Ready for the next half of the list?
We made it folks. We are officially halfway through the Community Prospect List. We have named the Athletics’ top-10 prospects according to A’s fans and rounding out the top echelon of prospects in the organization is right-handed pitcher Steven Echavarria, the A’s 3rd-round pick from the 2023 MLB Draft.
The right-hander just finished his first professional season of baseball after spurring the University of Florida for a $3 million signing bonus from the A’s. That’s 1st-round money that the club committed to Echavarria so expectations are higher than usual for a 3rd-rounder. The club saw a lot of Echavarria as he stayed healthy all year en route to making 19 starts for Single-A Stockton. Unfortunately he got rocked to the tune of a disappointing 6.55 ERA at one of the lowest levels of the minor leagues. He certainly showed promise with his repertoire and possesses strikeout stuff but he also walked way, way, way too many batters, something scouts worried about when he was coming out of high school. On the plus side his FIP stood at a better 5.06 mark but that is still below average and leaves a lot to be desired.
2024 stats (A): 6.55 ERA, 57 2⁄3 IP, 59 K, 36 BB, 4 HR, 5.06 FIP
The team is surely glad that Echavarria stayed healthy in his first season but now the organization would like to see progress. Fans of the Athletics certainly aren’t down on the second-year righty after voting him among the top-10 prospects the club possesses. The A’s have been going after high schoolers recently in an attempt to get higher-upside players through the Draft and Echavarria could still be that, but much more down the line based off how his first season went. How he performs in his second full season will be something to look forward to for prospect watchers.
The next nominee is one of the newest names to the organization. A fellow 3rd-rounder like Echavarria, shortstop prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer just wiggled his way in to the nomination contest for the #11 prospect. Can the upcoming second-year middle infield prospect, known for his strong defense and contact-oriented approach at the plate, best his fellow draftee Tommy White, who the Athletics took a round before Kuroda-Grauer last year? Fans, it’s time to vote!
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
- Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
- If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
- If you wish to nominate a prospect for the next round, clearly comment, “Nomination: (player)” and fellow readers will upvote your comment.
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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:
1: Jacob Wilson, SS
2: Nick Kurtz, 1B
3. Luis Morales, RHP
4. Denzel Clarke, OF
5. Max Muncy, SS
6. Colby Thomas, OF
7. Mason Barnett, RHP
8. Jack Perkins, RHP
9. Henry Bolte, OF
10. Steven Echavarria
The voting continues now! Here’s a quick rundown on each one — the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline (last updated mid-2024).
Nominees on the current ballot:
Tommy White, 3B
Expected level: A+ | Age 21
2024 stats (A): 107 PA, .224/.303/.299, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 21 K, 0 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50
White generates huge right-handed power to all fields with strength, bat speed and an uncanny ability to barrel balls. Known more for his slugging, he’s underrated as a hitter who makes repeated contact with impressive exit velocities. Though he’s overly aggressive and regularly expands his strike zone, he rarely swings and misses.
As a well-below-average runner with average arm strength, White provides limited value on the bases and in the field. Mostly a DH as a freshman, he primarily played third base after that and likely will wind up at first base in pro ball. He lacks range and is erratic at the hot corner, though he earns praise for gritting through the 2023 season and filling a team need despite his bad shoulder.
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
Expected level: Triple-A | Age 24
2024 stats (AA): 2.84 ERA, 104 2⁄3 IP, 97 K, 27 BB, 12 HR, 4.02 FIP
2024 stats (AAA): 5.88 ERA, 26 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 5 HR, 5.91 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45
There was a thought that Hoglund came to the A’s with arguably the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the organization. Since then, he has yet to regain the fastball velocity that sat around 95-96 mph pre-surgery, topping out at 92-93 last season. His repertoire also includes a slider around 83-84 mph as his main secondary pitch, while his low-80s changeup and curveball provide different looks against hitters.
The A’s still have hope for Hoglund to develop into a quality Major League starter, mainly for his ability to consistently throw strikes. Entering his second year removed from Tommy John, the A’s will wait and see whether his velocity can get back to where it was, which could help accelerate his path this season.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP
Expected level: AA | Age 24
2024 stats (A): 1.67 ERA, 32 1⁄3 IP, 37 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 2.65 FIP
2024 stats (A+): 2.56 ERA, 31 2⁄3 IP, 29 K, 3 BB, 2 HR, 2.72 FIP
2024 stats (AA): 2.05 ERA, 22 IP, 18 K, 5 BB, 2 HR, 3.77 FIP
MLB Pipeline foolishly still doesn’t have Zhuang in its Top 30 prospects, so here’s the scouting report from Nathaniel Stoltz at Excessive Prospect Analysis, who ranked him 10th last season:
Zhuang is starting to get a bit of buzz this year, but as I’ve written and this ranking reinforces, I think he’s probably the most underrated prospect in the system (One could argue some of the unknown Rookie-level guys get that honor, but that’s semantics). He’s dominated when healthy, and fundamentally I start at the same place here as I did with Jack Perkins at 11: I’ve got a ton of confidence in Zhuang’s two primary offerings. In this case, that’s his carrying mid-90s fastball and his changeup/splitter/both/whatever you want to make of his offspeeds, which have been untouchable in A-ball and which he commands very well. He does a nice job balancing an aggressive approach–coming right at hitters with the heat–with all sorts of cunning, changing speeds and shapes on pitches in ways that can really hold up several times through the order.
Zhuang is only a few months shy of turning 24 and still in A-ball–due to injury layoff, certainly not performance–so he still has a lot to prove, even if I think he’ll prove it quickly. First and foremost, he’s got to prove he can stay healthy. Beyond that, there’s still the matter of his breaking stuff–particularly the harder breaking ball that keeps morphing between slider and cutter, and his extreme flyball tendency. But as I noted in the longform analysis, Zhuang’s two best pitches + command are tough for anyone in the system to equal. He looks the part of a solid midrotation starter and should be able to move up the remaining levels quickly if health allows.
Daniel Susac, C
Expected level: Double-A | Age 25
2024 stats (AA): 370 PA, .257/.300/.434, 19 doubles, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 16 BB, 96 K, 7 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
There is some athleticism to the 6-foot-4 Susac, who was a standout dual-threat quarterback in high school. His stylish swing comes with good bat-to-ball skills and an ability to drive the ball to all fields. There is some legit raw power that was touted as an amateur that the A’s hope to see emerge as he continues his transition to pro ball.
Susac’s defensive prowess was part of the package that made him such a highly ranked catcher in his Draft class. His overall catching skills, particularly his receiving, improved as his first full season went along. Lauded for his strong arm and natural leadership characteristics, he will look to continue his impact on both sides of the diamond as he progresses through the system.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS
Expected level: Double-A | Age 22
2024 stats (A,A+,AAA): 108 PA, .324/.421/.343, 2 doubles, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 12 BB, 9 K, 5 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Compact, strong and athletic, Kuroda-Grauer does a lot of things well from the right side of the plate. He almost never strikes out and seldom swings and misses, combining his contact skills with an advanced approach that points toward becoming at least an above-average hitter in the future. Utilizing an upright stance and a simple swing, he works counts and makes good swing decisions. There hasn’t been a ton of pop yet, but there is some belief he could grow into 15-homer power in the future.
While he’s not a burner, Kuroda-Grauer does run well and can steal some bases. Because of his above-average hands and actions to go along with a good internal clock, he has the chance to stick at shortstop, even though he has an arm that is just average. He could be a plus defender at second base should a move be necessary, but it’s those bat-to-ball attributes the A’s will be banking to carry him to the big leagues.
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