Oakland Athletics Top 10 Prospects Chat

Jim Shonerd: What’s up, everyone? It’s a chilly afternoon here in Durham as I take a break from College Preview stuff to talk some A’s prospects. Here we go.

Kelly (St. Cloud, MN): Is Sean Nolin still eligible? If so, what's his ceiling at this point?
Jim Shonerd: Nolin is in fact still eligible thanks the shoulder and groin issues that held him down last year. Ceiling is probably a mid-rotation guy since there’s not really one pitch that wows you. With him it’s more about being able to mix four pitches with command. But at this point, the A’s just want him to get through a year healthy before worrying about anything else.

Ben (Leland Grove): Dakota Chalmers' control obviously was lacking in the AZL, but are you high on him overall? Can we expect him in the Handbook?
Jim Shonerd: I do like Chalmers quite a bit. He’ll need his development time for sure, but it’s a power arm (up to 97) with the makings of two quality secondary pitches in his curve and change and a projectable frame. But he’s pretty raw as far as knowing what he’s doing out there, as you alluded to, so again don’t look for him to be a fast track guy.

@Jaypers413 (IL): Thanks for the chat, Jim. How close did Jacob Nottingham come to cracking the top 10, and what are your thoughts on his skills behind the plate?
Jim Shonerd: Nottingham was close. I basically had three guys for two spots at the back of the top 10 with him, Meisner and Munoz. Nottingham’s going to get there because of his bat, it’s just a matter of whether he can get his defense good enough that you can live with him behind the plate. Otherwise he’s a first baseman. He does have the arm for a catcher, but he’s not particularly agile and has lapses in focus. Good news is he’s just 21, but I can see this turning into a situation where a catcher gets moved because his bat is too good for the team to wait for his defense to catch up.

Ryan (Dallas, TX): I know it's hard for RPs to make BA's lists in the handbook, but did Bobby Wahl make the cut? Could he become an efficient guy out of Oakland's pen sometime this year?
Jim Shonerd: There are a few relievers in the top 30, and yes Wahl will be one of them. The stuff’s certainly there for him to get to Oakland this year, but like with Nolin, he’s gotta show he can get through a season healthy. Injuries have been slowing him down going back to his days at Ole Miss. But when you’ve got an upper 90s fastball and a potentially plus curve, you can easily see him pitching at the back of a big-league pen.

Grant (NYC): Thx for chatting. How many of your top guys could make BA's top 100 list?
Jim Shonerd: I can see the top four guys making it. Barreto, Manaea, Chapman, Nunez. Think Martin’s bat has too far to go for him to make it this year, but he’ll be a contender down the road.

Dave (Brooklyn): Do the A's and you still consider Dylan Covey to have a mid-rotation ceiling? Is consistency his biggest challenge? With his diabetes diagnosis, is endurance a bigger issue for him than most pitching prospects?
Jim Shonerd: Don’t think endurance is a problem. He logged 140 innings this year and everyone I talked to spoke of how he was a horse for that Stockton team. Covey probably has the stuff to have a higher ceiling than a mid-rotation guy, but he’s taken on such a heavily pitch-to-contact approach that it’s kind of hard to envision him being more than that right now. And even then, a pitcher with his stuff should miss more bats than he does. But still, the sense was that he’s turned a corner.

Frank (Chicago): Did ss Mikey White make a case for your list?
Jim Shonerd: You’ll see White in the top 30 for the Prospect Handbook but he’s not particularly close to the top 10. The Alabama product’s ostensibly a shortstop, but the A’s already have a bunch of those (Barreto, Pinder, Munoz, Martin), so you can expect to see him all over the infield—the A’s love versatility, as we know. White doesn’t really have any plus offensive tools, which is why he’s not higher on the list, but he’s a smart player who will get the most of out what he has.

