Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the The 2024 Prospect Digest Handbook here.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
1. Luis Morales, RHP
| FB | SL | CH | Command | Overall |
| 65 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 55 |
Background: The A’s have never been shy about going after big time international free agents – if the timing is right. And last winter things aligned for the rebuilding, on-the-move club as they signed Cuban-import Luis Morales to a massive $3 million deal. Morales, who spent some time with Gallos de Sancti Spiritus in the Cuban National Series, made stops at four different levels during his debut last summer, going from the Dominican Summer League up to the Complex League for a couple games, then on to Stockton before spending a couple games with Lansing. Throughout his rapid ascension Morales totaled just 44.0 innings of work, posting an impressive 53-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio to go along with a 2.86 ERA and a 3.41 FIP. He averaged 10.1 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings.
Scouting Report: Mason Miller generates a lot of the attention for top pitching prospect within the organization. And it’s easy to see why. But make no mistake about it: Luis Morales’ ceiling is surprisingly high. Gifted with an explosively quick, fluid arm, Morales attacks hitters with fantastic three-pitch mix highlighted by a borderline plus-plus fastball. The Cuban’s heater sits in the 97- to 99-mph range with bare minimum effort. His slider, which will undoubtedly be called a curveball at some point, is a massive downward-tilting breaking ball with true swing-and-miss potential. And he’ll complement both offerings with a split-like changeup where the bottom falls out at the last minute. He combines the dominant repertoire with a solid – especially for his age – feel for the strike zone. It would take everything to click right for him to reach true #1 status, but there’s at least mid-rotation caliber value here, likely more. He’s going to be the one arm that pops in a big way in 2024 – as long as he can avoid any injuries.
Ceiling: 3.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
MLB ETA: 2025
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Max Muncy, SS
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 35/45 | 50/55 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Background: The 2021 first round featured a collection of high-end shortstops, particularly high-end high school shortstops. Of the 36 total selections in the opening round that June, eleven were shortstops, nine of whom were plucked out of prep schools. As such, Muncy was the 25th overall pick that summer (the eighth overall at the position and sixth high school shortstop). The toolsy infielder put a miserable – albeit abbreviated – debut in his rearview mirror with a solid, saber-slanted showing in 2022. Splitting time between Stockton and Lansing, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound youngster batted .229/.336/.422 with 28 doubles, three triples, 19 homeruns, and 19 stolen bases. Per Weighted Runs Created Plus, his overall production topped the league average mark by 1%. Last season, Muncy’s production – quietly – lurched forward in 2023. Returning to Lansing in the Midwest League, the Thousand Oaks High School product batted .255/.327/.385 in 72 games. And he continued to impress in his first taste of Double-A, the minors’ most challenging level, as he hit .302/.387/.446. Muncy finished the year with an aggregate .275/.353/.411 with 35 doubles, 10 homeruns, and 13 stolen bases. His production surpassed the league average mark by 11%.
Snippet from The 2023 Prospect Digest Handbook: The problem, however, is quite clear: will the former first rounder make enough consistent contact to take advantage of his well-rounded toolkit? In short: Yes, it’s just going to take time. Muncy shows a simple approach at the plate, short quick swing with good torque. And despite the gaudy strikeout rate hovering in the 30% range, he displayed promising ability to (A) lay off of offspeed pitches out of the zone and (B) adjust mid-pitch on secondary offerings.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
Since 2006, only two 20-year-old bats met the following criteria with one club in any Double-A league (min. 225 PA): 120 to 130 wRC+ with a 22% to 24% strikeout rate. Those two sticks: Jhonkensy Noel and Max Muncy.
After starting off the year slowly, Muncy, who batted .223/.304/.330 over his first 27 games, rebounded and slugged .289/.366/.433 over the remaining 96 contests. The most important development he made during that time is, quite frankly, a simple one: he stopped swinging and missing as much. He whiffed in 39% of his plate appearances during those 27 games and posted a K-rate of just 23.5% after that point. Muncy’s swing is so beautifully simple and quick and almost effortless. Combine that with above-average power potential, 55-grade speed with a glove to match, and he has the making of a very good big leaguer. He’s tracking like a .250/.320/.440 with 20 homeruns.
