Lower-Case A’s in Arizona: An Inside Look at the Prospects on the Horizon

With the A’s 2022 season officially in the books, having lost 100 games for only the second time in Oakland history, a mere 46 games behind the AL West winning Astros, where do we look to for our baseball content now? While the MLB Postseason may contain plenty of former A’s to root for (or against; looking at you JD), that isn’t exactly what I have in mind.

Instead, let’s take a trip to Arizona, where every fall, all 30 MLB teams send a handful of prospects to six different Spring Training facilities, to make up the Arizona Fall League. This year, the A’s prospects will be bunking with prospects from the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays in Mesa’s Sloan Park to form the Mesa Solar Sox. Managed by former A’s Rookie of the Year, Bobby Crosby, Oakland sent 8 prospects to the desert this fall for extra seasoning.

Zack Gelof - 3B (A’s no. 3 prospect, MLB no. 94)

Other than tío Albert, Zack Gelof might be the hottest hitter in baseball right now. Drafted 60th overall by the A’s in the 2021 amateur draft, this infielder shot up the A’s farm system over the last 15 months, resulting in a 9-game stint at AAA Las Vegas to end the 2022 MiLB season. In those 9 games, Gelof slashed .257/.316/.714 with 5 HRs. While his K% is a bit concerning, (28.9 in AAA and 27.5 overall) and his BB% could use a boost, (7.9 in AAA and 11.4 overall) if he has a strong fall league campaign, and follows it up with a Spring Training invite and another good performance, it’s not completely out of the question that he could start the 2023 season in Oakland.

J.T. Ginn - RHP (A’s no. 9)

Acquired by the A’s in March as part of the Chris Bassitt trade, J.T. Ginn missed large portions of the 2022 season due to injury, so the A’s chose to send him to the AFL to make up for lost time. When healthy this season, Ginn started 10 games in AA Midland, for a total of 35.1 innings, a 1-4 record, and a 6.11 ERA. This fell far below his 2021 performance at low- and high-A while in the Mets organization (18 GS, 92.0 IP, 5-5, 3.03 ERA) so let’s hope for better health for Ginn in the future. Thought of as someone that could rise fast through the A’s system, 2024 might be a more realistic ETA for Ginn at this point in his young career.

Denzel Clarke - OF (A’s no. 10)

Drafted by the A’s in the 4th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Cal State Northridge, Denzel Clarke is raw athlete chock-full of potential in the outfield. Between low-A Stockton and high-A Lansing this season, Clarke slashed .248/.365/.469 with 30 stolen bases on 33 attempts. Although he has a lot of swing and miss in him (32.8 K%) he makes up for that in raw power (.221 ISO), accumulating 23 doubles, 4 triples, and 15 home runs this year. The Arizona Fall League will definitely pose a challenge to the young slugger, as teams tend to send their higher-end arms to the AFL. Look for a possible 2024 ETA in Oakland for Clarke.

Ryan Cusick - RHP (A’s no. 13)

Acquired by the A’s in the blockbuster trade that sent Matt Olson to the Braves, Cusick is in a similar position as J.T. Ginn, having missed large portions of the 2022 season due to injury. When healthy this season, the big righty (listed at 6’6” and 235 lbs.) appeared in 13 games (10 starts) mostly in AA Midland, pitching a total of 43.0 innings, a 1-6 record, with a 7.12 ERA, and a 2.000 WHIP. Cusick has a history of command issues, which could delay his arrival in Oakland. But if he is converted into a relief arm, which some say is likely, he could move up rather quickly. Expect a 2024 ETA in the former situation, but a potential 2023 arrival in the latter.

Lawrence Butler - 1B/OF (A’s no. 14)

I’d be lying to you if I said I knew who this was prior to writing this, and I wouldn’t blame you if you had no idea either. Drafted in the 6th round of the 2018 amateur draft, Lawrence Butler has rapidly climbed up the A’s prospect list over the last calendar year. It’s evident that Butler put in a lot of work in 2020 when the MiLB season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he increased his slash line from .177/.276/.287 in 2019 to .273/.367/.504 in 2021. He followed up his 2021 performance in 2022 with another solid season, posting a .265/.351/.457 slashline mostly at high-A Lansing, adding in 11 HRs and 13 SBs. While he still has a few rungs to climb to make it to Oakland, it’s not totally unbelievable that he could get a cup of coffee in 2023 if he continues to play this well, but the most likely outcome is 2024.

Mason Miller - RHP (A’s no. 20)

A third-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, Mason Miller’s path to a pro career has had more ups and downs than the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2018, Miller had to undergo a complete overhaul of his physique, resulting in the taut 6’5”, 220 lb frame he resides in now. A true power-pitcher, Miller features a 70-80 grade fastball that touches 100 mph, but he’s still working to find a consistent secondary pitch. Having missed the majority of 2022 due to injury (are you sensing a theme here?) and only amassing a few innings in 2021, Miller only has 20.0 IP under his belt in pro ball. It’s going to take a few years for Miller’s health and role to get sorted out, so don’t expect him to be in Oakland until at least 2025.

Colin Peluse - RHP (A’s no. 24)

Of the players sent to Arizona this fall by the A’s, Peluse might be the most “major league ready” - just don’t look at his 2022 ERA. Selected in the 9th round of the 2019 amateur draft, Peluse is another example of a player that used the time off during the lost 2020 MiLB season to get stronger and refine his mechanics. Over the last 2 seasons ranging from high-A to AAA, Peluse has recorded 221.1 innings to the tune of a 4.72 ERA. Featuring a decent three-pitch mix that is headlined by a fastball that reportedly sits 95-98, think of his fall campaign as an early 2023 tryout. If he has a strong showing in the AFL, and backs it up with a good Spring Training performance, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him in the 2023 Oakland A’s rotation at some point.

Michael Guldberg - OF

Drafted out of Georgia Tech in the 3rd round of the 2020 amateur draft, Guldberg is a contact and defense-first type of prospect in the outfield. His slight frame doesn’t lead to much power, but he makes up for it in speed. Due to injury, Guldberg has only played in 100 games over the last 2 MiLB seasons, but he has been productive when he has played, slashing .268/.350/.377with 24 extra-base hits and 15 steals in 19 attempts. His future is most likely as a fourth outfielder, but don’t expect him in Oakland until at least 2024.

With no money committed to their 2023 roster, and only a handful of players arbitration eligible this off-season, A’s could be in for another rough year in 2023. But looking beyond that, to 2024 and 2025, the A’s have a lot of promising young talent that could be key contributors on a competitive team by then. And don’t put it past Beane, Forst, and co. to use some of these prospects as trade pieces if the team competes earlier than scheduled. Either way you look at it, be patient A’s fans, the future isn’t too far away.

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For live updates on all of the latest A's-related happenings in the Arizona Fall League, follow Brandon Kuhn on Twitter @ThatBabyIsGone. Brandon will be be on-site at Mesa Solar Sox games on Thursday and Saturday this week. Don't miss out!