2025 Prospects: Sacramento Athletics Top Prospects

• 
• 1.
• Nick Kurtz
• Pos: 1B
• Born: 2003-03-12
• B: Left
• T: Left
• H: 6′ 5″
• W: 240 lbs.
• History: Drafted fourth overall in the 2024 draft, Wake Forest University; signed for $7 million.
• Previous Rank: NR
• Major League ETA: 2026

The Report: Kurtz spent three years in the ACC utterly destroying baseballs, hitting his way to a top-five selection in last summer’s draft. It’s hard to nitpick the performance, he does everything well at the plate. He continued to hit the ball hard with wood after the draft and make a lot of contact for the power he generates, while not expanding the zone much at all. Kurtz has a compact, torquey swing for his size, but he is not a sell-out, lift-and-pull guy. While trying to elevate and celebrate might help him tap into a tad more over-the-fence power, he’s a good enough hitter it shouldn’t matter if he’s averaging a 12 degree launch angle instead of 18. He also has struggled some against better velocity, which he still won’t see a ton of until the upper minors, but Kurtz has a very well-rounded offensive skill set which should settle into something like plus hit, plus power, and plenty of OBP. Now Kurtz is first-base-only and merely “fine” there, so he will need to hit a lot, but he has yet to find a level where there isn’t a one in front of the decimal point in his OPS. So it’s fair to be confident he’ll cross the “a lot” line. If you want to nitpick a bit more though, we’ve said that about a lot of high pick college corner bats lately, and most haven’t hit that plus outcome. You really do have to hit a lot.

OFP: 60 / Plus first baseman
Variance: Medium. Kurtz had a not insignificant shoulder injury in the spring in the midst of a rough first half for the Demon Deacons. Everything popped after that, but the shoulder is something to keep an eye on given how bat speed/power dependent the profile is. But health permitting he should be an everyday first sacker in short order. This combination of contact, swing decisions, and pop, even in a short pro sample, just isn’t that common.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 52
• Potential Earnings: $15-20
• Fantasy Overview: At his best, Kurtz taps into all of his plus power in games with solid contact skills and a patient approach. Some struggles against high velocity and a borderline passive approach create some three-true-outcomes risk. Kurtz has the upside to develop into a .275/30+ bat with a boost in OBP formats
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Anthony Rizzo

• 
• 2.
• Jacob Wilson
• Pos: SS
• Born: 2002-03-30
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 2″
• W: 190 lbs.
• History: Drafted sixth overall in 2023 draft, Grand Canyon University; signed for $5.5 million.
• Previous Rank: #5 (org)
• Major League ETA: Debuted in 2024

The Report: It was a tale of two halves for Wilson, who had about as good a first half in the minors as you could. Despite getting jumped straight to Double-A for his first full pro season, he hit .455 for a month, before cooling off to .396 in the desert of Las Vegas. At his Triple-A stop he ran a 99% in-zone contact rate while adding a bit of gap power to his game. By the time Wilson was called up to the big club shortly after the All-Star Break, I declared my college write-up on him was “about as much as I’ve undershot a prospect while being correct about the general skill set.”  He promptly got a hit in his first at-bat—a single, naturally—and then strained his hamstring rounding third base. Wilson made it back to the Athletics lineup about six weeks later and from there on out…well I may have been right before I was wrong. He still demonstrated elite bat-to-ball skills, but the impact was dulled by better stuff and an overly expansive approach. Chase has always been an issue for Wilson going back to college, and he simply can make more contact than he should, leading to rolled over ground balls or medium flyners.

Also concerning is that every defensive metric graded him out at below-average at shortstop. I never thought Wilson would be a gold glover there, but at least a solid, workmanlike 55 at the six—which would provide a floor for his on-field value even when the grounders weren’t finding holes. It’s a small sample—and these are all small samples—but it’s something to keep an eye on. On balance, Wilson is a better prospect now than he was a year ago—you can’t just handwave how fast he got to the majors—but conversely he hasn’t actually assuaged as many of the offensive risks as you’d like.