Ceiling: 2.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
MLB ETA: 2024
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Jacob Wilson, SS
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 55 | 30/35 | 40 | 45 | 55 | 50 |
Background: Jack Wilson was the type of player that often flew under the radar. He wasn’t a great hitter, per se, but he did have his moments. In 2004, at the age of 26, the former ninth round pick out of Oxnard College belted out 41 doubles, a NL-leading 12 triples, and 11 homeruns en route to winning his lone Silver Slugger Award (as well as earning his only All-Star appearance). Wilson would spend parts of 12 years at the game’s pinnacle level, leaving as a .265/.306/.366 career hitter – a well below-average mark considering the era. But he could pick it. And pick it well. So much so, in fact, that he would retire with more than 23 wins above replacement on his resume – at least per Baseball Reference’s version. Eleven years after Wilson hung up his proverbial spikes his son, Jacob, positioned himself as one of the top draft prospects in 2023. A product of Thousand Oaks High School, the younger Wilson turned in a rock solid debut collegiate season with the Grand Canyon Antelopes in 2021, batting .313/.376/.440 with 11 doubles, four triples, and a stolen base. After posting a similar slash line during his jaunt through the Northwoods League that summer (.302/.365/.417), Wilson returned to the Lopes as an impact bat during his sophomore campaign. He would mash .358/.418/.585 with 18 doubles, one triple, and 12 homeruns. Production that would earn him a trip to the vaunted Cape Cod League as well as a roster spot Team’s USA National squad, where he would face off against premium competition on a consistent basis. And Wilson quietly held his own as he hit .278/.381/.389 with one double and a dinger in 10 games with the Orleans Firebirds. But he turned in the second best offensive performance on the National Squad: .364/.462/.455 in six games. Last season, Wilson continued to raise the bar as he slugged .412/.461/.635 with 17 doubles, four triples, six homeruns, and a career-best eight stolen bases (in nine total attempts). Oakland made Wilson a bit of a surprise pick last July, nabbing him with the sixth overall pick and signing him to a deal worth $5.5 million. After a brief three-game stint in the Complex League, Wilson batted .318/.378/.455 in High-A.
Scouting Report: Pre-draft write-up:
“Consider the following:
Since 2011, there have been just eight instances in which a hitter in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) posted a .400 batting average and slug at least .600 in a season (min. 200 PA): Joey Ortiz, Tristan Peterson, Nick Gonzalez, Carlos Contreras, Tyler Davis, Joseph Redfield, Brandon Pimentel, and Jacob Wilson.
Despite the WAC never being confused for a power conference like the ACC or SEC, there are notable players among the group. Joey Ortiz, a fourth rounder out of New Mexico State, was a Top 100 prospect heading into the season. Nick Gonzales was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Built physically like his quick-twitchy, smooth fielding father – though Jacob’s a couple inches taller – the younger Wilson doesn’t project for much power – like his old man. But he possesses an above-average hit tool, a little bit of speed, and the ability to pick it at shortstop. Line drive swing. Elite bat-to-ball skills, as evidenced by his absurd 31-to-61 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his college career (including a 5-to-19 mark in 2023). He’s a grinder (like his dad), but unless the hit tool creeps in plus territory, he looks like a fringy starter. Low ceiling, high floor. Seems like an ideal candidate for Tampa Bay, Toronto, or the Braves.”
Ceiling: 2.0-win player
Risk: Low to Moderate
MLB ETA: 2024/2025
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Mason Miller, RHP
| FB | SL | CU | CH | Command | Overall |
| 70 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 55 |
Background: There are baseball schools rich with talent and history and, of course, colleges on the end of the spectrum, ones with nary a legitimate prospect in sight. And then there’s little Gardner-Webb University, a Division I school located in North Carolina that’s home to just 16 mid-summer draft picks since 1967, none of whom were taken before the third round. Gardner-Webb’s most recent third rounder, Mason Miller, landed at the school after four years at Waynesburg. But after a dominant showing in 2021, Oakland saw enough in the burly right-hander to select him with the 97th overall pick, eventually signing him to a deal worth an smidgeon less than $600,000. Miller would make half-a-dozen brief appearances in the Complex League and would miss all but the last several weeks in 2022 due to a scapula strain in his right shoulder. And, unfortunately for the former Bulldog, his 2023 campaign was pockmarked with another arm injury. Right forearm issues knocked him out of commission from early May to mid-August, but when he did toe a rubber he was remarkable. Making seven starts between Stockton, Midland, and Las Vegas, Miller posted a dominant 35-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a sparking 1.86 ERA in 19.1 innings of work. He made another 10 appearances with Oakland, six of them starts, throwing 33.1 innings while averaging 10.3 whiffs and 4.3 walks per nine innings. He finished his big league debut with a 3.78 ERA, a 3.47 FIP, and a 4.77 xFIP.
