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.
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