A’s Farm Notes: Thomas, Bolte, Perez & Morales All Impressing in Season’s 1st Quarter

by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
May 19, 2025

 
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS (Triple-A)

Record: 30-15

The Aviators currently boast the best record in the Pacific Coast League, while the team also has the best ERA and the best OPS in the league. Outfielder Colby Thomas, whose 80 extra-base hits were the most by any minor league hitter last season, has picked up right where he left off last year. The 24-year-old slugger currently leads the squad with 22-extra-base hits and 34 RBIs in 41 games while sporting a .550 slugging percentage, which is good for fifth-best in the Pacific Coast League. Center fielder Denzel Clarke has drawn 23 walks in 30 games, and his .442 on-base percentage is good for fourth-best in the league. He leads the squad with 3 triples and has shown his speed by swiping 7 bases, but he’s yet to homer this season. Outfielder Drew Avans has proven to be a real spark plug for the club. The Aviators’ leadoff hitter leads the squad with 53 hits, 36 runs and 13 stolen bases. The team’s catching corps has been a real dynamic duo at the plate this season. Former 1^st-round pick Daniel Susac is slashing .298/.378/.548 with 14 extra-base hits in his first 27 games, while minor league free agent signee Willie MacIver boasts the best batting average (.389) and on-base percentage (.469) among all qualified hitters in the PCL. Max Muncy, who’s primarily been playing third base, has been hitting well since returning to Las Vegas, posting a slash line of .299/.360/506 for the Aviators. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz leads the squad with 13 doubles while drawing 25 walks against just 24 strikeouts in 42 games this season. Since second baseman Cooper Bowman returned from the injured list, he’s posted an on-base percentage of .418 through his first 18 games of action. Former 1^st-round pick Logan Davidson has primarily been playing first base since Bowman’s return, and he currently leads the league with 35 walks, while his .448 on-base percentage is tied for second-best in the league. On the pitching side of things, LHP Jacob Lopez has looked impressive for the Aviators, posting a 2.33 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27 innings for Las Vegas. Since returning from the injured list, RHP Jack Perkins has shown improved command, notching 23 strikeouts while issuing just 5 walks and posting a 4.08 in 17 2/3 innings this season. Meanwhile, another top pitching prospect, RHP Mason Barnett, has gotten off to a disappointing start in his first look at the Triple-A level. The 24-year-old righty has compiled a 7.28 ERA while allowing 8 home runs and issuing 26 walks in 38 1/3 innings of work for Las Vegas this season.

 
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS (Double-A)

Record: 23-16

The RockHounds are currently sporting the best record in the Texas League, while the team’s pitching staff has the best ERA in the league. Hard-throwing 22-year-old Cuban RHP Luis Morales, who Francys Romero and Martin Gallegos have reported is being promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, has looked dominant through his first 8 starts at Double-A this season. Showing much better command and an improved changeup to go along with his blazing fastball, the prized prospect has put up a 2.98 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP while notching 53 strikeouts in 42 1/3 frames for Midland. RHP Kade Morris has also been solid, posting a 2.54 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP while recording 39 strikeouts in 39 innings for the RockHounds. LHP Gage Jump was recently promoted to Midland from Lansing, and he proceeded to throw 6 shutout innings in his Double-A debut last week. Meanwhile, outfielders Henry Bolte and Junior Perez, who’ve been leading Midland’s offensive attack, both appear to have taken big steps forward this season. The 21-year-old Bolte leads the squad with 45 hits and 15 stolen bases. He also has the fifth-best batting average (.313), the sixth-best on-base percentage (.409) and the sixth-best OPS (.909) among qualified hitters in the Texas League. The 23-year-old Perez was re-signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason by the A’s, who worked with him to make some adjustments at the plate in the spring, and he’s looked like a new player this season. Perez currently leads the Texas League with 19 extra-base hits and is tied for the league lead with 10 home runs while also sporting a league-best slugging percentage of .575 among qualified hitters. 2023’s 17^th-round draft pick, second baseman Colby Halter, has been a pleasant surprise for Midland this season. The 23-year-old currently leads the league with a .331 batting average while also leading the team with an on-base percentage of .418.

 
LANSING LUGNUTS (High-A)

Record: 23-16

The Lugnuts have the third-best record in the 12-team Midwest League. While the pitching staff has generally been somewhere around the middle of the pack, the team has done a great job of getting runners on base. The Lansing lineup currently boasts the second-best batting average and on-base percentage in the league. Last year’s 2^nd-round pick, third baseman Tommy White, who’s hitting .311, was really starting to get hot before landing on the injured list after lacerating his knee while chasing after a foul ball. Despite missing some time due to a groin injury, last year’s 3^rd-round pick, shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, is tied for the team lead with 10 doubles while batting .274. Last year’s 4^th-round pick, outfielder Rodney Green has been showing his power and speed with 6 home runs and 8 stolen bases, but he’s hitting just .181 with 50 strikeouts in 138 at-bats. 2023’s 2^nd-round pick, outfielder Ryan Lasko, recently returned to action after starting the season on the injured list and has gone 5 for 15 with 6 walks in his first week of play. Before his recent promotion to Midland, LHP Gage Jump was the star of the pitching staff with a 2.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 31 innings of work. Last year’s 11^th-round draft pick, RHP Kyle Robinson, has been solid with a 3.35 ERA through his first 40 1/3 innings, while Cuban righty Yunior Tur has posted a 3.50 ERA while averaging 8.5 K/9 for Lansing. In the bullpen, RHP Blaze Pontes has allowed just 3 runs through 18 1/3 innings of work, while RHP Mark Adamiak leads the squad with 6 saves for the Lugnuts.

 
STOCKTON PORTS (Single-A)

Record: 19-20

The team’s top two hitters in the early going were shortstop Ali Camarillo and outfielder Pedro Pineda. But since Camarillo landed on the injured list with a quad injury and Pineda went on the IL with a wrist injury, Stockton’s offense has gone into a steep slide, and the team’s .218 batting average is currently worst in the California League. Catcher Carlos Franco has been leading the lineup lately with a .312 batting average, while last year’s 10^th-round draft pick, outfielder Cameron Leary, leads the team in home runs with 7 and stolen bases with 20, but he also has a .199 batting average and 47 strikeouts in 146 at-bats. Myles Naylor, who’s primarily been playing third base this season, is second on the team with 6 home runs, but he’s batting just .189 and has struck out 64 times in 132 at-bats. The Ports’ young pitching staff has been solid though with the third-best ERA and WHIP and the second-best K/9 in the league. A pair of Taiwanese pitching prospects have been standouts on the Stockton staff. 21-year-old RHP Tzu-Chen Sha has 42 strikeouts with just 3 walks and a 1.93 ERA over 28 innings, while 19-year-old LHP Wei-En Lin has 50 strikeouts with just 3 walks and a 3.48 ERA in 33 2/3 innings of work. 19-year-old Venezuelan RHP Donny Troconis has a minuscule 0.86 ERA and 0.70 WHIP through 31 1/3 innings, while 20-year-old Dominican RHP Jefferson Jean has put up a 3.16 ERA while averaging 9.8 K/9 for Stockton this season.
 

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