Fall League that really turned heads

While Neuse jumped up three levels with impressive play on the season, it was his play in the Arizona Fall League that really turned heads. Neuse flashed his plus arm with impressive accuracy, and he also showed off his athleticism, making a few plays with range from the hot corner.

He was more notable with the stick in the AFL, hitting .314/.366/.570 with 7 doubles, 5 home runs, and showing impressive base running ability, in spite of not stealing any bases during the AFL. He did steal 14 during the regular season, however.

With his impressive instincts on the bases, plus arm, and power to all fields, Neuse could end up projecting in the outfield if the Oakland Athletics find themselves too full up on the infield, but his ability to handle both short and third could fare well down the line as an elite third baseman defensively as well.

Neuse should open the season in AA after finishing with just 18 games there in 2018, but he could bump up to the majors for a September call if AAA time goes well.

Next: #5 and #6

6. Jesus Luzardo, LHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/30/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Nationals, Arizona Rookie League Athletics, short-season A-ball Vermont Lake Monsters
2017 Stats: 12 G, 11 GS, 43 1/3 IP, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 2.9% BB, 28.1% K

Info: Luzardo was an elite talent coming into the 2016 draft, but Tommy John surgery in the summer of his senior season caused him to fall in the draft, where the Washington Nationals selected him in the 3rd round.

Luzardo had just gotten back onto the mound in 2017 when the Nationals traded him to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that sent relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to Washington.

Luzardo put up numbers that were certainly eye catching in his pro debut among three different teams, but what is most impressive is just how he did it.

Typically, when you see a pitcher work with an elite K/BB ratio like Luzardo, he is a guy with a middling fastball that lives on location of his array of pitches, not really on movement or velocity. Luzardo is the opposite. His easy delivery allows him to generate fastball velocity up to 97 MPH with excellent late life, and he has good command of a late-breaking curve that doesn’t tend to miss a ton of bats, but gets plenty of weak contact.

Luzardo’s best offspeed pitch is his change up, a pitch that Luzardo really didn’t use in high school and has developed as a pro, but I heard grades as high as 65-70 future value on the change from scouts who saw him this year, impressed by his ability to spot the change and the way the ball moves as it nears the plate.

His mid-rotation projection could become even more with more arm strength and perhaps a fourth pitch (or further dominance of his offspeed stuff), but Luzardo has shown to be a draft steal to this point. He should open in full-season ball this year and could move quickly.

5. Austin Beck, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/21/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Athletics
2017 Stats: .211/.293/.349, 174 PA, 2 HR, 7 SB, 17/51 BB/K

Info: One of the elite athletes in the 2017 draft, Beck drew a wide variety of scouting reports due to a number of scouts not seeing Beck in the summer before his senior year against top competition, so judging him when their only view was against local competition was difficult to truly gauge.

However, talent like Beck’s is hard to hide and certainly hard to ignore on the field. Beck ended up as the #6 overall selection of the Oakland Athletics.

talent like Beck’s is hard to hide and certainly hard to ignore on the field

Beck flashed his athleticism in his pro debut, playing center field, launching balls from the outfield defensively such that he tallied 5 assists in just 33 games in the outfield. That would be a full season pace of roughly 23 assists. For perspective, the most assists by any outfielder in the major leagues was 15.

Beck offers a double-plus arm along with plus defensive abilities in the outfield, but his real key is his booming bat. Beck has incredible raw power to pair with his plus speed as a well-rounded athlete. However, as his struggles in his pro debut showed, he has work to do in his pitch and zone recognition.

The Oakland Athletics will give him the chance to work on those skills in extended spring, most likely, and then he will likely be bumped straight to low-A.

Next: #3 and #4

4. Dustin Fowler, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/29/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, MLB New York Yankees
2017 Stats: Minors: .293/.329/.542, 313 PA, 13 HR, 13 SB, 15/63 BB/K

Info: Fowler was drafted out of Georgia high school in 2013 as a premium raw athlete by the Yankees, though worry that he would head to college caused him to fall to the 18th round.

The Yankees convinced Fowler to sign and have benefitted from his defense in center field in their system ever since. In his draft season and first season in 2014, Fowler did not provide a lot of consistency with his bat, but his glove was outstanding.

Fowler’s bat has caught up to his glove, giving him a legit shot at starting as a major league center fielder

Essentially from that point forward, Fowler’s bat has caught up to his glove, giving him a legit shot at starting as a major league center fielder. Fowler unleashed his speed in 2015, stealing 30 bases, and then also 7 more in the Arizona Fall League.

Then, Fowler exploded onto the scene in AA in 2016, hitting for a good average (.281), and also hitting 30 doubles, 15 triples, 12 home runs, and 25 stolen bases. He followed up with a similar line in 2017 in AAA before he was called up to the Yankees.

In his first game, Fowler was injured in a devastating collision as he slid to make a catch. In spite of that fact, the Oakland Athletics made him a part of the trade package they received for Sonny Gray.

Fowler will get a chance to compete for a starting outfield job in spring training, but his knee may not be completely ready quite yet. Once he’s 100% healthy, he has the ability to be a well rounded offensive player with elite defense that should play a good portion of his 2018 at the big league level.