Scouting Report: Easily one of the best fastballs in the minor leagues – even though he was hardly active – Miller’s plus-plus heater comfortably, almost effortlessly, sits in the 98- to 99-mph range with some impressive life. He features a trio of solid or better offspeed weapons as well, headlined by an above-average mid-80s slider and a power, mid-90s cutter. His changeup, the least thrown of his four pitches, is solid enough that big league hitters can’t just sit on the hard stuff. Command-wise, Miller’s slightly below-average, but he doesn’t need to be perfect with his power arsenal either. The real question is whether he can stay healthy enough to consistently grab the ball every fifth day.
Ceiling: 3.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
MLB ETA: Debuted in 2023
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Denzel Clarke, OF
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 40 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 50 |
Background: Cousin to the Naylor brothers, Josh, Bo, and now fellow Oakland farmhand Myles, the A’s took a fourth round flyer on Clarke after a massive breakout campaign in 2021: he hit .324/.445/.570 with 11 doubles, eight homeruns, and 15 stolen bases in only 38 games with Cal State Northridge. The toolsy 6-foot-5, 220-pound outfielder turned in a solid overall campaign the following season, though his hit tool looked to be a major question during his 51-game stint in High-A. But after a solid rebound in the Arizona Fall League (.275/.370/.475), the front office sent Clarke up to the true testing ground of Double-A. And he quietly held his own. Appearing in just 64 games with Midland, the former Matador slugged .261/.381/.496 with 11 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, and 11 stolen bases. Per Weighted Runs Created Plus, his production topped the league average by 30%. Clarke last appeared in a game in late July courtesy of a left shoulder strain.
Snippet from The 2023 Prospect Digest Handbook: The knock on Clarke – like a lot of other A’s prospects – is whether he’s going to make enough contact to take full advantage of his raw ability. If he does make enough contact, the ceiling’s as high as any in the system. If he doesn’t, well, you know how it’ll turn out.
Scouting Report: Just for fun, here are Clarke’s numbers prorated for a full 162-game season: 28 doubles, 10 triples, 30 homeruns, and 28 stolen bases. Pretty impressive for a fourth rounder out of a small, non-traditional school. With respect to his work with Midland, consider the following:
Since 2006, only five 23-year-old sticks met the following criteria with one club in any Double-A league (min. 250 PA): 125 to 135 wRC+, a 29% to 32% strikeout rate, and a walk rate north of 11%. Those five bats: Will Benson, Zack Collins, Nick Gonzales, Jared Mitchell, and – of course – Denzel Clarke.
It’s not a coincident similarly performing bats in Double-A are tools-laden players, like Will Benson and Jared Mitchell. But it also points to questions with the bats. Clarke’s build and loud tools scream superstar. He possesses easy plus power and matching speed. But the question he’s going to continually face is whether he can make enough contact to take full advantage of his ability. But even as a low batting average, solid OBP, power / speed guy, Clarke figures to be a solid player at the big league level – especially for a club like the A’s who are currently ready to infuse a sagging record with young blood. His speed / route running improved enough last season where he plays a passable center field. He has the potential to be a Mike Cameron-esque type offensive player (read: not defender) with the ceiling as a .245/.330/.440 bat. There’s obvious risk with the bat.
Ceiling: 2.5-win player
Risk: High
MLB ETA: 2024
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Daniel Susac, C
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 55 | 45/50 | 35 | 50 | 45 | 50 |
Background: Throughout their history the Athletics have been leery of taking backstops in the opening round of the midsummer draft. In fact, the franchise selected just eight catchers in the first round since 1965. And surprisingly six of them spent time in the big leagues at some point. Susac’s on track to be the seventh. The 19th overall pick out of the University of Arizona two years ago, Susac turned in a solid debut later that summer, hitting .298/.354/.404 with eight doubles and a dinger in 27 games, all but two were spent in Stockton. Last summer, the front office sent their former first rounder straight up to High-A, but after batting .303/.373/.437 in 99 games, Susac spent the last few weeks battling the hurlers in Double-A. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound catcher slugged an aggregate .301/.365/.428 with 19 doubles, five triples, eight homeruns, and – surprisingly – a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases. As measured by Weighted Runs Created Plus, his overall production surpassed the league average mark by a surprising 21%.
