by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 14, 2025
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (Triple-A)
Record: 10-5
The A’s Triple-A affiliate has been hitting on all cylinders in the early going this season. The team is averaging 7.1 runs scored per game and boasts the best batting average (.296) and ERA (3.76) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Last year’s top draft pick for the A’s, Nick Kurtz, has been leading the way in the Las Vegas lineup. The 22-year-old first baseman leads the league in both home runs (7) and RBIs (22) and leads the Aviators in hits (22) and extra-base hits (13) while also boasting the team’s best OPS (1.226). Third baseman Brett Harris has also gotten off to a torrid start by batting .390 while putting up an OPS of 1.068. Outfielder Colby Thomas, who’s made all but two of his starts in right field this season, has continued his hard-hitting ways, collecting 7 extra-base hits in 14 games and posting a .528 slugging percentage, though he has struck out 18 times in his first 53 at-bats. While shortstop Darell Hernaiz is hitting just .250, he does lead the team with 7 doubles and has drawn 11 walks while striking out just 4 times in his first 15 games. Former 1st-round pick Logan Davidson, who’s been seeing most of his time at second base, is batting .356 and leads the league with an on-base percentage of .500. Veteran minor league free agent signee catcher Willie MacIver has made a good first impression by batting .361 with an OPS of .897. Another veteran minor league free agent signee, outfielder Drew Avans, who has taken over in center field since Denzel Clarke landed on the injured list last week, leads the league with 18 runs scored and leads the team with 4 stolen bases. He’s also second only to Kurtz on the squad in hits (17), home runs (4) and RBIs (16). Denzel Clarke had gone 7 for 18 in his first 6 games before he then went 0 for 12 and ended up on the injured list with a shoulder issue. The Aviators have also boasted the best pitching staff in the PCL over the first couple weeks of the season. RHP J.T. Ginn was dominant in a pair of starts before by being summoned to the big leagues. Since then, LHP Jacob Lopez, who was acquired from Tampa Bay in the offseason, has been the top starter on the staff, posting a 2.45 ERA while averaging 13.5 K/9 through his first 3 appearances. RHP Gunnar Hoglund has also been solid, putting up a 3.45 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP in his first 3 starts. But the bullpen has been truly outstanding for the Aviators. RHP Grant Holman has allowed just 1 hit through 6 1/3 scoreless innings, while RHP Tanner Dodson has tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames, and LHP Matt Krook has notched 13 strikeouts through 8 1/3 scoreless innings, while LHP Ben Bowden has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless frames for Las Vegas.
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS (Double-A)
Record: 3-6
While the RockHounds have often boasted a roster full of top prospects in recent years, the team is a little lighter on promising prospects this year. The lineup has really been lacking some pop in the early going this season, and team is batting just .214 with a slugging percentage of .332 through its first 9 games. The top hitting prospect in Midland, 21-year-old outfielder Henry Bolte, has gotten off to a strong start by slashing .333/.405/.455. And most impressively, after leading the system with 189 strikeouts last year, he’s struck out just 6 times in his first 33 at-bats this season. The A’s 17th-round draft pick in 2023, second baseman Colby Halter, has been a bit of a pleasant surprise in the early going and is leading the squad with a .357 batting average. Shortstop Euribiel Angeles is hitting .273, but Bolte, Halter and Angeles are the only members of the squad currently batting above .232. The team’s top pitching prospect, RHP Luis Morales, has posted an ERA of 5.68 over his first pair of starts, and the other members of the starting staff have all struggled a bit in the early going as well. The bullpen’s been a different story though, where RHPs Colin Peluse and Edgar Sanchez and LHPs David Leal and Colton Johnson have combined to throw 12 1/3 scoreless innings for the Hounds.
LANSING LUGNUTS (High-A)
Record: 4-5
Lansing’s pitching staff has been a little shaky in the early going this season. The staff has compiled a team ERA of 5.01 with a WHIP of 1.63 while averaging 5.6 BB/9. Last year’s 11th-round draft pick for the A’s, RHP Kyle Robinson, has looked sharp, posting a 1.27 ERA through his first pair of appearances, as has 25-year-old Cuban RHP Yunior Tur, who allowed just 1 run and struck out 6 through 4 frames in his first start. LHP Gage Jump has given up 6 earned runs in his first 6 innings of work, but he has notched 11 strikeouts. In the bullpen, RHP Hunter Breault has tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings, while RHP Mark Adamiak has thrown 6 scoreless frames for the Lugnuts. Lansing’s lineup has done a good job of getting on base but hasn’t shown a lot of power. The lone exception is last year’s 4th-round pick for the A’s, center fielder Rodney Green, who’s hit all 4 of the team’s home runs this season, including a game-tying grand slam in Sunday’s game, and is sporting a slugging percentage of .537. Outfielder Nate Nankil is slashing .355/.444/.452, while fellow outfielder Jared Dickey boasts an on-base percentage of .462. Along with the trio of outfielders, the team’s catching corps has also been leading Lansing’s offensive attack. Switch-hitting catcher Cole Conn is currently slashing .500/.619/.688 in 21 plate appearances, while receiver CJ Rodriguez is boasting an on-base percentage of .476 in his first 5 games, and backstop Nick Schwartz has gone 3 for 8 in a pair of appearances for the Lugnuts. Last year’s 2nd-round pick, third baseman Tommy White, is 4 for 35 through 9 games, while last year’s 3rd-round pick, shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, had gone 4 for 12 before landing on the injured list early last week.
STOCKTON PORTS (Single-A)
Record: 5-4
The young Ports pitching staff has looked impressive in the early going this season, posting the best ERA (2.64) and WHIP (0.99) in the eight-team California League. The staff also leads the league with 109 strikeouts through 81 2/3 innings. 21-year-old Taiwanese RHP Tzu-Chen Sha and 20-year-old Venezuelan RHP Jefferson Jean combined on a no-hitter the first weekend of play. Sha has thrown 9 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts, while Jean has thrown 8 scoreless frames with 12 strikeouts. 19-year-old Taiwanese LHP Wei-En Lin has also impressed, allowing just 1 run with 15 strikeouts in 8 innings, as has 2023’s 5th-round pick, RHP Nathan Dettmer, who’s allowed 1 earned run with 15 strikeouts in 9 frames. In the bullpen, Alejandro Manzano, Donny Troconis, Brayan Restituyo, Riley Huge and Luke Anderson have combined to throw 13 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for Stockton. The Ports lineup hasn’t shown much pop though, batting just .208 with a slugging percentage of .311 through the first 9 games. Shortstop Ali Camarillo has been one of the team’s top hitters. Last year’s 12th-round pick for the A’s is slashing .342/.390/.526 while batting out of the leadoff spot for Stockton. Infielder/outfielder C.J. Pittaro, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, has been a pleasant surprise, putting up a slash line of .400/.516/.520 in 25 at-bats. Meanwhile, last year’s 10th-round pick, outfielder Cameron Leary, leads the California League with 7 stolen bases.
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