Organization ranking: 18
I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects of 2016. Below, I've ranked at least the top 10 A's prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note beyond the top 10. I also discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2016, prospects whose stock has taken a big hit in the past year and a sleeper prospect (or two) I think can jump into the main Top 100 list for 2017.
A few quick notes: 1) Just as in my other prospect files, I use the 20 to 80 grading scale when scouting these prospects; and 2) If the prospect is in the Top 100, clicking on his ranking will take you to the page his scouting profile is on.
Non-Insider subscribers: Check out the free Baltimore Orioles top-10 prospects report to see what these entail.
Top 10 prospects (Top 100 rank in parentheses)
1. Franklin Barreto, SS (22)
2. Sean Manaea, LHP (59)
3. Matt Chapman, 3B
4. Matt Olson, 1B
5. Richie Martin, SS
6. Chad Pinder, INF
7. Casey Meisner, LHP
8. Renato Nunez, 3B
9. Yairo Munoz, SS
10. Dillon Overton, LHP
Overview
Shrewd trades and some productive drafts have helped restock the system after the A's gutted it in their brief run of contention earlier this decade. However, they're probably one more good draft from getting to where they need to be to start resupplying the big league club.
Chapman has an 80-grade arm and could end up a 70 defender at third, with plus power; he just needs to hit enough to get to it, with .250 or so probably sufficient to make him an average to above-average regular. Olson still has the great plate discipline, but scouts seem skeptical that he'll hit enough or for enough power in the majors to be more than the next Jack Cust. Midland is a poor environment for left-handed pull power hitters, which likely explains at least part of his 20-homer drop from the previous season.
Martin was one of the best players in the Cape Cod league in the summer of 2014, then had an inconsistent spring on both sides of the ball for Florida. Oakland still took him in the first round and is trying to get him back to the swing he had the previous year. He was very young for a college junior and is athletic enough to be a plus defender if he can get more steady on the routine play. Pinder has played mostly shortstop in pro ball, but his glove profiles better at second or third. His best tool is his ability to hit, but he's too impatient to project as more than a regular at either of those positions. Getting Meisner for 20 innings of Tyler Clippard was a heist for Oakland. The projectable 6-foot-8 right-hander is already up to 94 mph with an above-average curveball and won't turn 21 until May. Meisner still has physical and mental growth ahead of him; as long as he stays healthy, he could be Chris Young with a better breaking ball, with a much higher ceiling if everything clicks.
Nunez has power and an idea at the plate, but his bat speed is a little short and he's probably not a third baseman in the long run. Munoz is a tools-laden upside play, still immature and lacking polish, but showing power, speed and the athleticism to stick at shortstop. Overton has recovered from Tommy John surgery, but has lost a half-grade on his fastball; he's now touching average and pitching often at 87-88 mph. He has the changeup, command and intelligence to be a fifth starter as is, but he's still looking for that extra gear to get back to a potential No. 3 or 4.
Right-hander Dakota Chalmers (11) has a reliever's delivery with two potentially plus pitches in a mid-90s fastball and spike curveball. If he develops some command, he could hang on as a starter. However, walking nearly a man per inning made for an auspicious pro debut. Raul Alcantara (12) had a lost season rehabbing from a knee injury, although when healthy -- he lost most of 2014 to Tommy John surgery -- he flashed mid-rotation starter upside. Daniel Mengden (13) was the other half of the return for Scott Kazmir, a very competitive right-handed starter who has average-ish stuff but pitches a bit above it. Shortstop Mikey White (14), Oakland's second-round pick in 2015, is probably a good utility player in the end but has solid enough instincts that he might sneak into second-division-regular status if he can stay at shortstop.
Lefty Zack Erwin (15) was the White Sox's fourth-round pick last June, coming to Oakland in the Brett Lawrie trade. Erwin is a 6-foot-5 starter who has been up to 95 mph but needs an average second pitch. The White Sox were working to raise his arm slot after signing him and the A's should continue that tack, as it would help Erwin get more depth on his curveball. Jaycob Brugman (16) has a good approach from the left side, with a short swing that doesn't use his lower half at all, so he makes a lot of contact without power. He can play center field in a pinch, but not as a regular, so he's probably a fourth outfielder who can help off the bench thanks to his on-base skills.
2016 impact
There likely will be a need for more starters in Oakland over the course of the season, given some of their starters' injury histories and inconsistency of others, which should give Manaea an opportunity in the first half of the season.
The fallen
Brett Graves seemed like good value in the third round in 2014, a starter who had had success at the University of Missouri and was up to 95 mph but posted a 5.36 ERA with terrible peripherals in the low-A Midwest League, a level he should have dominated.
Sleeper
If Munoz can play up to his tools, he has easy top-100 upside, a potential above-average shortstop who can hit for power and add some speed.