Feb 24, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics player Michael Choice poses for a picture during photo day at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Every Thursday, Swingin’ A’s will unveil a top Oakland A’s prospect. Starting from number 10 and finishing with number 1, be sure to stop by every Thursday to see who makes the list of the Top 10 Oakland A’s prospects. This week marks the end of our list as we turn our attention to Oakland’s No.1 prospect Michael Choice. Choice was taken in the first-round of the 2010 draft by the Athletics.

The list is complete. Outfielder Michael Choice is No.1 on our list of Top 10 A’s Prospects for 2012 and for good reason. The A’s former first-round draft pick is essentially the team’s best offensive player right now in the minor leagues and boasts good power potential for the power-hungry Athletics.

He easily outshines fellow-prospects Chris Carter and Michael Taylor with his pure athleticism and should have no problem moving up the ranks of an A’s organization that doesn’t offer many pure power hitters.

He offers speed that will help him cover ground in the outfield and has a pretty strong (and accurate) throwing arm. The 22 year-old outfielder has also shown great power since arriving with the Athletics, as he hit .266/.377/.587 with 7 HR and 26 RBIs in 2010.

Last year, Choice flexed a little more muscle and hit .285/.376/.542 with 30 HR and 82 RBIs in 118 games with the Stockton Ports. My only beef with Choice are his strikeouts. He had 134 of them last year in Class-A Stockton and that’s definitely cause for concern.

He had a strikeout percentage of 24.7% last year with Stockton but still managed to get his share of walks. He posted a 11.3 BB% last year with Stockton.

He may never hit .300 in the big leagues, but Choice should have his share of home runs and walks once he reaches the majors.

For the Athletics, power like Choice’s is not easy to come by. They’ve had to rely on cheap sources of power (a la Frank Thomas in ’06, Jack Cust, and more recently, Manny Ramirez) and haven’t exactly had the greatest luck in developing some of their own homegrown sources of power (a la Carter and Taylor).

Choice’s development, then, becomes increasingly important. The A’s haven’t been competitive in years, but with guys like Choice on the horizon, the team is hoping their recent misfortunes will change. The team has assembled, for the most part, a pretty decent set of young players over the last few years, including the set of prospects hauled in this winter.

Judging by the list we’ve assembled over the last few weeks, the A’s have a few players who, in a few years, could become major players for what will hopefully be a playoff contending team.

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June 24, 2011; Omaha, NE, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores pitcher Sonny Gray (2) throws against the Florida Gators during the 2011 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE

Every Thursday, Swingin’ A’s will unveil a top Oakland A’s prospect. Starting from number 10 and finishing with number 1, be sure to stop by every Thursday to see who makes the list of the Top 10 Oakland A’s prospects. We turn our attention now to former 1st-round draft pick Sonny Gray. Some people have their doubts about the 5-foot-11 righty, while others, like myself, see Gray as Tim Hudson, 2.0.

After spending some time drafting hitters like Grant Green and Michael Choice in previous drafts, the A’s decided to go with a pitcher with their first-round pick last year. Taken 18th overall in the 2011 draft, right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray was drafted by the Oakland Athletics.

Gray, 22, is often pegged down due to his “smaller-frame,” but the A’s drafted him in the first-round for a reason. Despite his smaller frame, Gray knows how to pitch. Gray’s stuff forces you to look beyond his smaller frame and more directly on his abilities as a pitcher.

The former Vanderbilt Commodore, Gray owns a power fastball with good movement that can also reach up to 94-95 mph. He pitches aggressively early in the count, and is not afraid to use his breaking ball to get hitters to swing and miss. Gray also has a developing changeup that he’s showing more faith in. A little more seasoning in the minors and his changeup could become an effective pitch in his arsenal.

Command wise, there are some issues with Gray. The 5-foot-11 righty has drawn extensive criticism for his mechanics, especially with his arm movement. Frankie Piliere of Scout.com, notes that there is some concern regarding Gray’s arm action; there’s some roughness with Gray’s arm action that could potentially be a problem.

However, the A’s are confident that Gray’s athleticism will help him overcome his lack of height. At 5-foot-11, Gray is hardly a towering pitcher, but he is physically strong and durable.

Gray did make an appearance last year in Double-A with the Rock Hounds, going 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA in five starts. He put in 20.0 innings of work and recorded 18 strikeouts while walking six.

He’ll likely start this year in Double-A, but he could be with the A’s as soon as 2013. There are concerns with his size and mechanics, but the former Vanderbilt Commodore has strong work ethic and great athleticism to overcome those concerns. Some see Gray better suited as a reliever in the bullpen, but the A’s didn’t waste a first-round draft pick on a reliever.

The A’s drafted Gray as a starter. The righty has the ability to pitch and has the raw stuff that forces you to take notice of his abilities rather than focus solely on his size.

Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.

The Offer's On The Table: Oakland offered salary arbitration to OF's Josh Willingham & David DeJesus (Photo Credit: Ben Margot/AP)

The A’s have officially offered salary arbitration to their free agent outfielders Josh Willingham and David DeJesus. Both Willingham and DeJesus have until November 30 to accept arbitration, but it’s expected that Oakland, a team mired in a complex stadium problem, will lose both their free agent outfielders this winter.

Willingham was acquired by Oakland last winter in a deal with the Washington Nationals. A’s general manager Billy Beane scored pretty big this past season with Willingham, as the veteran outfielder posted career highs in both home runs (29) and RBIs (98).

Willingham proved to be Oakland’s best offensive player this year and it’s expected that he’ll get plenty of offers from other clubs this winter. Time to get rid of those Willingham jerseys, assuming you actually purchased one this season.

DeJesus, meanwhile, didn’t meet Oakland’s expectations this year. (more…)