Wilson, Kurtz key standouts of A's new Top 30 prospects list

12:24 AM UTC

As Year 3 of a rebuild winds down, the rise of several top prospects has the A’s feeling some excitement over what might be just around the corner beyond 2024.

Jacob Wilson, Oakland’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, reached the big leagues in July, just 376 days from the date he was drafted. The 22-year-old shortstop headlines a burgeoning group of young A’s talent that is now either at the Major League level or on the verge of breaking through.

Joining Wilson on MLB Pipeline’s updated Top 100 Prospects list is Nick Kurtz, whom the A’s selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. There is a high level of excitement surrounding Kurtz and the possibility of the first baseman making a quick ascension to the big leagues in a similar fashion to Wilson. But Kurtz is only one piece of the talent accumulated through trades and the Draft over the past month.

Team Top 30 Prospects lists:
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
ALC: CLE | CWS | DET | KC | MIN
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NLC: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NLW: AZ | COL | LAD | SD | SF

Here’s a look at the A’s top prospects:

  1. Jacob Wilson, SS (MLB No. 26)
  2. Nick Kurtz, 1B (MLB No. 56)
  3. Luis Morales, SS
  4. Tommy White, 3B
  5. Henry Bolte, OF

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Gunnar Hoglund, RHP (Preseason: 20 | Midseason: 12) -- The lone player remaining from the Matt Chapman deal with Toronto in 2022, Hoglund is finally in a good place with his health after being injured for the majority of his A’s career. The 24-year-old right-hander was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 30 and holds a combined 3.03 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) between Double-A Midland and Triple-A, with 106 strikeouts and 30 walks over 115 2/3 innings.

Fall: Ryan Lasko, OF (Preseason: 19 | Midseason: NR) -- Lasko came with swing-and-miss issues and concerns over his pitch recognition when the A’s selected him in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Sure enough, those potential flaws have shown up early in his pro career, as he’s struck out 132 times while batting just .222 through his first 515 plate appearances as a pro. The influx of talent acquired by the A’s through the Draft and trades also impacted Lasko’s drop in the rankings.

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

No. 2 Kurtz, 1B (Draft)
No. 4 White, 3B (Draft)
No. 9 Gage Jump, LHP (Draft)
No. 14 Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS (Draft)
No. 23 Rodney Green, OF (Draft)
No. 26 Sam Stuhr, RHP (Draft)

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 70 -- Jacob Wilson
Power: 65 -- Nick Kurtz
Run: 65 -- Henry Bolte (Cooper Bowman)
Arm: 60 -- Daniel Susac
Defense: 60 -- Nick Kurtz
Fastball: 70 -- Will Klein
Curveball: 55 -- Gage Jump (Brady Basso, Will Klein)
Slider: 60 -- Will Klein
Changeup: 60 -- Mason Barnett
Control: 60 -- Gunnar Hoglund