Oakland A’s minor league updates: Who’s making the case for a promotion?

With the MLB season nearing its midway point, it could be easy to lose track of the production occurring at the minor-league levels.

All four leagues — Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A — are roughly a third of the way through their respective seasons with Triple-A teams expected to play 142 games while the other three levels participate in 120-game schedules.

So how have A’s prospects performed to this point? Here’s a look at some of their top minor leaguers at each level roughly a third of the way through their campaigns.

Triple-A Las Vegas: Schwindel scorching hot at the plate

Several Aviators hitters have been impressive in the first third of their season. Catcher Austin Allen, who played two games for Oakland in early May, is hitting .292 with six home runs and 15 RBI, outfielder Greg Diechmann is batting .313 and has stolen a team-best six bases and third baseman Jacob Wilson is tied for the fourth-most doubles among Triple-A batters (14).

While their success thus far has been admirable, none have dominated quite like first baseman Frank Schwindel. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has been nearly unstoppable.

Schwindel’s 16 home runs are tied with Angels’ top prospect Jo Adell for the Triple-A lead, his 40 RBIs are the most in MiLB’s highest level and his 1.046 OPS ranks eighth. On June 21, Schwindel recorded his second two-home run game of the season and helped lead the Aviators to a season-high 20 hits in a 15-run performance.

Currently in his eighth season of professional baseball, Schwindel has taken just 15 at-bats in the majors, all of which came during a six-game stint with the Kansas City Royals in 2019.

Double-A Midland: Busy June continues for Nick Allen

Viewed as the A’s third overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, infielder Nick Allen has been tremendous since the calendar flipped from May to June. The 22-year-old from San Diego has recorded at least one hit in 11 of 12 games this month, including six of them with at least two hits.

Allen’s June surge has raised his season batting average to .310 with two home runs, 19 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Allen’s production this month hasn’t been limited to the Double-A level, though. A member of the United States Olympic qualifying team, he helped lead the US to a berth in this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games where it will compete against Japan, Mexico, Israel, South Korea and one other country in baseball’s return to the games for the first time since 2008.

MLB Pipeline’s prospect evaluators project the former third-round pick to make his major league debut this season, something that is well within reason given his current success in the Minor Leagues’ second-highest level.

High-A Lansing: Charles Hall impressing in relief

The High-A Lansing Lugnuts were expected to have the services of the A’s 2020 second-round pick, righty Jeff Criswell, but an arm injury in early May has prevented the former University of Michigan pitcher from throwing since he made his debut on May 8.

Another right-handed pitcher, reliever Charles Hall, has impressed in Criswell’s absence. In 15 appearances, Hall has maintained a solid 2.76 ERA with 28 strikeouts against six walks.

Currently in his second Minor League season, Hall was drafted in the 33rd round of the 2019 draft as a 24-year-old out of Tusculum University in Greenville, Tennessee. Now 26 years old, he led all Division II pitchers in strikeouts and ranked 30th in ERA.

Low-A Stockton: Top prospect Soderstrom succeeding at the plate

Expectations for the A’s No. 1 overall prospect, catcher Tyler Soderstrom, were always exceptionally high. The son of former Giants catcher Steve Soderstrom, Tyler was evaluated to have a very mature offensive approach for a 19-year-old high school prospect, so much so that he catapulted himself into the first round of the 2020 MLB draft and signed with the A’s for $650,000 above pick value.

And just 41 games into his professional career, it seems like a price worth paying.

Yes, it’s extremely early to draw any conclusions about what Soderstrom could be and how much success he will have. But, the 19-year-old is hitting .307 with eight home runs and 36 RBI, tied for the fourth-most in Low-A.

Additionally, Soderstrom has shown off some positional flexibility, manning first base in seven of his 41 appearances.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 83 overall prospect and the lone A’s minor leaguer to crack the top 100, Soderstrom isn’t projected to make his major league debut until at least 2024, showing that the young backstop still has plenty of work to do. He’s certainly off to a great start.