The votes are in and Brennan Milone is the latest addition to the Athletics Nation Community Prospect list for the end of the 2023 season. Milone outdistanced Cole Miller to take the 24th spot on the list. Lazaro Armenteros wins the latest nomination and joins the vote for the final round.
Here is a look at the complete list:
- Tyler Soderstrom, C/1B
- Zack Gelof, 2B
- Mason Miller, RHP
- Lawrence Butler, OF
- Darrel Hernaiz, INF
- Denzel Clarke, OF
- Daniel Susac, C
- Jacob Wilson, INF
- Max Muncy, INF
- Joey Estes, RHP
- Luis Morales, RHP
- Henry Bolte, OF
- Joe Boyle, RHP
- Colby Thomas, OF
- Freddy Tarnok, RHP
- Royber Salinas, RHP
- Steven Echavarria, RHP
- Brett Harris, INF
- Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
- Ryan Cusick, RHP
- Cooper Bowman, INF
- Myles Naylor, 3B
- Junior Perez, OF
- Brennan Milone, 3B
Here is the process:
- Five nominees will appear on the ballot. The one who receives the most votes earns the top spot in the CPL while the remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by the next nominee.
- In the comments, commenters will nominate a player to be put onto the ballot for the next round. After the first nomination for a player has been put in, all other votes for that player will come from Rec’ing that comment. The player with the most Rec’s earns the nomination.
- The format for the comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
- 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 players should rank.
Brady Basso
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
A 6-foot-2 southpaw, Brasso still has the repertoire to give him the chance to start. In his first season back, he’s been 92-95 mph with his fastball, filling up the strike zone consistently with his heater. He has a wipeout mid-70s curve and a Zito-esque breaker could be an out pitch, but he throws his mid-80s cutter even more, and while it doesn’t miss bats at the same rate as the curve, it’s generates groundball contact along with a fair share of swings-and-misses.
His fourth pitch is his changeup, and while it’s below-average right now, he’s shown some improvement with the offspeed offering and needs to commit to throwing it more consistently. He’s thrown strikes with all of his pitches in his return to the mound, and while he’s more control over command, his solid mechanics should improve the further removed from surgery he gets. He’s gone from forgotten arm to a guy who could land on the 40-man roster during the offseason.
Jack Perkins
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
Perkins has an intriguing power arsenal that potentially gives him the chance to start. He throws his fastball in the 93-97 mph range and backs it up with a hard 82-84 mph breaking ball that’s a bit of a hybrid offering. It tends to have more curve shape than slider, but can have different characteristics depending on when you see it, and it misses a ton of bats. His cutter, which tops out at 91 mph, gives hitters another look.
The right-hander threw more strikes as part of the Hoosiers rotation in 2022, but the walk rate was still too high to think of him as a legitimate starting pitching prospect. He’s made more strides on that front so far as a pro, and if that trend continues, his good raw stuff gives him the chance to potentially pitch in the back of a rotation.
Kyle McCann
Hit 30/40 | Game Power 35/50 | Raw Power 60/60 | Speed 30/30 | Field 40/45 | FV 40
Baseball America Scouting Report from 2021
The A’s labeled McCann as one of their biggest risers at the alternate site, a welcome development after he struggled mightily in his pro debut. Massive all-fields power is McCann’s calling card, albeit with limited contact. He has a tendency to get pull-happy at times and projects as no more than a below-average hitter. It was strides he made defensively that impressed the A’s the most. He showed an increased attention to detail and a willingness to improve his blocking, mobility and receiving. Those developments lead the A’s to believe he could still develop into an adequate defensive catcher. He also plays an average first base right now.
2023 Season
Hit .270/.351/.474 with 17 home runs and a 97 wRC+ in 97 games for Las Vegas, but struck out 125 times in 388 plate appearances which equates to a 32.3% strikeout rate.
Cole Miller
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45
The 6-foot-6 Miller has a loose, though not super-fast arm, one that delivered a consistently better repertoire this past spring. His fastball has excellent movement down in the zone and he was up to 96 mph with the pitch. His slider has also gotten better with more consistent action as an 81-84 mph short, hard breaking ball. He has feel for a low-80s changeup as well.
There’s belief that Miller could have a plus heater and two above-average secondary offerings in the future, with the chance to become a durable innings-eater in a big league rotation. He’s around the strike zone and is super-competitive on the mound. The fact that his father, Mike, played in the NFL doesn’t hurt in terms of dreaming of what he can do athletically.
Lazaro Armenteros
Hit 20/30 | Game Power 35/55 | Raw Power 60/60 | Speed 60/55 | Field 40/45 | Throws 40/40 | FV 35+
Armenteros split the 2023 season between High A and Double A this season. He put together a 199 wRC+ at High A and a good 124 wRC+ in over 400 plate appearances at Double A. He was able to cut his strikeout rate significantly this season, but it is still very high for the level at 32.8%. The walk rates are good, but he is 24 years old and if he is going to make a move, it will need to come soon.
Lazaro’s strikeout rate is lower than last season, but that’s only because last year it was in the mid-40s. Oakland can ill-afford for their high-bonus international misses to be this big.
Armenteros last appeared on Baseball America’s A’s Top 30 list back in 2021. Here is what they had to say about him then:
Armenteros has tantalizing plus raw power and speed. The issue is he rarely gets to that plus raw power. Armenteros’ swing doesn’t stay in the strike zone very long and he has struggled with pitch recognition, especially on breaking balls. He often swings wildly and is an easy out for pitchers who can land a breaking ball in the zone. Armenteros’ speed does play when he gets on base and helps him play an average outfield, although he’s limited to left field because of a below-average arm.
Vote in the comments below for your favorite by Rec’ing his “Vote: (Player Name): comment and post your nomination for the next round