A's Farm System Ranked Ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers

Jason Burke | Jan 1, 2025

Jul 19, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) walks towards the field before the start of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Athletics have been stuck in an extended rebuild, going 179-307 (.368) over the past three seasons, but reinforcements could be on the way. According to Bleacher Report's latest farm system rankings, the A's have the No. 7 farm system in all of baseball, one spot ahead of the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers.

The way they figure it, the A's top five prospects are all "Tier 1" players, followed by two in tier two, and three in tier three. Only the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners have more tier one players, and both clubs are ranked ahead of the A's at No. 4 and No. 1.

The way they break down the prospects is like this: Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz, Luis Morales, Colby Thomas, and Henry Bolte are tier one guys, and the top five prospects in the Athletics' system. Max Muncy and Tommy White are in tier two, ranking sixth and seventh, while Mason Barnett, Denzel Clarke, and Jack Perkins are in tier three and round out the top ten.

Here is how they sort the tiers: "Tier 1: Prospects who have elite skill sets and All-Star potential. This is the cream of the prospect crop. These players make up B/R's Top 100 prospect list this offseason.

"Tier 2: Prospects who have a good chance of becoming impact contributors. These are the players who were in consideration for spots on B/R's Top 100 prospect list and could end up there in the future.

"Tier 3: Prospects who profile as fringe MLB contributors or young players who are still too raw to project any higher. This tier represents the bulk of prospects around baseball, though more than a few could climb to the next tier."

The A's are expected to begin the 2025 MLB season with Jacob Wilson as their everyday shortstop, and once he graduates from prospect status, he'll be removed from the list, which will hurt the team farm system ranking.

On the flip side, he'll be in the big leagues, and the front office is hoping that he'll be showing off some of the impressive tools that made him the team's No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Colby Thomas is another guy that could make his debut in 2025, most likely in the second half, after having a bit of a breakout in the upper minors in 2024. In 59 games in Double-A Midland, the righty bat hit .282 with a .340 OBP and 14 home runs, good for a 148 wRC+ (100 is league average). 14 homers in 59 games is solid production.

He followed that up with 73 games in Triple-A Las Vegas, batting .272 with a .344 on-base and 17 homers. That added up to a 117 wRC+. Overall, in 513 at-bats between the two levels, he batted .277 with a .342 OBP, 31 homers, 92 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. 12 of those swipes came in Midland.

The one thing currently holding him back was his high strikeout rate in Vegas, which sat at 30.3%, compared to just 18% in Midland. If he comes into 2025 and exhibits the same power stroke with fewer K's, then he could be on a flight to Sacramento fairly soon. Though, how quickly may depend upon what other moves the A's make the rest of the offseason.

As things currently stand, he'll have to fight through a platoon in left field consisting of Seth Brown and Miguel Andujar, as well as potential bench outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who offers speed in late-game situations. The A's may be patient with him to begin the year, but he should join Wilson in West Sacramento at some point this season.

Max Muncy, Denzel Clarke, and Mason Barnett are all also potential options for the team as the season goes on. Muncy will presumably be taking reps at third base to get him ready for 2025, while Clarke is a solid outfielder with plenty of tools, and Barnett was a huge addition to the system after coming over in the Lucas Erceg deal with the Kansas City Royals. The 24-year-old righty posted a 2.61 ERA across seven starts with Midland in 41 1/3 innings, complete with an impressive 1.09 WHIP.

The A's farm system ranking may not be in the top-10 for very long, but hopefully that means that the team in the big leagues will be thriving sooner rather than later.