Baseball America's Top Athletics Prospects 2011

With prospects being the main topic of discussion here, I figured I would start out with one of the top prospect lists for the A's. Baseball America posted their top 10 Athletics prospects list back in early December:

1. Grant Green (SS)
2. Chris Carter (1B/OF)
3. Michael Choice (OF)
4. Tyson Ross (SP)
5. Jemile Weeks (2B)
6. Max Stassi (C)
7. Aaron Shipman (OF)
8. Yordy Cabrera (SS)
9. Ian Krol (SP)
10. Michael Taylor (OF)

Over the coming posts, I am planning on looking at these players more in depth, but the system is a bit bare at the moment. The name that really jumps out at me is that of Michael Taylor.  He was the #2 prospect in the system last year, but clearly he struggled last year in Sacramento. He finished the year with a .272/.348/.392 line with 6 home runs, 78 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases. 

Grant Green is the clear gainer here, as well he should be after the season he had in Stockton. He finished the season with a .318/.363/.520 line with 20 home runs, 87 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. He probably had the best year of anyone on this list, and looks like he has quite a bit of upside.

The system is thinner than usual, but a lot of that comes from graduating players. Recent graduates to the Majors include Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Cliff Pennington. However, the system lost some of its depth with the retirement of Grant Desme, and down years by a lot of players. But the system was replenished some, as 3 of the top 10 on their list were drafted in 2010. Overall, there's a lot to look forward to in spite of the many down years last year.