Chris (Nashville): What's the best case scenario for Matt Olson's peak years?
Jim Shonerd: Having done the A’s list for several years now, the guy I keep going back to when I think about Olson is Chris Carter, the guy who was No. 1 the first year I did this. Olson does have the advantage of being a lefty hitter, unlike Carter, and he’s a better defender than Carter, but otherwise I can’t help seeing the parallels as big power guys who walk and strike out a lot. (On the flip side, Carter hit .337 when he came through Midland vs. Olson’s .249). Another comp would be along the lines of a Brandon Moss, a name the A’s have brought up in relation to Olson.

Rocco (Da' Village, NY): Give us a Sleeper pick, who might take off this year in the System?
Jim Shonerd: I like Argenis Raga as a name to keep an eye on. 21-year-old catcher out of Venezuela. He’s a converted infielder but has shown promise behind the plate and a feel for hitting. Held his own in a stint at Beloit last year as a 20-year-old.

Rich (NJ): Nunez and Olsen appear to be on the same track with big time right handed power, although Olsen with higher OBP. If they both get off to good starts in AAA and a need comes up at the major league level who do you see getting the call first & what are each of their ceiling & floor with respect to HR production? Thanks
Jim Shonerd: Depends on what position is coming open, but Olson offers more positional options so my guess would be him. Comparable raw power, maybe with a slight edge to Olson, but I think Nunez has more usable power at this point.

Frank (Chicago): Skye Bolt. Love the name. Reportedly great in the field, but was his bat what kept him from the top 10?
Jim Shonerd: You’re on it. Bolt’s got the chops to be a plus defender in center field. The bat’s the question. His pitch recognition’s got to get better, and he’s coming off two fairly underwhelming seasons at UNC after his spectacular freshman year.

Ryan (Oaktown): Between Alcantara and Mengden, which RHP are you higher on and why?
Jim Shonerd: I do like Mengden, but the answer right now is still Alcantara. Arm is a little bigger and weapons a little sharper. I’ll grant that Mengden doesn’t already have a Tommy John surgery on his resume like Alcantara does, but I still like Alcantara’s upside a little more.

Jason L. (Walnut Creek, CA): Seeing how the A's will foolishly trade away Sonny Gray instead of paying him, is there an Ace in the system lineup up to replace him? Can Sean Manea be that pitcher? Or do you see the team using its 6th pick in the draft on our future Ace?
Jim Shonerd: I see multiple questions in the chat queue where A’s fans are already resignedly asking me about potential Sonny Gray trades. I feel for you guys. But as for Manaea, yeah, he’s definitely got frontline stuff. The injury history is a worry, but all the other ingredients are there. And I really do like Casey Meisner as well. He was a really good get in the Clippard deal.

Darth Raider (Death Star, in Outer Space): Is there still hope for RHP Daniel Gossett? What went wrong last year? Shouldn't a high draft pick from a major college program like Clemson dominate Low A ball? Yet he struggled.
Jim Shonerd: Yeah, no getting around that Gossett had a disappointing year. From all accounts his stuff was still there–so, yes there’s still hope for him–but for whatever reason he really struggled to deal with the fact he was facing hitters that could catch up to his fastball, whereas college hitters couldn’t, and he left too many of them up in the zone. He did start getting better results in the second half once he used more two-seamers and pitched backwards some, some hopefully that’ll carry over.

Rickey Henderson fan (Left field bleachers, Oakland Coliseum): I can't watch Eric Sogard play anymore. He's not a major leaguer. How close is Joey Wendle's glove? We traded Brandon Moss for the guy so we does he need another year in Triple A? Isnt it time to find out if he can play or not?
Jim Shonerd: You’re right that Wendle really doesn’t need to prove any more in Triple-A. If he’s back in Nashville again, it’ll just be because there was a roster crunch and/or he underperforms in spring training. Could use a little more smoothing on his double play turning but otherwise his glove is fine.

