A's in the 2024 Arizona Fall League

Jason Burke | Sep 29, 2024

Lugnuts' Henry Bolte prepares hid bat before the home opener against the Great Lakes Loons on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at Jackson Field in Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Fall League is about to start up, and the players that will be flocking to Arizona for the next six weeks have been unveiled. For the Oakland A's, they will have seven players, four pitchers and three position players. Here is a look at all seven.

Daniel Susac, C

Feb 16, 2024; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Daniel Susac looks on during a Spring Training workout at Hohokum stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Susac, 23, was the A's first-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, going No. 19 overall. After getting a taste of Double-A last season, playing in 13 games, Susac was able to get a bit more experience in Midland this season, playing in 88 games.

In those games, he batted .257 with a .300 OBP, 12 homers, seven stolen bases, and a .734 OPS. He missed some time throughout the course of the season, so the A's are looking to get him a few extra at-bats in the Fall League to get him ready for 2025.

Henry Bolte, OF

Lugnuts' Henry Bolte smiles after an out in the second inning on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, during the Crosstown Showdown against Michigan State at Jackson Field in Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Henry Bolte just turned 21 in August, and he is climbing fairly quickly up the organizational ladder. He was selected by the A's in the second round of the '22 Draft out of high school, and has also moved up the A's prospect rankings, currently sitting at No. 5 according to MLB Pipeline.

Bolte finished the year with 15 homers and 46 stolen bases in 123 games played, split between High-A Lansing and Double-A Midland. In 54 games with the RockHounds, he did strike out 38.8% of the time, which is a bit high. The A's will want to see him lower that rate a touch moving forward, and he'll get an opportunity to do so in the AFL.

Denzel Clarke, OF

Mar 15, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Canada outfielder Denzel Clarke against Mexico during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Denzel Clarke is another top prospect for the A's, ranked No. 10 by Pipeline. The 24-year-old is a superb athlete that is still putting things together, but he should be ready for a trip to Triple-A Las Vegas in 2025 after a second year in Midland this past season. In 116 games, Clarke hit .269 with a .339 OBP, 13 homers and 36 stolen bases.

The hope for Oakland is to continue to get him ABs since he took up baseball at age ten, but has plenty of tools to work with, including a big arm in the outfield and plus speed. He'll be in the outfield mix before long for the A's big-league club.

Tyler Baum, RHP

Stockton Ports' Tyler Baum takes the field at the start of the Ports' home opener against the Modesto Nuts at the Stockton Ballpark in downtown Stockton on Tuesday, April 12. 2022. 2022 Portsopener 067a / CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tyler Baum, 26, is another type of player that gets sent to Arizona this time of year, and those are the players that are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter. He's not one of the A's top-30 prospects on Pipeline, and he missed a little time during the regular season, racking up just 60 innings of work, mostly in Midland.

Baum was a second round selection by the A's in 2019, but with Covid wiping out the 2020 season, he didn't really get going until the 2022 campaign. After posting a 9.28 ERA across 10 2/3 innings with Vegas, the A's will likely be seeing what they truly have with Baum moving forward. Is he worth a 40-man spot? Is he a legitimate depth option in 2025? Or, could he be traded for another piece so that the A's get something in return for him ahead of the Rule 5 Draft where they could lose him for nothing.

For Baum, there are a lot of ways his off-season could end up going, and it all starts with how he does in Arizona.

Wander Guante, RHP

Wander Guante is in a similar situation to Baum in that he's Rule 5 eligible this winter. He pitched at three different levels, going from Lansing up to Vegas while holding a 5.24 ERA across 101 1/3 innings. He's primarily a slider/four-seam pitcher, but will also sprinkle in a sinker and a changeup. He sits 92-94 with the heater.

Guante held a 1.50 WHIP this season between the three levels, a 1.61 in Triple-A, and has held a 1.45 WHIP throughout his minor-league career, which could make it tricky to see him earning a spot on the 40-man. He could impress a team and become a trade piece, but it's most likely that he'll stick with the club at least until the Rule 5 Draft.

Mitch Myers, RHP

Mitch Myers, 25, was selected by the A's in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He made his pro debut in 2022, and has spent most of his time in the lower minors thus far, collecting a total of 3 1/3 innings with Vegas this year. While Myers will become Rule 5 eligible in December according to Roster Resource, he's unlikely to be selected given his lack of experience in the upper minors.

Myers is presumably in Arizona to get more experience, and perhaps face a higher degree of difficulty before reporting to Midland in 2025.

Jake Walkinshaw, RHP

Jake Walkinshaw is a 28-year-old righty that has been with the A's since they selected him in the 36th round of the 2019 Draft. He reached Triple-A in '22, posting a 3.44 ERA in just over 18 innings, but after 33 innings last season and 40 this year, he's looking to build back up and be a contributor for the A's in 2025.

The Arizona Fall League begins action on Monday, October 7 with the Mesa Solar Sox hosting the Surprise Saguaros.