Snippet from The 2023 Prospect Digest Handbook: Susac doesn’t figure to be a star at the big league level, he but should have no problem carving out a lengthy career as a better than average backstop.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
Since 2006, only two 22-year-old bats posted a wRC+ between 123 and 133 with an 8.5% to 10.5% walk rate, and 20% to 23% strikeout rate with one club in any High-A league (min. 350 PA): Mac Williamson, who used to play with Daniel’s brother, Andrew, in San Francisco, and – of course – Daniel Susac.
Susac is a grinder at the plate, often spoiling difficult to handle pitches in search of something he can put in play. He’s a hit over power guy with the potential to slug 12 to 15 homeruns in a full season. Defensively, he’s decent, but he’s never going to win a Gold Glove. In terms of big league ceiling, think: .27/.330/.410.
Ceiling: 2.0-win player
Risk: Moderate
MLB ETA: 2024
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Joe Boyle, RHP
| FB | CB | SL | Command | Overall |
| 80 | 60 | 70 | 30 | 50 |
Background: The Cincinnati Reds opened up their 2020 draft class with a tools-laden teenager, Austin Hendrick, and closed it out with a behemoth, erratic college hurler. Boyle, the 143rd overall player taken that summer, could miss bats – and the strike zone – with the best of them during his three-year tenure at Notre Dame, posting a career 57-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio in only 36.0 innings of work. And he continued to frustrate coaches and scouts, as well as the opposition, across two separate stints in the Cape Cod League: 19.0 IP, 39 punch outs, and a whopping 23 walks. Two years ago the 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander continued his ways as he moved through High-A and Double-A in the Reds’ organization; he averaged 13.7 strikeouts and a laughably impressive 7.5 free passes per nine innings. Last season, he split time with Double-A and Triple-A between Cincinnati’s and Oakland’s affiliates, fanning a whopping 168 hitters while issuing 93 walks in 117.1 innings of work. And despite all the free passes, Boyle somehow finished the season with a 3.84 ERA and a 4.17 FIP. He made three mostly dominant starts with the A’s at the end of the year, posting 15 punch outs and just five walks in 16 innings. Oakland acquired Boyle from the Reds at the trade deadline in exchange for veteran lefty Sam Moll and cash.
Scouting Report: I caught Boyle on one of his better starts in Triple-A at the end of the season and came away with one conclusion: he’s the most dominant minor league arm I saw all year. He’s that good – when he’s throwing strikes. It’s almost unfair how dominant his three-pitch repertoire can be when he’s hitting on all cylinders. Elite fastball velocity, especially from a starting pitcher, Boyle’s main offering sits in the 97- to 99-mph range and regularly touches 100, 101 mph. You don’t develop a slider like Boyle’s. It’s gifted to him by legends of the past. It could be the best secondary weapon in the entire minor leagues. It’s sharp with terrible bite and mostly unfair. He’ll also mix in a plus curveball with similar break. There’s a significant chance Boyle goes down as one of the game’s great “What ifs”. But he did throw strikes more frequently once he entered Oakland’s organization, walking 23 batters in 49.1 innings (4.19 BB/9). He’s Nuke LaLoosh personified.
Ceiling: 2.5-win player
Risk: High
MLB ETA: Debuted in 2023
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. Henry Bolte, OF
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 40 | 50/55 | 70 | 50 | 50/55 | 50 |
Background: The Athletics’ brass honed in on four-year collegiate prospects during their 2022 draft class, using 16 of their 21 selections on them. But their affinity for college players didn’t stop them for dipping into the high schools ranks when they selected Palo Alto outfielder Henry Bolte with the 56th overall pick, eventually handing the teenage phenom a hefty $2 million. The former University of Texas commit, though, was beyond miserable during his abbreviate stint in the Complex League that summer as he posted a near 50% swing-and-miss rate while batting .212/.333/.212 in 39 plate appearances. That alarming K-rate didn’t stop the front office from pushing their second round pick right up to full season action. And Bolte showed improvement across the board. In 112 games with the Stockton Ports, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound outfielder batted .257/.356/.421 with 17 doubles, five triples, 14 homeruns, and 32 stolen bases (in 41 total attempts). His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark 13%.
