Elephant Rumblings: A’s farm ranked in top quartile

MLB news roundup

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

Despite having spent the last three seasons in rebuild mode, the A’s farm system has been stuck in the bottom half of prominent ranking systems. MLB Pipeline ranked the A’s farm 22nd in their 2024 midseason report, and Fangraphs deemed the A’s system 25th best in their 2024 updated rankings. That’s pretty unimpressive for a team that lost over 100 games in 2022 and 2023—granted, it doesn’t help that the A’s got unlucky in those years’ Draft Lottery sweepstakes.

However, the Bleacher Report just released their updated rankings, which place the A’s farm seventh among MLB’s 30 franchises. They list the same top three A’s prospects as MLB Pipeline, with shortop Jacob Wilson in the top spot, followed by first baseman Nick Kurtz and right-handed starting pitcher Luis Morales.

Outfielders Colby Thomas and Henry Bolte round out the Bleacher Report’s top five, all of whom the site deems Tier 1 prospects. This tier is designated for players judged to have “elite skill sets and All-Star potential.”

Two of the A’s top ten prospects in the update are categorized as Tier 2 prospects who “have a good chance of becoming impact contributors.” This pair includes left side infielders Max Muncy and Tommy White, who could become long-term solutions at third base after stopgap solution Gio Urshela fulfills his one-year contract.

It will be interesting to see how far apart the Bleacher Report update is from more established rankings from MLB Pipeline and Fangraphs once their lists are updated. I won’t be surprised if the A’s rank lower according to other evaluations. But it’s nice to get some respect for a change, and admittedly a bit satisfying to see the Giants’ farm place dead last on the same list.

Have a wonderful weekend, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Ruiz, Relievers, And Other Things That Begin With R...
• Athletics 2024 Season In Review: Lawrence Butler
• Athletics 2024 Season In Review: Osvaldo Bido
• Keep an Eye on These Two A’s Players This Spring
• A’s Farm System Ranked Ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers
• A’s Off-Season Trade Target: Jordan Montgomery
• Former St. Louis Cardinals Reliever a Solid Target for A’s
• How the A’s Could Come Out Ahead in the Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes
• What the Gio Urshela Signing Tells Us About the A’s Plans

MLB News & Interest:

• 7 biggest offseason storylines to monitor in 2025
• 5 reasons Utley belongs in the Hall of Fame
• Angels Reportedly “Weighing” Pursuit Of Pete Alonso
• Free Agent Profile: Charlie Morton
• Latest On Max Scherzer
• Free Agent Faceoff: Justin Turner / J.D. Martinez
• Where Will Alex Bregman End Up?
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Can’t wait to see these two hit the bigs.