OFP: 55 / Above-average shortstop
Variance: Medium. Wilson will be penciled in at shortstop for the 2025 Athletics, and we’ll get a longer, hopefully healthier look at what he can do against major-league stuff. If he reins in the chase even a little that might help buoy the overall hit tool back to plus, but he’s a fairly safe bet to be at least an average major-leaguer, assuming the defensive dip is merely a blip.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 39
• Potential Earnings: $5-10
• Fantasy Overview: Wilson is the extreme version of the empty-average infielder in which he basically never whiffs but also rarely impacts the ball and offers little to no speed. How you feel about Luis Arraez likely will apply in equal measure to Wilson. He is a high-probability fantasy-relevant performer but with limited ceiling.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Mark Loretta

• 
• 3.
• Luis Morales
• Pos: RHP
• Born: 2002-09-24
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 3″
• W: 190 lbs.
• History: igned January 2023 out of Cuba for $3 million.
• Previous Rank: #4 (org)
• Major League ETA: 2026

The Report: The A‘s slowly stretched out Morales in 2024, and while you may have only gotten to see him in small doses, the stuff was certainly big. His fastball was routinely up to 99 and sat mid-to-upper 90s and when his delivery is on line, he just plays catch at the top of the zone. He pairs the plus-plus heater with two different breaking ball looks: a low-80s curve with more depth, and a mid-to-upper-80s slider that’s more of a power slurve. I suspect the slider ends up better long term—assuming it gets fully teased out—but one way or the other, there’s a good shot at a plus breaker to back the 7 fastball.

Okay, now let’s circle back to “when his delivery is on line.” Morales has a pretty easy tempo up to when he starts driving forward, but then he accelerates everything late to generate his near-triple-digit velocity. That can lead to non-competitive fastballs and breaking balls pulled to the glove side as he wrenches his release across his body. In addition to the more than intermittent glove-side command issues, Morales doesn’t really hold the top end velocity deeper in even his 3-4 inning outings, settling more around 95 as the game goes on. He does have a changeup and while there is easily 10+ mph of separation on it from the fastball, it’s still very firm with a bit of an arm-side wrinkle to it when it isn’t pulled into the dirt. If this all sounds like a late-inning reliever to you, well, you are probably right, but there is probably some value in keeping the 21-year-old stretched out for at least another year to see if there is further growth in his command and stamina in Double-A. Because this stuff is big if he can stay a starter.

OFP: 55 / no. 3/4 starter but more likely a good eighth inning guy or second-division closer.
Variance: High. If this all sounds like a late-inning reliever to you, well, you are probably right.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 105
• Potential Earnings: $10-15
• Fantasy Overview: Morales tantalizes with an electric fastball and devastating slider. Yet, he has relief markers with delivery and command inconsistencies and trouble maintaining velocity deep in starts. Regardless, Morales has fantasy upside, either as a volatile, high-strikeout starter or a lights-out reliever.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Late-career Charlie Morton

• 
• 4.
• Denzel Clarke
• Pos: OF
• Born: 2000-05-01
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 4″
• W: 220 lbs.
• History: Drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, Cal State Northridge; signed for $700,000.
• Previous Rank: #1 (org), #99 (Top 101)
• Major League ETA: Late 2025/Early 2026

The Report: Despite big tools, Clarke has struggled to stay on the field as a pro due to recurrent shoulder injuries. He got a full-season in the Texas League under his belt in 2024, and after a cool start, showed off more of the plus-power/plus-speed combo that snuck him on the back of last year’s Top 101. The power is still very much present, although Clarke’s somewhat complicated setup and swing path—he starts with the bat pointed behind him, flicks it up, and then wraps a little anyway—means he’s not always getting the most out of his bat speed and strength. He can end up late on pitches you’d prefer he turn around to the left field bleachers, that are instead hard, inside-out line drives. There will be swing-and-miss issues as well, so you’d like to see a bit more game power to offset what will be a below-average hit tool overall. Clarke was much better after a slow start to 2024, slashing .307/.374/.510 after June 1st, but that run came after he’d already logged 120 games at the level as a 24-year-old. Parsing out how much of that was “figuring out the level” versus “my shoulder isn’t bothering me anymore” can be a maddening hindsight exercise, but the offensive projection is going to remain very high-variance regardless. The defense is good in center field as Clarke runs well and just cruises from gap to gap flagging down fly balls, so if he can even manage enough pop to buoy a major-league line to in range of average, he should have a very nice career.