Snippet from The 2023 Prospect Digest Handbook: He’s just raw and the swing is too mechanical. Bolte looked fooled by offspeed pitches at various points during his senior season as well. He’s very reminiscent of a young Bradley Zimmer. Bolte looks like a mid-second round grade with some added risk due to the rawness of his toolkit. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a team like the Reds or Athletics take a flier on the talented young outfielder.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
Since 2006, only three 19-year-olds posted a 108 to 118 wRC+ with at least a 31% K-rate and a double-digit walk rate with one club in any Low-A league (min. 350 PA): Travis Demeritte, Wes Kath, and Henry Bolte.
Two years ago I had questions on whether Bolte could reliably square up offspeed offerings, something that was undoubtedly exposed during his horrific debut in the Complex League (as evidenced by his massive K-rate). Last season, particularly when I saw him, Bolte faced breaking ball after breaking ball after breaking and didn’t look nearly as vulnerable as he had in the past. His overall swing looked cleaner, less robotic as well. With that being said, Bolte still has some questions he’ll need to answer on whether the hit tool will allow him to take full advantage of his raw tools. He runs like the wind, but remains a work in progress in the outfield. Average power that has the potential to blossom into above-average, maybe borderline plus territory. Potential, potential, potential. He could be the best bat in the system or could flame out in Double-A.
Ceiling: 2.5-win player
Risk: High
MLB ETA: 2026
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Darell Hernaiz, IF
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 55 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 45 |
Background: The Oakland front office played it perfectly, first purchasing right-hander Cole Irvin from the Phillies at the end of January 2021. Up to that point the 27-year-old owned a career 6.75 ERA in the big leagues, but the A’s handed him a starting gig and he blossomed into a league average starter for them for two seasons. Nearly two years to the date the front office shipped Irvin and minor league hurler Kyle Virbitsky to the Orioles for infielder Darell Hernaiz. Taken in the fifth round out of Americas High School in El Paso, Texas in 2019, Hernaiz blitzed through three separate levels during his final season in the Orioles’ organization, going from Low-A to High-A and then settling in at Double-A for a couple weeks. Last season was much the same for the Puerto Rican infielder as he split the year between Midland and Las Vegas. He finished the year with a combined .321/.386/.456 slash line with a career best 32 doubles, four triples, nine homeruns, and 13 stolen bases. Per Weighted Runs Created Plus, his production surpassed the league average by 17%. Not bad for a 21-year-old in the upper minors.
Snippet from The 2023 Prospect Digest Handbook: Definitely a solid move by the front office brass.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
Since 2006, only two 21-year-old hitters posted a 92 to 102 wRC+ with a strikeout rate less than 12% with one club in any Triple-A league (min. 250 PA): Jose Peraza and Darell Hernaiz. Peraza spent parts of seven years in the big leagues as a solid utility / role player, by the way.
Hernaiz is a solid glove on either side of the keystone last season, which couples with his work at third base in past years as well. The former fifth rounder is an extreme bat-to-ball hitter, offsetting his below-average power with strong contact rates and consistently high batting averages. Besides the hit tool, there’s really nothing noteworthy about Hernaiz other than his quick move through the minors.
Ceiling: 1.0- to 1.5-win player
Risk: Low to Moderate
MLB ETA: 2024
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. Myles Naylor, SS
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 40/45 | 50 | 30 | 55 | 50 | 45 |
Background: A maybe not-so-surprising little fact: St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is home to three MLB draft picks, all of whom happened to directly related. Back in 2015, the Miami Marlins selected first baseman Josh Naylor with the 12th overall pick. Three years later the Guardians call Bo Naylor’s name in the opening round. Last summer the Oakland A’s grabbed their youngest brother, Myles, with the final pick in the opening round. While everyone knows the Josh and Bo are teamed up together in Cleveland, the youngest Naylor isn’t without family connections in the Oakland organization either. His cousin, Denzel Clarke, was drafted in the fourth round by the big league club three years ago. The youngest Naylor signed with Oakland for $2.2 million.
Scouting Report: Pre-draft write-up:
“Unsurprisingly, Naylor shows an advanced feel for the strike zone. Of course, having older brothers already in the big leagues is a help. Line drive-oriented swing, much like his brothers – though it can get long at times. Naylor projects for average power, maybe peaking in the 18- to 20-homerun territory. He shows a willingness to chase, particularly high in the zone. He seems like a bit of a reach as a first rounder.”
Ceiling: 1.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
MLB ETA: 2027
_______________________________________________________________________________________
All statistics were provided via the following website: Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, TheBaseballCube, BaseballProspectus, ClayDavenport.com, Baseball America, and X-user @mk237700 (for compiling Statcast Data)
