by Richard Douglas
The A's last season went from being projected at the bottom of the division, to winning it out. It was largely due to a farm system that produced 12 rookies that appeared on the ALDS roster. The farm system though was not so raided that its in poor shape. 5 players were acquired in trades in the top 30, along with 4 international signings. Because the A's have so much young talent amongst the big league club, they were able to draft a top high school prospect Russel Addison. In his first pro season he easily dominated the Rookie, Short Season and Low A levels, posting an OPS of 1.026 with 7 home runs, 16 stolen bases and 9 triples. Addison has an aggressive profile at the plate, leading him to chase pitches. That should change though as he matures. Having said that, he has excellent hand eye coordination to generate contact, resulting in just a 22% strike out rate in his premiere. Defensively, he has an above average arm that is accurate. He's athletic as well, especially since dropping 30 pounds before the draft. His spring was good for a currently low level prospect, OPSing over .600 with just 5 strike outs. He should progress through the system quickly.
Sonny Gray is entering his third year in the A's system, and is one of the highest ceiling pitchers down on the farm. He has a fastball that is generally clocked from the low to mid 90s, but can reach up to 97 when he needs to. His out pitch is an extremely variable curveball, that Gray can take anywhere from 76-84, and have it change its action. His changeup still needs work, but is an average pitch. He doesn't set up hitters well yet, so his strikeout rate is just at 6.2 K/9 for his career so far. He topped out at AA last year where he had control issues, leading to a 3.4 BB/9 and just a 3.83 FIP. He'll head back to AA this season to work on his control, and could possibly even make a jump to the majors if there are injuries.
Miles Head was drafted in the 26th round in 2009 out of High School. He came to Oakland in a trade with Boston, and has so far been extremely impressive. He posted a .416 wOBA last year at High A Stockton and AA Midland. His OPS sat at .962, but he was too aggressive at the plate, leading to a 27% strike out rate. He's shown good power, hitting 23 home runs and 32 doubles at his highest level. He has a quick compact swing, and he puts the barrel of the bat on the ball across the strike zone. With the Red Sox, he was moved over to first base from his natural third because of the concerns about his defensive range. However, the A's are giving him a chance to make it work at the hot corner. In his 10 at bats this spring, he sstruck out four times and got on base at just a ,091 clip, so he's got a bit of work to do.
Renato Nunez is another young prospect at third but at just 19. He was able to slug at a .550 rate last year in the Arizona League, and had a wOBA of .427. He's shown flashes of good defense, but needs to get mor consistent with his movements to cut out errors. AJ Cole started last season at high A, but his stuff was overmatched and so he returned to Low A. However, his fastball lives from the low 90s up to 97 with consistency He also has a slurve motion curveball, and has a nice changeup. He has a super high ceiling with his power pitching style.
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