Eric (Dallas, TX): Is Ryon Healy going to be in your overall 30?
Jim Shonerd: He’s in the top 30 but wasn’t that close to the top 10. Healy’s not a bad prospect and was a big part of Midland’s success last year as well, but he just doesn’t show the kind of power you look for in a corner infielder, which makes it hard to run him up a list.

Burt (St Louis, MO): Surprised RHP Brett Graves did not take off last year. What does he need to work on in Stockton to regain prospect status?
Jim Shonerd: Another college guy that struggled in Beloit, a la Gossett. I liked Graves coming out of the draft as well; was surprised he didn’t do better. Velo wasn’t quite the same as it was in college, as he was working 88-92, but it sounds like the bigger thing was he just tried tinkering too much and was never able to get into a rhythm. I still think there’s something there if he trusts his stuff. But yeah he needs to bounce back this year, presumably in Stockton.

@Jaypers413 (IL): As an Illini fan, I'm also a fan of Kevin Duchene. What can you tell us about his pitches, and what his future role is likely to be? Will he make it into the top 30?
Jim Shonerd: Duchene ended up one of the last cuts from the top 30. Reports were he looked worn out in his pro debut after shouldering a heavy load for Illinois in the spring, but even at his best you know he’s not a guy that’s going to light up the gun. Could end up a durable innings eater with three average pitches, best case scenario. I didn’t get any sign the A’s would be interested in making him a reliever, but obviously that can change.

Jack (California): What's the deal with Dustin Driver? Any chance he becomes relevant this season?
Jim Shonerd: “What’s the deal with Dustin Driver?” (saying it in a Seinfeld voice). Anyway, yeah, Driver certainly hasn’t been heard from much since the A’s gave him $500k out of the 2013 draft. The arm strength is still there, which keeps him on the map, and his secondary stuff has potential. But his pitchability needs work (understandable with all the time he’s missed) and the A’s have been working on his delivery as well. So, there’s a lot of work to do. They did like what they saw from him instructs, though take that for what it’s worth.

Andy Friedfood (Los Brangeles): What kind of tools does Richie Martin possess? Any chance he tops out with above-average power for a SS?
Jim Shonerd: He’ll have some power, but it’s not going to be a significant part of his game. Better chance he ends up at the top of the order. He doesn’t have a flashy arm like a Chapman or Munoz, but it’s good enough to play the position and all his other defensive tools are outstanding.

Ringo (Octopusses Garden): Is Jose Torres a reliever only now?
Jim Shonerd: I assume you’re aware the A’s traded Torres to the Padres? If not, I hope you didn’t have your heart set on seeing him in Oakland. But I’ll answer anyway. I can’t speak to whether the Padres have changed plans with him, but the A’s looked set on keeping him a reliever. He’d found a much better comfort level coming out of the bullpen that he never could as a starter. Big arm, up to 97 from the left side. Secondary stuff is more work-in-progress, but he’s interesting as a reliever.

John (NC): Does OAK have anything in Sandber Pimentel?
Jim Shonerd: Pimentel was a $160k signee back in the 2012 July 2 class who made it to the U.S. for the first time last year. Power and plate discipline are his strengths, but he’s further down the pecking order when you’re talking about all the corner IFs they have, plus he was strictly a 1b/dh at Beloit last year.

Sal F (Cupertino, CA): Who or what position would you like to see Oakland take in the first round this year? Where do you think the organization needs help or lacks depth?
Jim Shonerd: Best player available. The A’s made moves to address the system’s biggest weakness from a year ago at this time, starting pitchers, by adding guys like Manaea, Meisner and Mengden plus drafting Chalmers and Bubba Derby, who I’m a big fan of. Where the system’s thinnest right now is the outfield and at catcher, even after the addition of Nottingham (he’s the only catcher in their top 30).

Jim Shonerd: Think that’ll do it for me. Thanks for all the great questions. Enjoy the last few Top 10s, and the season will be here before you know it.