3. Jorge Mateo, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/23/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Tampa Yankees, AA Trenton Thunder, AA Midland RockHounds
2017 Stats: .267/.322/.459, 584 PA, 12 HR, 52 SB, 40/144 BB/K

Info: Mateo’s calling card since being signed in 2012 out of the Dominican Republic has been his incredible speed, a true 80 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, one of only a handful in the game who truly earn that grade.

Mateo had seemingly hit a rut in the Florida State League in the Yankees system, stalling in his development defensively and on the basepaths, but when he was bumped up to AA in 2017, he made huge offensive gains in his whole package, including showing plenty of sting to his bat as well as wheels.

The long-term defensive home has always been in question with Mateo as his hands are not exactly smooth at shortstop, often due to his speed over running a play. He has a plus arm that would translate to any outfield position and the type of range that work at second base would be feasible as well.

His offensive ceiling has certainly taken a turn upward since getting to the upper minors as his power upside has begun to manifest. He will open 2018 in AAA and could spend time in the majors in 2018.

Next: #1 and #2

2. Franklin Barreto, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/27/1996 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Nashville Sounds, MLB Oakland Athletics
2017 Stats: Minors: .290/.339/.456, 510 PA, 15 HR, 15 SB, 27/141 BB/K; Majors: .197/.250/.352, 76 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, 5/33 BB/K

Info: While many in baseball consider the Josh Donaldson deal a massive one-sided trade in favor of Toronto, the Oakland Athletics have the chance to gain much more value out of the deal over the next half-decade as Donaldson enters free agency after 2018 and Barreto should begin to make his major league impact this season.

Barreto’s talent on the field has always been evident, as he’s been one of the more impressive athletes on any field he has played on, and he has a natural baseball acumen that plays well.

Barreto has shown that he may not have a long-term future at shortstop due to the inconsistency of his arm, even though he’s got more than enough arm strength for shortstop. In fact, many have mentioned center field as a possible alternative destination for Barreto due to his quality baseball instincts and plus speed.

On offense, Barreto brings a balanced tool set to the table. He has excellent present gap power with the upside to develop 15-25 home run power down the road along with speed enough that 20 steals per season shouldn’t be out of reach.

Barreto can get a bit loose with his swing and over-aggressive at times, and that was evident in his major league trial in 2017. If he can tighten up his approach, Barreto could be a long-term offensive asset at an up-the-middle defensive position.

1. A.J. Puk, LHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/25/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Stockton Ports, AA Midland RockHounds
2017 Stats: 27 G, 24 GS, 125 IP, 4.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 9% BB, 34.5% K

Info: One of two University of Florida starters from the upper Midwest (Logan Shore being the other) that the Oakland Athletics drafted in the 2016 draft, Puk was highly regarded entering his junior season with the Gators, with some outlets considering him as the top overall talent in the 2016 draft class.

A struggle with inconsistency his draft season dropped him from the sure-fire #1 overall selection to the 6th overall pick by the Oakland Athletics. He flashed both the brilliance and the inconsistency in his pro debut as he struck out 40 over 32 2/3 innings, but also had a wild streak that kept many scouts wary of what his final projection could be.

Puk can flash brillance on the mound that no other lefty in the minor leagues can match

That sort of issue was part of Puk’s 2017 as well. Puk can flash brillance on the mound that no other lefty in the minor leagues can match. However, he struggles in his length and unique arm angle to maintain consistency through his delivery.

Puk has worked with Oakland Athletics coaches to lessen the moving parts in his delivery, and that has led to more of a consistency in his delivery, and with more consistency there, his release point will be able to follow as he gets comfortable in his new delivery. Puk has received tremendous marks for his coachability throughout his pro career thus far.

Though he will start in the minor leagues, likely in AAA, Puk’s raw stuff and the lack of a player anywhere near Puk’s caliber ahead of him in the major league rotation should lead to Puk making at least a dozen major league starts this season.

Next: Newcomers to watch

2017 Acquisition: Nick Allen, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/8/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Athletics
2017 Stats: .254/.322/.326, 154 PA, 1 HR, 7 SB, 13/28 BB/K

Info: Allen was very highly regarded by nearly everyone pre-draft for his incredible glove work as a high school player, with many considering him as the best defensive shortstop in the entire draft.

The 5’9″ shortstop was drafted in the 3rd round by the Oakland Athletics, and while many felt he might be a difficult sign after the first day of the draft, he was willing to sign on with the A’s as he was able to stay near his native San Diego.

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Some worry about Allen’s ability to stick long term at shortstop, primarily due to his height, assuming he’ll need to move to second base. However, Allen has the instincts and range that he should be handle shortstop going forward, though he could be a premium defender at second base if he was moved.

Allen has more of a contact and speed approach offensively, but he does flash some power on top of the present gap power that he currently offers, and as he matures and develops his body physically, he could be a guy who hits 30+ doubles along with double digit home runs.

While his first exposure to pro pitching didn’t quite show Allen going gang busters offensively, he wasn’t overpowered, either, and those instincts on the field definitely held true.

Allen should be headed to full-season ball most likely to open 2018, though the Athletics may want to hold him in extended spring training before sending him to low-A.

Next: Parker retires due to injury

So that is the Oakland Athletics’ top 10 prospects for 2018. Who is too high? Too low? Missing entirely from the list? Comment below!!