OFP: 55 / Above-average center fielder
Variance: High. Injuries have meant Clarke has been old for his level the last couple seasons, and he hasn’t dominated Double-A as much as you’d hope. Still there is clear everyday upside in the profile if he even hits .230 or so.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 221
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview:.Clarke has intriguing power-speed potential clouded by a below-average hit tool. His glove and tools should provide opportunities, however. If it clicks, Clarke has as much fantasy upside as anyone in this system.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Drew Stubbs

• 
• 5.
• Max Muncy
• Pos: SS
• Born: 2002-08-25
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 0″
• W: 180 lbs.
• History: Drafted in the first round of the 2021 draft, Thousand Oaks HS (Thousand Oaks, CA); signed for $2.85 million.
• Previous Rank: #2 (org)
• Major League ETA: 2025

The Report: Another Athletics prospect who’s dealt with a recent injury bug, Muncy was limited to just 58 games in 2024 due to a hand injury. Even in an abbreviated season though, he managed to establish himself as a potential 2025 infield option for the A’s. As a player he is pretty close to the polar opposite of his Dodgers dopplegänger—although they may end up playing mostly the same positions—with an aggressive, up-the-middle-oriented approach and a very average offensive skill set. Muncy’s 2024 power spike was certainly environmentally-aided, but he’s gotten stronger in the pros, and projects for average power now. Something like .260 and 17 home runs isn’t all that exciting, but it’s a nice little player when you are an average defender at short to boot. Muncy may not end up playing shortstop in deference to Jacob Wilson’s glove however, and he’s a bit of a tweener at second or third unless he finds another half grade of hit or power in the bigs. He’s very likely to be a big leaguer though, and while nothing here will wow you, there’s still a shot it adds up to an above-average regular somewhere on the dirt.

OFP: 50 / Average infielder
Variance: Medium. Muncy is very close to major league impact, but also can’t really give back any of his hit and power gains in the bigs and still be anything more than a fringe regular.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 322
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview: A very average offensive skill set that receives regular MLB playing time is often a fantasy-relevant player, especially at shortstop. Something like .260 and 17 home runs isn’t all that exciting, but it’s a nice little [fantasy] player.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Orlando Arcia

• 
• 6.
• Steven Echavarria
• Pos: RHP
• Born: 2005-08-06
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 1″
• W: 180 lbs.
• History: Drafted 72nd overall in the 2023 draft, Millburn HS (Millburn, NJ); signed for $3 million.
• Previous Rank: #7 (org)
• Major League ETA: 2027/2028

The Report: You’d expect some growing pains from a third-round, young-for-his-class, cold-weather prep arm, and Echavarria’s 2024 campaign certainly qualifies. The North Jersey righty held a good bit of his draft year velocity gains, although he sits more in an average velocity band given his age and handedness. He does have plus arm speed and absolutely rips it though his arm stroke, which gives him a bit of added carry but can lead to an inconsistent release point and downright scattershot control. The fastball is mostly there to set up Echavarria’s breaking ball: a hard, two-plane slider that is absolutely too much for Cal League hitters and feels a bit light at merely a plus projection, but like his heater, it’s still pretty inconsistent. He even flashes a nice little split-change from time to time. Echavarria pitched almost the entire season as an 18-year-old, but his season was a bit of a mess honestly. Still, there is obvious upside in the stuff here, even if you know the variance and relief risk for an undersized righty with control issues is going to be high—no matter his age.

OFP: 50 / no. 4 starter or setup slider monster
Variance: Extreme. He has a really, really cool breaking ball. Everything else remains a work in progress.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown: 

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 307
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview: Echavarria had an up-and-down year, with understandable growing pains as an 18-year-old in Low-A. However, he has stuff to dream on in fantasy, especially if he sees further velocity gains and command improvement.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Jarrod Parker

• 
• 7.
• Mason Barnett
• Pos: RHP
• Born: 2000-11-07
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 0″
• W: 218 lbs.
• History: Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2022 draft, Auburn University; signed for $697,500. Acquired from the Royals for Lucas Erceg.
• Previous Rank: #11 (org, KCR)
• Major League ETA: 2025

The Report: Barnett led the Athletics return for reliever Lucas Erceg at the deadline. Putting aside whether or not the return was enough for a late-inning reliever with many years of control—albeit one who will turn 30 next year—Barnett has continued his path towards major-league back-end starterdom with a solid enough season in the Texas League. He’s made some improvements with both his breaking balls, and while they still don’t always get down and out of the zone as often as you’d like, both should end up average-or-better—with his mid-80s slider more likely to hit the “or better.” Barnett’s fastball is average-ish in velocity, and visually unimpressive—it looks like it just sort of floats up there to hitters—but generates enough late hacks to suggest at least a third average pitch. He has a change as well, but it’s a bit of a flat runner and often prefers to use his vertically moving breakers against lefties. I remain concerned about how much his rather pedestrian stuff ends up in the zone—especially the breaking balls—and I expect that will be a problem in the majors if he doesn’t tighten up his command some more, but the overall arsenal improvements have firmed up last year’s fourth starter projection a bit.

