Athletics’ Community Prospect List: Perkins lays claim to #8

Ready for Round 9?

The fan base has spoken. Taking the eighth spot in our Community Prospect List rankings is right-hander Jack Perkins, who just barely squeaked by fellow prospect Henry Bolte to nab the honors. Perkins spent last year at Double-A where he started 15 games in his second season at that level. The 25-year-old has put his name on the radar after a great performance for Midland last year and A’s fans see something in that right arm of his. There’s no question Perkins has strikeout stuff after racking up 100 strikeouts in just 76 innings. That was his second season at that level and its about time for a promotion. Perkins will likely start the year at Triple-A, which means he is now just one phone call away from the big leagues. The club is clearly ready to turn a corner and start competing but that doesn’t mean the organization won’t bring him up to get a first-hand look at some point next year. He’s an intriguing pitching prospect and we should get a good look at him during spring training, which is now right around the corner. Baseball season can’t come soon enough.

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

6. Colby Thomas, OF

7. Mason Barnett, RHP

8. Jack Perkins, RHP

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.

Gunnar Hoglund, SP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age 24

2024 stats (AA): 2.84 ERA, 104 2⁄3 IP, 97 K, 27 BB, 12 HR, 4.02 FIP

2024 stats (AAA): 5.88 ERA, 26 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 5 HR, 5.91 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

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

There was a thought that Hoglund came to the A’s with arguably the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the organization. Since then, he has yet to regain the fastball velocity that sat around 95-96 mph pre-surgery, topping out at 92-93 last season. His repertoire also includes a slider around 83-84 mph as his main secondary pitch, while his low-80s changeup and curveball provide different looks against hitters.

The A’s still have hope for Hoglund to develop into a quality Major League starter, mainly for his ability to consistently throw strikes. Entering his second year removed from Tommy John, the A’s will wait and see whether his velocity can get back to where it was, which could help accelerate his path this season.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP

Expected level: AA | Age 24

2024 stats (A): 1.67 ERA, 32 1⁄3 IP, 37 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 2.65 FIP

2024 stats (A+): 2.56 ERA, 31 2⁄3 IP, 29 K, 3 BB, 2 HR, 2.72 FIP

2024 stats (AA): 2.05 ERA, 22 IP, 18 K, 5 BB, 2 HR, 3.77 FIP

MLB Pipeline foolishly still doesn’t have Zhuang in its Top 30 prospects, so here’s the scouting report from Nathaniel Stoltz at Excessive Prospect Analysis, who ranked him 10th last season:

Zhuang is starting to get a bit of buzz this year, but as I’ve written and this ranking reinforces, I think he’s probably the most underrated prospect in the system (One could argue some of the unknown Rookie-level guys get that honor, but that’s semantics). He’s dominated when healthy, and fundamentally I start at the same place here as I did with Jack Perkins at 11: I’ve got a ton of confidence in Zhuang’s two primary offerings. In this case, that’s his carrying mid-90s fastball and his changeup/splitter/both/whatever you want to make of his offspeeds, which have been untouchable in A-ball and which he commands very well. He does a nice job balancing an aggressive approach–coming right at hitters with the heat–with all sorts of cunning, changing speeds and shapes on pitches in ways that can really hold up several times through the order.

Zhuang is only a few months shy of turning 24 and still in A-ball–due to injury layoff, certainly not performance–so he still has a lot to prove, even if I think he’ll prove it quickly. First and foremost, he’s got to prove he can stay healthy. Beyond that, there’s still the matter of his breaking stuff–particularly the harder breaking ball that keeps morphing between slider and cutter, and his extreme flyball tendency. But as I noted in the longform analysis, Zhuang’s two best pitches + command are tough for anyone in the system to equal. He looks the part of a solid midrotation starter and should be able to move up the remaining levels quickly if health allows.

Daniel Susac, C

Expected level: Double-A | Age 25

2024 stats (AA): 370 PA, .257/.300/.434, 19 doubles, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 16 BB, 96 K, 7 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

There is some athleticism to the 6-foot-4 Susac, who was a standout dual-threat quarterback in high school. His stylish swing comes with good bat-to-ball skills and an ability to drive the ball to all fields. There is some legit raw power that was touted as an amateur that the A’s hope to see emerge as he continues his transition to pro ball.

Susac’s defensive prowess was part of the package that made him such a highly ranked catcher in his Draft class. His overall catching skills, particularly his receiving, improved as his first full season went along. Lauded for his strong arm and natural leadership characteristics, he will look to continue his impact on both sides of the diamond as he progresses through the system.

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