Athletics Spring Training Prospects Update: 3/12-3/18

Darell Hernaiz had his first extra base hit of spring training last week

We are getting deeper into spring training, and as it draws closer to April fewer and fewer prospects are getting game action on the major league side. However, over the past week we have gotten the first appearances of a couple of players including Myles Naylor.

Tyler Baum

Tyler Baum was among those to first appear this past week, and it was the first major league spring training appearance of the 2019 second round pick’s career. Baum pitched the 8th inning against the Rockies on Saturday, managing a scoreless frame despite some trouble . Baum allowed a well-struck one out single, but Daniel Susac came through and threw out the runner attempting to steal second. Baum then issued a walk but got out of the inning with a ground out.

Henry Bolte

Spring totals: 7 G, 8 PA, .250/.250/.250

Bolte continues to get occasional call ups to make appearances, and last Wednesday got a long run of action as Oakland put up runs late against the Padres. Bolte had a bases-loaded RBI single in Oakland’s five-run sixth inning and finished the game 1-3. He also appeared late against the White Sox on Sunday and struck out in his only plate appearance.

Joe Boyle

Spring Totals: 5 G, 15 ¹⁄₃ IP, 2.93 ERA, 12 BB, 15 K

After a good start to spring Boyle has started to pile up walks in his past few, and over the past 10 innings pitched he has allowed twelve walks. Boyle walked four against the Brewers on Saturday, with three of those coming in the second inning. Other than that second inning Boyle was solid, striking out five batters and walking one in the other three innings he pitched.

Lawrence Butler

Spring Totals: 15 G, 44 PA, .385/.432/.487

Butler has consistently put up good performances all spring, and he started out his week with a 2-4 game and a double against the Mariners. He had hits in each of his next two to run up a five game hitting streak before going 0-3 on Sunday.

Logan Davidson

Spring Totals: 4 G, 11 PA, .200/.273/.399

Davidson played in three games last week after only getting one game in the first few weeks of camp, but he wasn’t able to do much in his seven plate appearances. Davidson struck out in his first two plate appearances of a start on Sunday but finished the game well to put up a solid day. Davidson drew a walk in the sixth inning, and in the 8th had an RBI single that scored Drew Lugbauer to tie the game.

Stevie Emanuels

Spring Totals: 5 G, 3 ²⁄₃ IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB, 9 K

Emanuels is piling up strikeouts this spring, with nine of his eleven outs recorded coming by way of strikeout. Last week all five of Emanuels’s outs across two outings were strikeouts, and he maintained his 0.00 ERA for the spring.

Brett Harris

Spring Totals: 11 G, 18 PA, .235/.278/.412

Harris had a nice start to his week, doubling in his lone plate appearance in the March 13th game and scoring twice. On Saturday he added another hit to his register, his fourth of the spring. His week ended with a rough game as he struck out twice against the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Darell Hernaiz

Spring Totals: 15 G, 43 PA, .308/.326/.333

Hernaiz has hit well all spring with a .308 batting average and only seven strikeouts in 43 plate appearances, but coming into this past week he had been solely producing through singles. Finally on Saturday he broke through with his first extra base hit, doubling into right field in the second inning. He also drew two walks this past week, the first walks he has taken this spring. Overall Hernaiz went 4-11 with two walks in a solid week for him.

Mason Miller

Spring Totals: 5 G, 5 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB, 9 K

It’s been an easy spring for Mason Miller, though he allowed multiple hits in his lone outing this week. Those account for two of the three he’s allowed this spring, but both were singles and his two strikeouts in the inning outweighed those results.

Max Muncy

Spring Totals: 16 G, 31 PA, .172/.226/.448, 2 HR

The positive result for Muncy from this past week of action came on Wednesday, as he hit his second home run of the spring. He also had a double last week and drew two walks, but strikeouts continued to be a problem. He had five of them in 12 plate appearances, and thus far has 15 strikeouts in 31 spring plate appearances.

Myles Naylor

Myles Naylor made a brief appearance for the first time this spring, getting two plate appearances against the Diamondbacks on Monday. He was unsuccessful in both and struck out once.

Max Schuemann

Spring Totals: 16 G, 35 PA, .310/.400/.414, 1 HR

Max Schuemann has had a fantastic spring, and continued to play well in four games last week. Schuemann had two hits in six total at bats, to go along with no strikeouts and two walks. Schuemann hasn’t had an extra base hit since his February 27th home run, but has reached base in twelve of his last 24 plate appearances with only two strikeouts in that time.

Will Simpson

Spring Totals: 3 G, 4 PA, .500/.500/1.250, 1 HR

Last season’s 15th round pick managed to get into two games last week and he made the most of both. Simpson went 1-2 on Wednesday against the Padres, but his best came on Sunday. Simpson got in late against the White Sox, and hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Mitch Spence

Spring Totals: 5 G, 15 IP, 3.60 ERA, 5 BB, 19 K

Spence has done everything he can this spring to prove he was worth being picked up in the Rule 5 draft, and he showed out in a two inning relief appearance on Monday. Spence didn’t allow any hits and struck out five batters across his two innings of work.

Daniel Susac

Spring Totals: 6 G, 7 PA, .400/.571/.400

Susac has had a light load this spring and only appeared in one game last week. As mentioned above he did throw out a runner attempting to steal, but at the plate went 0-2 with a strikeout.

Colby Thomas

Spring Totals: 4 G, 6 PA, .200/.333/.200

Thomas got his best playing time of the spring last week, getting two plate appearances on two separate occasions. Thomas got his first hit of the spring and drove in a run against the Padres on Wednesday. On Monday against the Diamondbacks he went 0-2.

Jacob Wilson

Spring Totals: 9 G, 16 PA, .467/.500/.600

Wilson may be having the best spring out of the prospects, and in two games last week had both his first and second extra base hits of the spring. Wilson had two hits and drove in two runs against the Padres, with his leadoff double in the eighth inning being the first extra base hit this spring. Wilson again had a leadoff double against the Diamondbacks and would score a run on an Esteury Ruiz base hit.