by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 21, 2025
-At 14-7, the A’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, are currently tied with Oklahoma City for the best record in the 10-team Pacific Coast League. The team’s powerful lineup leads the league in hits and runs while also boasting the best average (.296), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.492) in the league. Meanwhile, the pitching staff has been holding up its end as well by posting the best WHIP (1.27) and the second-best ERA (3.93) in the league.
-Last year’s top draft pick for the A’s, first baseman Nick Kurtz, has gotten off to a great start in his Triple-A debut with Las Vegas this season. He’s currently leading the Pacific Coast League with 7 home runs and 24 RBIs while batting .321 in his first 84 at-bats for the Aviators. His hot start already has some A’s fans calling for him to make his big league debut. But is Kurtz ready for the next step? According to A’s Special Assistant Grady Fuson, “He is Major League ready.”
–Denzel Clarke, who went 7 for 18 in his first 6 games this season before he then went 0 for 12 and ended up on the injured list with a shoulder issue, is expected to return from the IL this week for Las Vegas. Clarke’s combination of speed and power, along with his knack for chasing down balls in center field, has always made him an intriguing prospect. As far as Clarke’s abilities in the outfield go, A’s Director of Player Development Ed Sprague claims, “The defense is Gold Glove right now.”
-Third baseman Brett Harris landed back on the injured list last week after spraining his thumb. After starting the season on the IL due to a strained oblique he suffered during spring training, Harris got off to a hot start at Las Vegas by slashing .373/.459/.627 in 51 at-bats for the Aviators. According to Sprague, “He was playing probably the best he’s played since we’ve had him. The ball was jumping off his bat. He was playing, on both sides of the ball, probably as good as we’ve seen.”
-RHP Gunnar Hoglund, a former 1st-round draft pick by the Blue Jays, has gotten off to a solid start this season, notching 20 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings while posting a 3.48 ERA for the Aviators. His command has always been strong but, in spring training, he also showed increased velocity in the 96-97 mph range. According to Fuson, “He really opened the eyes of Mark Kotsay and the A’s staff in the spring.” And he expects Hoglund to get an opportunity with the big league staff at some point this season. According to Sprague, Hoglund has been throwing 93-94 mph at Las Vegas, while RHP Mason Barnett has been throwing 94-95mph for the Aviators.
-Prior to his recent promotion by the A’s, LHP Jacob Lopez looked sharp at Las Vegas. The southpaw, who was acquired from Tampa Bay along with Jeffrey Springs in the offseason, notched 22 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings while posting a 2.45 ERA for the Aviators. When he was originally acquired, the A’s envisioned Lopez as a potentially effective lefty who could give the team multiple innings out of the bullpen, and now we should get the chance to see how he performs in that role.
-RHP Jack Perkins has been considered one of the most promising pitchers in the A’s system. Unfortunately, he had to start the season on the injured list due to a hip issue. But fortunately, it’s not an elbow or shoulder issue. He’s yet to throw off a mound though, so it could still be a while before we have the opportunity to see Perkins back in action.
-Another one of the A’s top pitching prospects, RHP Luis Morales, turned in one his best performances since joining the A’s system in last Thursday’s game for Midland. The 22-year-old Cuban righty showed greatly improved command while notching 8 strikeouts and throwing 6 scoreless innings to earn the win for the RockHounds. Fuson says that Morales has made big improvements with his changeup and claims that, “He could be ready to take a big step forward this season.”
-21-year-old outfielder Henry Bolte’s combination of speed and power has always excited A’s brass, but his 189 strikeouts last season, which led the A’s system, could be considered a bit of a red flag. Bolte has gotten off to a solid start at the plate this season for Midland by slashing .275/.362/.412, but the best news could be that he’s managed to notch just 11 strikeouts through his first 51 at-bats. And if he can keep that up, then his path up the ladder could be swift.
-Last year’s 4th-round draft pick for the A’s, center fielder Rodney Green, promises to be an exciting prospect to watch. Fuson exclaimed, “He’s got a lot of power and a lot of speed!” Prior to last Thursday’s game, he’d hit all four of High-A Lansing’s home runs on the season. Green starred at Cal for three seasons, accumulating 34 home runs and 45 stolen bases in 554 at-bats while compiling a .946 OPS for the Bears.
-The Stockton Ports pitching staff has gotten off to an impressive start this season. The squad is headlined by a number of promising young international pitching prospects. And according to Fuson, 21-year-old Taiwanese RHP Tzu-Chen Sha and 20-year-old Dominican RHP Jefferson Jean, who combined on a no-hitter early this season, “have really made some big improvements this year.”
-The A’s top 2025 international signing, 18-year-old Japanese two-way player Shotaro Morii, generated a lot of excitement when he was signed last January for a reported $1.5 million. But he experienced some elbow issues as soon as he reported to the A’s minor league camp this spring. He has been swinging the bat at extended spring training in Arizona, but the elbow issue has kept him off the mound. He’ll likely be ready to hit when play begins in the Arizona Complex League during the first week of May. But, according to Sprague, “I think it’s going to be a while before he sees the mound…He has been able to swing the bat. He hit his first home run the other day…but we’re not going to rule out the pitching side. We just want to make sure that we take it slow and make sure his arm is in really good shape.” While many believe that the teenage prospect should continue his development as a two-player, Fuson, the long-time talent evaluator, believes that Morii’s best future prospects may be as a hitter and infielder.
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