Susac’s first ‘No-Doubter’ of the season
Spring Training is now in high gear and we are less than a week away from the first pitch in Arizona. Today, we announce the leading vote-getter in the battle for the 16th spot, catcher Daniel Susac. Susac, who grew up in nearby Roseville graduated from Jesuit High School before attending two years at the University of Arizona. He was the Oakland Athletics first round pick in the amateur draft, taken number 19 overall. He played the entire 2024 season for the Midland RockHounds in the AA Texas League. Susac is a non-roster invitee to the A’s major league camp in Mesa.
2024 stats (AA): 370 PA, .257/.300/.434, 19 doubles, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 16 BB, 96 K, 7 SB
Our new candidate is an exciting international signing Ayden Johnson. Johnson is a 17-year-old shortstop out of the Bahamas. The 6-foot-2 180 pounder comes with a ton of hype and appears highly polished for his young age.
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
- Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
- If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
- If you wish to nominate a prospect for the next round, clearly comment, “Nomination: (player)” and fellow readers will upvote your comment.
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A’s fans top prospects, ranked:
1. Jacob Wilson, SS
2. Nick Kurtz, 1B
3. Luis Morales, RHP
4. Denzel Clarke, OF
5. Max Muncy, SS
6. Colby Thomas, OF
7. Mason Barnett, RHP
8. Jack Perkins, RHP
9. Henry Bolte, OF
10. Steven Echavarria, RHP
11. Tommy White, 3B
12. JT Ginn, RHP
13. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
14. Gage Jump, LHP
15. Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang
16. Daniel Susac, C
The voting continues now! Here’s a quick rundown on each one — the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline (last updated mid-2024).
Nominees on the current ballot:
Grant Holman, RHP
Expected level: MLB | Age 24
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 0.55 ERA, 48 2⁄3 IP, 54 K, 22 BB, 1 HR, 3.13 FIP
2024 stats (MLB): 4.02 ERA, 15 2⁄3 IP, 16 K, 9 BB, 1 HR, 3.87 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Splitter: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
Much of Holman’s step forward this season has come simply as a result of being healthy and getting regular reps. He’s always had pretty electric stuff and has finally gotten the opportunity to harness it. It starts with a fastball that sits around 95 mph with excellent life, which misses a good amount of bats. He backs it up with sharp low-80s slider that can also be an out pitch at times, and he still employs a splitter as his changeup, though he doesn’t use it as often as a short reliever.
Holman has long had a bulldog mentality on the bump and likes to attack hitters, something that serves him well in the back end of the bullpen. He also doesn’t have to worry about pinpoint command and the hope is it gives him a better chance of staying on the mound. The 2021 Draft has already produced several big leaguers and prospects — including current A’s closer Mason Miller — and it’s not hard to see Holman joining Miller in a setup type role in the near future.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS
Expected level: Double-A | Age 22
2024 stats (A,A+,AAA): 108 PA, .324/.421/.343, 2 doubles, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 12 BB, 9 K, 5 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Compact, strong and athletic, Kuroda-Grauer does a lot of things well from the right side of the plate. He almost never strikes out and seldom swings and misses, combining his contact skills with an advanced approach that points toward becoming at least an above-average hitter in the future. Utilizing an upright stance and a simple swing, he works counts and makes good swing decisions. There hasn’t been a ton of pop yet, but there is some belief he could grow into 15-homer power in the future.
While he’s not a burner, Kuroda-Grauer does run well and can steal some bases. Because of his above-average hands and actions to go along with a good internal clock, he has the chance to stick at shortstop, even though he has an arm that is just average. He could be a plus defender at second base should a move be necessary, but it’s those bat-to-ball attributes the A’s will be banking to carry him to the big leagues.
Brady Basso, LHP
Expected level: AAA | Age 27
2024 stats (AA,AAA): 4.55 ERA, 93 IP, 109 K, 25 BB, 18 HR, 4.79 FIP
2024 stats (MLB): 4.03 ERA, 22 1⁄3 IP, 19 K, 5 BB, 3 HR, 3.88 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
There was a point earlier in his career when Basso was hitting 98 mph with his fastball. Nowadays, he tops out around 94 with the heater to go along with a wipeout curveball in the mid-70s, cutter in the mid-80s that generates ground balls and swing-and-miss and a changeup that continues to improve. That gives him a solid lefty starter mix.
Basso is mechanically sound on the mound with good control, which is evident by his low walk totals. Now on the 40-man roster, he will look to stay healthy and potentially earn a chance to appear in the A’s starting rotation at some point this season.
Rodney Green, OF
Expected level: A | Age 21
2024 stats (A): 108 PA, .289/.368/.464, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 30 K, 9 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40
Green possesses an exciting power-speed combination, but enthusiasm is dampened by his propensity to swing-and-miss. There’s a ton of raw pop for him to tap into, and while he started turning on pitches and hitting balls out to his pull side as a sophomore, the left-handed hitter might be at his best when he lets the ball travel and he drives it the opposite way, something he did last fall. There was hope that was a sign of an improved hit tool, but his strikeout rate hovered around 28 percent in 2024. His unorthodox mechanics at the plate — he doesn’t use his lower half – have continued to hamper him.
Green is an easily plus runner, the kind of long strider who is even better underway. That helps him cover a lot of ground and could give him a chance to play center field, though some scouts think he might be better suited to left, and he’s worked hard to build his arm strength from well below average in high school to average now. There’s still a lot of ceiling here, but the lack of consistent contact will be a hurdle to overcome.
Ayden Johnson, SS
Expected level: Rookie | Age 17
Signed out of the Bahamas on January 20th
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Equipped with MLB-level physicality at a young age, Johnson fits the mold of a bat-first young prospect evaluators can dream on. He starts from a clean right-handed setup at the plate and then unleashes a fast and crisp bat path, which enables him to pepper the ball to all fields. His mental acumen earns high marks as well. He has keyed in on the zone as he has matured, beginning to hunt his pitch to do extra damage.
While reps at shortstop in the pro ranks are precious (and some evaluators see a move to either the hot corner or the keystone as likely), Johnson’s athleticism will allow him to stick at the spot for now. A solid-if-unspectacular runner, he is rock steady up the middle, forgoing defensive flash for consistent actions.
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