Inside The As

The Last Six Players to Wear Oakland A's Jerseys

Jason Burke

May 29, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics helmets are stacked near the field before the game against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
May 29, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics helmets are stacked near the field before the game against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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While The Athletics have declared that they are now to be called "The Athletics" or maybe even just "The A's" since the 2024 season is officially in the rearview and they are headed to Sacramento for the 2025 campaign, there has been a group of players in the A's organization still wearing "Oakland" across their chests.

Out in the Arizona Fall League, there have been no new jerseys printed out for the guys in the organization to wear, so they have been rocking with the all-too-familiar "Oakland" grey jerseys when their team, the Mesa Solar Sox, plays on the road.

Tuesday, November 12 was their last road game, and thus, the final time that those Oakland jerseys will be worn.

The six players, left to right in the photo above, are Mitch Myers, Denzel Clarke, Javier Godard, Nick Kurtz, Drew Swift, and Jake Walkinshaw. Godard is actually Mesa's hitting coach, and served as the manager of the Stockton Ports in 2024. He spend his entire playing career in the minors with the A's in either the Dominican Summer League, or with the now defunct Vermont Lake Monsters.

Below is another angle, which was retweeted by Walkinshaw.

Waklinshaw also has the distiction of receiving the loss in that game, tossing 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits, four earned runs, walking one, and striking out six.

Denzel Clarke is ranked as the A's No. 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and has been impressing onlookers in the AFL with his speed and athleticism. He went 2-for-5 with a run scored while leading off for Mesa in this one. He's likely to see some time in Triple-A Las Vegas in the coming year, and could potentially push for a spot on the A's 26-man roster as the season progresses.

Another player that could be headed to Sacramento next year is Kurtz, who was the A's top pick (fourth overall) in this year's MLB Draft and is currently ranked as the team's No. 2 prospect behind last year's first selection, Jacob Wilson. Wilson also figures to be the Athletics' starting shortstop in 2025, so he will graduate from the prospect ranking before long, leaving that mantle to Kurtz.

Kurtz, a first baseman, went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer on Tuesday. He has done nothing but impress since he was drafted, and figures to move through the minors quickly in 2025. He'll presumably start the year in Double-A Midland, but could see his way to Vegas around the midway point of the campaign.

The A's franchise, at least on-the-field, appears to be headed in the right direction. Unfortunately for many that have grown up supporting this franchise, that direction is also leading them away from Oakland.

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Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum. 

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