Time for another vote!
After a short break we at Athletics Nation continue our Community Prospect List. The winner from the last vote and occupying the 20th spot on the list is shortstop Ayden Johnson.
The 17-year old shortstop out of the Bahamas only just joined the organization in January, signing on the 20th as a free agent. His calling card is his hit tool, as well as major-league power already at such a young age. That combination should help the young infielder to rise the ranks fairly quickly. There is a question of if he will stick at shortstop but the club is going to give him every chance to handle the position as he rises through the minor leagues. How he does against professional pitching will be something to keep an eye on in the early portion of the season.
Taking Johnson’s spot on the nominee list will be right-handed pitcher Kade Morris. The former 3rd round pick came over to the Athletics’ organization in the deal that sent former All-Star starter Paul Blackburn back to New York. Morris profiles as a back-end starter if everything breaks right but he’ll need to get more consistent with his arm slot.
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, RHP
11. Tommy White, 3B
12. JT Ginn, RHP
13. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
14. Gage Jump, LHP
15. Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP
16. Daniel Susac, C
17. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS
18. Brady Basso, LHP
19. Grant Holman, RHP
20: Ayden Johnson, SS
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:
Will Johnston, LHP
Expected level: Double-A | Age 25
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 3.88 ERA, 99 2⁄3 IP, 137 K, 40 BB, 8 HR, 3.09 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
Johnston appears to have a much better feel for his three-pitch mix than he did in college. His fastball velocity typically varies from 89-94 mph and can touch up to 96. His split-changeup flashes plus as it continues developing as a true out pitch. His low-80s slider is improving but still a work in progress as it sometimes gives off the look of a slurvy-type offering.
Big-bodied at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Johnston has the size and arsenal to stay in a starting role, something that may have seemed like a long shot before he was drafted. His strike-throwing ability has clearly improved as a professional, which helped him quickly rise through multiple levels last season. Maintaining that control along with tightening up the breaking ball as a solid third pitch will be the keys to developing into a possible back-end rotation piece, with a floor of a multi-inning lefty reliever out of the bullpen.
Myles Naylor, 3B
Expected level: A+ | Age 19
2024 stats (A): 132 PA, .208/.280/.375, 2 doubles, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 11 BB, 52 K, 2 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45
Naylor is a little less polished with the bat than Josh and Bo when they were drafted, though the A’s like what they have seen so far, raving about his legitimate power they hope to see show up in games soon. His bat speed is impressive with smooth extension and follow-through. Like most young hitters, there is some swing-and-miss, and his struggles with breaking stuff crept up at times while playing with Stockton as he struck out 52 times in 132 plate appearances.
Naylor’s average speed is likely to slow down as he matures and grows into his body. He was a shortstop in high school and played there for all but one game with Stockton, but an eventual move to third base is likely to come at some point, which should be fine given his hands and strong arm.
Rodney Green, OF
Expected level: A | Age 21
2024 stats (A): 108 PA, .289/.368/.464, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 30 K, 9 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40
Green possesses an exciting power-speed combination, but enthusiasm is dampened by his propensity to swing-and-miss. There’s a ton of raw pop for him to tap into, and while he started turning on pitches and hitting balls out to his pull side as a sophomore, the left-handed hitter might be at his best when he lets the ball travel and he drives it the opposite way, something he did last fall. There was hope that was a sign of an improved hit tool, but his strikeout rate hovered around 28 percent in 2024. His unorthodox mechanics at the plate — he doesn’t use his lower half – have continued to hamper him.
Green is an easily plus runner, the kind of long strider who is even better underway. That helps him cover a lot of ground and could give him a chance to play center field, though some scouts think he might be better suited to left, and he’s worked hard to build his arm strength from well below average in high school to average now. There’s still a lot of ceiling here, but the lack of consistent contact will be a hurdle to overcome.
Kade Morris, RHP
Expected level: Triple-A | Age 22
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 4.50 ERA, 136 IP, 121 K, 45 BB, 15 HR, 4.49 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
Morris runs up his four-seam fastball to about 95-96 mph and also throws a sinker with good arm-side run in the 92-95 range. His mid-80s slider has developed into an above-average secondary offering. His mid-70s curveball provides a good variation of pitch speeds, though he is still working to make it a more consistent pitch, along with his improving upper-80s changeup.
Morris is athletic with his 6-foot-3 frame. His competitive drive stands out whenever he takes the mound. Discovering the right arm slot that allows for the most consistency is the next big step in his development. How that pans out as he moves through the system will likely determine his long-term role, though he profiles as a back-end starter given his overall pitch mix and solid control.
Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP
Expected level: Rookie | Age 18
Signed out of Japan on January 15th
Morii is a two-way player who attended a small school in Japan and played most of his teenage career away from the tutelage of NPB academies, emerging late in his high school career as a projected first-round pick had he entered the NPB draft. His bonus, which comes out of the A’s 2025 international pool, is believed to be the largest ever for a Japanese player who did not play in NPB.
A left-handed hitter, Morii said he has been a two-way player since he was 8. He hit 45 home runs in three seasons while also pitching at Tokyo’s TOHO Junior and Senior High School. He will start at the lowest minor league level in Mesa, Arizona, with the Arizona Complex League Athletics.
While the majority of international scouts have higher belief in Morii’s long-term offensive prowess, the tantalizing upside on the hill is undeniable. In addition to the attributes that pop, Morii excites evaluators due to his relatively light usage on the mound. He’s only been pitching with regularity for around the past 18 months, giving him something of a fresh arm as he enters the organization.
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