Athletics Community Prospect List: Max Muncy grabs #5 in potential breakout year

Beating out the older Mason Barnett by seven votes, longtime Athletics prospect Max Muncy enters 2025 as Athletics Nation’s fifth-best prospect. Still just 22 years old, A’s fans have watched him mature from a raw-skills teenager with a trivia-worthy name into a blossoming impact talent with plenty of room to grow.

His balanced approach at the plate led to a strong showing in his Triple-A debut last season, where he batted .278/.374/.491 with a 124 OPS+ in the hitter-friendly PCL while playing solid defense at both middle infield positions. Unfortunately, he missed half the summer and all of September due to unspecified injuries and thus is still awaiting his chance to have a true breakout season that would bear out his first-round status and solidify his place in the A’s long-term plans.

New to the poll is 24-year-old outfielder Colby Thomas, whose 31 homers last year propelled him to his national top 100 prospects debut, with Baseball America clocking him at #86. His impressive power is both driven and offset by an aggressive approach that leads to less-than-desirable walk and strikeout rates. Nevertheless, he’s a popular name among A’s fans as he received 26 of the 29 nomination votes and likely won’t sit on this ballot for too long. Meanwhile, Mason Barnett, Henry Bolte, and others are waiting patiently for their turn.

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
• If you wish to nominate a prospect for the next round, clearly comment, “Nomination: (player)” and fellow readers will upvote your comment.

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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1: Jacob Wilson, SS

2: Nick Kurtz, 1B

3. Luis Morales, RHP

4. Denzel Clarke, OF

5. Max Muncy, SS

The voting continues now! Here’s a quick rundown on each one — the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline (last updated mid-2024).

Nominees on the current ballot:

Tommy White, 3B

Expected level: A+ | Age 21

2019 stats (A): 107 PA, .224/.303/.299, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 21 K, 0 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50

White generates huge right-handed power to all fields with strength, bat speed and an uncanny ability to barrel balls. Known more for his slugging, he’s underrated as a hitter who makes repeated contact with impressive exit velocities. Though he’s overly aggressive and regularly expands his strike zone, he rarely swings and misses.

As a well-below-average runner with average arm strength, White provides limited value on the bases and in the field. Mostly a DH as a freshman, he primarily played third base after that and likely will wind up at first base in pro ball. He lacks range and is erratic at the hot corner, though he earns praise for gritting through the 2023 season and filling a team need despite his bad shoulder.

Henry Bolte, OF

Expected level: Double-A | Age 21

2024 stats (A+): 318 PA, .278/.393/.519, 19 doubles, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 41 BB, 101 K, 28 SB

2024 stats (AA): 227 PA, .252/.332/.396, 13 doubles, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 20 BB, 88 K, 18 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 65 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

The eye-popping raw power Bolte showed during batting practice at the Oakland Coliseum shortly after signing his pro contract has quickly appeared in the Minors. As with most young players, his overall offensive approach is still being refined. There is still some swing-and-miss he needs to cut down on, particularly on offspeed stuff out of the zone, though he did show signs of improvement as his first full year went along.

Bolte’s near-elite speed was on display as he swiped 32 bags. The run tool also helps on defense, which along with a strong arm, makes him a solid defender at all three outfield spots. The five-tool skillset gives him a very high ceiling as he looks to continue advancing levels.

Mason Barnett, RHP

Expected level: AAA | Age 24

2024 stats (AA): 4.20 ERA, 133 IP, 161 K, 49 BB, 13 HR, 3.55 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Barnett has gotten things done in the past mainly with his above-average fastball and changeup, with his heater sitting mid 90s and reaching 99 mph, though this year he sat 94 mph and topped out at 96. He started going to his mid-80s slider (which features good bite) more and he did start to get more separation velocity-wise with his upper-70s curve. He still used his changeup, sitting around 87-88 mph, effectively at times.

The 6-foot right-hander has shown an understanding of how to get himself back in counts using his breaking stuff to do so. He throws strikes but has fringe-average control, with a goal of being more precise in the zone as he faces tougher hitters. Barnett throws from a three-quarters arm slot and sometimes shows long arm action but is otherwise clean. He gets high marks for his mentality on the mound, a bulldog personality who is cerebral in how he does it, with a chance to start long-term.

Jack Perkins, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age 25

2024 stats (AA): 2.96 ERA, 76 IP, 100 K, 35 BB, 2 HR, 2.74 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Perkins features a hard riding fastball in the 94-97 mph range. He has gained a good feel for both his breaking ball that can miss some bats and a newly developed changeup implemented this past season, while his cutter tops out around 91 mph and gives hitters a different look.

Perkins still walks his fair share of batters as he continues to work on his command. Refining that aspect could lead to another big jump in 2024 with potential to evolve into a solid back-of-the-rotation piece. Invited to his first big league Spring Training, a lat strain early in camp slowed him, though the A’s are not too concerned about the injury.

Colby Thomas, OF

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 24

2024 stats (AA): 261 PA, .282/.340/.568, 19 doubles, 14 HR, 47 RBI, 17 BB, 47 K, 12 SB

2024 stats (AAA): 314 PA, .272/.344/.559, 25 doubles, 17 HR, 45 RBI, 23 BB, 95 K, 3 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Thomas demonstrated a ton of raw power in his debut season, but the A’s believe he has even more to tap into. He is able to drive the ball to the opposite-field gaps with a compact swing and has also shown improvements in his selectivity at the plate with a solid ability to work counts and draw walks.

Thomas is a solid athletic outfielder with a good arm who continues to play some center field but profiles as more of a corner outfielder. He is a good runner with speed that was evident by his 25 stolen bases in ‘23. Carrying over the momentum from a strong pro debut is the key for a season that has the A’s excited about what is to follow as he advances levels.

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