Oakland Athletics Roundup: Prospect Updates; Jonathan Lucroy Rumors

Several A’s Prospects In the News; A’s Inquired About Jonathan Lucroy
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Thursday, January 21

The Oakland Athletics haven’t been very busy lately, but their prospects are getting a lot of attention:

• Baseball America released their pre-season rankings on Wednesday, naming the Athletics’ top 10 prospects. Surprisingly, left-hander Sean Manaea was ranked second on their list. He falls behind 19-year-old shortstop Franklin Barreto, who had a strong debut season with the A’s after coming over in the Josh Donaldson trade. Other notable names on the list include Matt Olson and Chad Pinder, ranked sixth and seventh, respectfully. Aside from Manaea, lefty Dillon Overton and right-hander Casey Meisner were the only other pitchers on the list. There were four shortstops altogether, but the only player with even part-time outfield experience was Olson. If the A’s make any midseason trades, outfield prospects would be a good start.

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• Prospect Rangel Ravelo came in third in MVP voting in the Venezuelan Winter League. Ravelo, who played for the Cardenales de Lara, batted .391/.529/.632 in 29 games, walking 25 times and hitting five home runs. The 23-year-old corner infielder did not crack Baseball America’s Top Ten A’s Prospects list, but he is someone to keep an eye on going forward.

• Sean Manaea landed on MLB Prospect Pipeline’s Top Ten Left-Handed Pitchers list on Wednesday, coming in eighth behind blockbuster names like Julio Urias, Blake Snell and Steven Matz. Will he make the major league roster this season? It seems almost certain that he’ll start the year in the minors, but it’s probable that he’ll join the team before September callups, depending on how they play.

Outside of prospects making pre-season noise, the Athletics’ front office drew some attention, as well. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the A’s had inquired about Milwaukee Brewers’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy. They ultimately determined that the asking price was too high, but it is an interesting piece of information, given that Stephen Vogt is coming off of an All-Star season.

In Case You Missed It:

A’s Prospect to Watch: Sean Manaea – Samantha Riley profiles left-handed pitching prospect Sean Manaea, who as mentioned above, was recently ranked the #8 left-handed pitching prospect in Major League Baseball. Not a bad steal for half a season of Ben Zobrist.

Brothers That Have Played for the A’s  – Think the Bash Brothers are the only “siblings” to ever play for the A’s? Think again. Staff writer Rich Paloma details six sets of actual brothers who have all spent time in an Oakland uniform.

Is Designated Hitter By Committee the Best Approach for 2016? – Everyone assumes that the A’s will need to find a way to cut down on Billy Butler‘s playing time this season, but how will they fill their designated hitter spot if they do? Samantha Riley takes a look at one possibility: DH by committee.

#Athletics

Next: The Top 50 Players in Oakland Athletics History

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