by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
June 23, 2025
Now that we’re halfway through the minor league season, it’s a good time to take a look at some of the A’s prospects who’ve been the top performers on the field at each position in the first half of the season…
CATCHER
Daniel Susac (LV)
The A’s 1st-round pick in 2022 really seems to be putting it all together at Las Vegas this season. The 24-year-old receiver’s 10 home runs tie him for second-most among A’s minor leaguers, while his .297 batting average and .918 OPS are both bests among current Aviators with at least 100 at-bats. The big backstop is batting .327 over his last 31 games in May and June, and he boasts a strong arm behind the plate as well.
FIRST BASEMAN
T.J. Schofield-Sam (LAN)
2019’s 12th-round pick for the A’s has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the A’s system this season. He’s currently leading the Midwest League with a batting average of .350 while also boasting the second-best on-base percentage (.431) and OPS (.946) in the league among qualified hitters. He leads the Lugnuts in hits (83), runs (46) and RBIs (37) and, remarkably, has been hit by pitches 22 times in 62 games this season.
SECOND BASEMAN
Colby Halter (MID)
2023’s 17th-round pick for the A’s has been another pleasant surprise this season. Halter has been a real table-setter atop the Hounds’ lineup this year. The 23-year-old infielder leads all A’s minor leaguers with 5 triples, is tied for the team lead with 37 runs, and his 16 stolen bases and .372 on-base percentage are both second-best on the squad. Infielder Euribiel Angeles, whom Halter has split time with at second base, has also performed well for the RockHounds this season.
SHORTSTOP
Darell Hernaiz (LV)
The 23-year-old infielder has really improved his patience at the plate while serving as the Aviators’ primary shortstop this season. Hernaiz has already drawn 40 walks (second-most on the squad) against just 41 strikeouts in 71 games for Las Vegas. His .382 on-base percentage is third-best among current Aviators with at least 100 at-bats, while his 19 doubles are tops on the team. He’s second on the squad in hits (81) and runs (51), and he’s swiped 8 bases this season without being caught.
THIRD BASEMAN
Brett Harris (LV/ACL)
Despite missing time due to two different stints on the IL, the A’s 7th-round pick in 2021 has performed exceptionally well in 27 games for the Aviators this season. Harris is sporting a slash line of .326/.407/.547 with 5 home runs and just 16 strikeouts in 95 at-bats for Las Vegas, and his .954 OPS is tops among all current Aviators.
RIGHT FIELDER
Colby Thomas (LV)
2022’s 3rd-round pick for the A’s has been one of the most potent power hitters in the system over the past two seasons. The 24-year-old outfielder leads all A’s minor leaguers with 17 home runs and leads the Pacific Coast League in hits (86), extra-base hits (37), total bases (159), runs (58) and RBIs (66). He’s also sporting a slugging percentage of .548, which is best among A’s minor leaguers with at least 150 at-bats. Thomas’s 86 strikeouts this season are fifth-most in the PCL.
CENTER FIELDER
Pedro Pineda (STK/ACL)
After signing with the A’s in 2021 as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic for a reported $2.5 million bonus, Pineda mostly struggled in pro ball. Prior to this year, he’d hit just .194 with 6 home runs in 449 at-bats over parts of three seasons with Stockton, but Pineda seems to be starting to put it all together with the Ports in 2025. Despite missing a month and a half with a wrist injury, the 21-year-old is tied for the team lead with 8 home runs in just 89 at-bats, while his .629 slugging percentage and 1.011 OPS are both tops on the squad.
LEFT FIELDER
Carlos Cortes (LV)
The 27-year-old former 3rd-round pick of the Mets, who was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, has really turned on the power for the Aviators this season. His 26 extra-base hits and 48 RBIs are second only to Thomas among A’s minor leaguers. His 10 home runs are tied for second-most in the system, he’s put up a .524 slugging percentage this season, and he’s sporting an OPS of .988 through 20 games during the month of June.
UTILITY
Logan Davidson (LV)
The A’s 1st-round pick in 2019 finally got his first look at the big leagues with the A’s this year after doing a great job of getting on base while primarily appearing at first, second and third for the Aviators this season. The versatile 27-year-old leads Las Vegas with 49 walks, while his .438 on-base percentage is best among all qualified hitters in the Pacific Coast League.
LEFT-HANDED STARTING PITCHER
Gage Jump (MID/LAN)
Last year’s comp-round pick for the A’s has gotten off to a tremendous start in his pro debut this season. Jump started the year with High-A Lansing but pitched so well there that he was promoted to Midland in mid-May, and the 22-year-old lefty hasn’t missed a beat in Double-A. Jump has put up impressive numbers, posting a 1.94 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP while notching 86 strikeouts over a combined 69 2/3 innings of work and averaging 11.1 K/9 for Midland and Lansing this season. Jump has shown a solid slider and curve as well as a fastball that touches the high-90s, and he looks to be a fast riser.
RIGHT-HANDED STARTING PITCHER
Donny Troconis (STK)
Despite landing on the injured list just last week, the previously-unheralded 19-year-old Venezuelan righty has really put himself on the map with his performance for the Ports this season. Troconis currently boasts the best ERA (1.24) and WHIP (0.81) among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched in the California League this season. He’s allowed just 24 hits without surrendering a single home run in 50 2/3 innings of work so far this season. Troconis works with a cutter, a slider/curve and a fastball that can touch 96 mph. For a young pitcher, he’s shown good command, works efficiently and has a knack for inducing a lot of ground balls.
CLOSER
Mark Adamiak (LAN)
2022’s 15th-round pick for the A’s currently leads both the Midwest League and the A’s system with 11 saves. The 24-year-old righty has posted a 2.96 ERA, surrendered only a single home run, issued just 7 walks and notched 23 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings of work while failing to convert a save opportunity just once so far this season.
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