OFP: 50 / no. 4 starter
Variance: Medium. There’s still some relief risk in Barnett’s profile, and even if he stays a starter, he may get knocked around more like a 5th/6th starter if his slider and curve don’t consistently get out of the zone and induce whiff once there.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 408
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview: Barnett has four viable pitches without a true plus offering and enough command to squeeze out fantasy value as a back-end starter. Are you willing to trust that profile in Sacramento, however?
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: James Kaprielian

• 
• 8.
• Joshua Kuroda-Grauer
• Pos: SS
• Born: 2003-01-31
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 0″
• W: 190 lbs.
• History: Drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft, Rutgers University; signed for $1,043,900.
• Previous Rank: NR
• Major League ETA: Late 2026

The Report: Kuroda-Grauer hit well over .400 his junior year at Rutgers, and while he remained much the same kind of punch-and-slash hitter he was his first two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, .428 is .428. I doubt he will come within 100 points of that in the pros, and there’s 30 power here at best, but Kuroda-Grauer’s bat-to-ball skills are plus. He works from a very simple set up: low hands, minimal load, direct to the ball. He’s aggressive in the zone, very slashy and opposite-field oriented. The lack of impact suggests the hit tool might only play to a 55 or so, but it should come with a bevy of walks and a long line of frustrated pitchers as he wastes their best offspeed. Kuroda-Grauer was a shortstop at Rutgers and has played mostly at the six in the pros, but his arm strength is a little light for the left side. His throws fly on him a bit when he really has to get into one, although otherwise he’s accurate, even on the move. He’s better fit for second, but has played a bit of outfield in summer ball, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up carrying a duffle bag full of different gloves by the time he gets to the majors. Kuroda-Grauer isn’t going to wow you with tools on either side of the ball, but given his knack for hitting and ability to stand at a bunch of places, he should carve out a significant major-league career for at least a few years.

OFP: 50 / Useful 500 PA guy who can bounce around and hits everywhere
Variance: Medium. The hit-tool driven, walks more than he strikes out, not a premium defender, third round college guy is always going to have to prove it at every level, especially the ones where pitchers can start locating more premium stuff against you.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown: 

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: UR
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview: Kuroda-Grauer hit .428 in college (second in D-1) then .324 in a debut that finished in Triple-A. He is a high-contact hitter with below-average power (and even less over-the-fence power). Yet, he could develop into a useful fantasy piece with solid averages and some steals.
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: David Fletcher

• 
• 9.
• Kade Morris
• Pos: RHP
• Born: 2002-06-21
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 3″
• W: 190 lbs.
• History: Drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2023 draft, University of Nevada; signed for $666,500. Acquired from the Mets for Paul Blackburn.
• Previous Rank: NR
• Major League ETA: Late 2026/2027

The Report: Morris is a bit of a kitchen-sink righty now, showing off two different fastballs and three different breaking ball looks. The four-seam and sinker both come in around 93-94 and, while neither breaks average on the scouting scale, it’s an effective combo working off each other. His big-breaking upper-70s curve has been his most effective off-speed option, but it can kind of roll in at times and not have the late snap down and out of the zone. Morris’ sweeper shows inconsistent command and opposing batters can track it east-west, and he works in a harder slider/cutter thing as well. He also has a change which he uses sparingly, and it’s a bit too firm and flat to really miss bats against lefties. The curve and hard slider will probably be better platoon-neutralizing options for him. Morris has a bushel of fringe-average pitch options, and throws strikes. He might be better off focusing on refining one of his breaking balls to go with the fastball mix, as it’s unclear if he has a bat-missing option among the secondaries right now.

OFP: 50 / no. 4 starter
Variance: Medium. Morris’s K-rate dipped after the deadline deal, and while he’s never going to be a pitcher who blows guys away, contact suppression only gets you so far (the upper minors) before you need to find a swing-and-miss option.

Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:

• Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: UR
• Potential Earnings: $0-5
• Fantasy Overview: Morris has a ho-hum, deep arsenal with a borderline fastball that failed to miss many bats in the lower minors in 2024. That said, his stuff does bear some similarities to …
• Reckless Fantasy Comp: Poor man’s Michael King

• 
• 10.
• Tommy White
• Pos: 3B
• Born: 2003-03-02
• B: Right
• T: Right
• H: 6′ 1″
• W: 228 lbs.
• History: Drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft, LSU; signed for $3 million.
• Previous Rank: NR
• Major League ETA: 2027