By Jim Shonerd
November 30, 2012



Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Addison Russell, ss 2. Michael Choice, of 3. A.J. Cole, rhp 4. Brad Peacock, rhp 5. Sonny Gray, rhp 6. Dan Straily, rhp 7. Miles Head, 3b/1b 8. Grant Green, 2b/of 9. Daniel Robertson, ss/3b 10. Matt Olson, 1b

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Addison Russell Best Power Hitter Michael Choice Best Strike Zone Discipline Conner Crumbliss Fastest Baserunner B.J. Boyd Best Athlete Addison Russell Best Fastball Pedro Figueroa Best Curveball Sonny Gray Best Slider Dan Straily Best Changeup Dan Straily Best Control A.J. Cole Best Defensive Catcher Max Stassi Best Defensive Infielder Addison Russell Best Infield Arm B.A. Vollmuth Best Defensive OF Jermaine Mitchell Best Outfield Arm Jeremy Barfield

PROJECTED 2016 LINEUP

Catcher Derek Norris First Base Miles Head Second Base Jemile Weeks Third Base Daniel Robertson Shortstop Addison Russell Left Field Michael Choice Center Field Chris Young Right Field Josh Reddick Designated Hitter Yoenis Cespedes No. 1 Starter Jarrod Parker No. 2 Starter Brett Anderson No. 3 Starter A.J. Cole No. 4 Starter Brad Peacock No. 5 Starter Sonny Gray Closer Ryan Cook

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2012 Org 2003 Rich Harden, rhp Out of baseball 2004 Bobby Crosby, ss Out of baseball 2005 Nick Swisher, of Yankees 2006 Daric Barton, 1b Athletics 2007 Travis Buck, of Astros 2008 Daric Barton, 1b Athletics 2009 Brett Anderson, lhp Athletics 2010 Chris Carter, of/1b Athletics 2011 Grant Green, ss Athletics 2012 Jarrod Parker, rhp Athletics

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2012 Org 2003 Brad Sullivan, RHP Out of baseball 2004 Landon Powell, C Astros 2005 Cliff Pennington, SS Athletics 2006 Trevor Cahill, RHP Diamondbacks 2007 James Simmons, RHP Athletics 2008 Jemile Weeks, 2B Athletics 2009 Grant Green, SS Athletics 2010 Michael Choice, OF Athletics 2011 Sonny Gray, RHP Athletics 2012 Addison Russell, SS Athletics

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Michael Ynoa, 2008 $4,250,000 Mark Mulder, 1998 $3,200,000 Grant Green, 2009 $2,750,000 Addison Russell, 2012 $2,625,000 Renato Nunez, 2010 $2,200,000

ATHLETICS LINKS

Athletics Team Page Athletics Top 10 Scouting Reports Last Year's Athletics Top 10 Prospects 2012 Draft: Athletics 2012 Draft Report Cards: Oakland Athletics Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2013 Prospect Handbook

The Athletics were supposed to be an afterthought in 2012. Instead, they won 94 regular-season games, their most in nine years, and authored a memorable season. Oakland surged in the second half, coming out of nowhere to shock the Rangers by winning the American League West on the last day of the regular season, then pushing the eventual AL champion Tigers to five games in the Division Series.

There was little reason to expect these results after the A's traded away their last three all-stars—Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez—for prospects during the offseason. Their Opening Day payroll of $55.4 million ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams. It looked like general manager Billy Beane was hitting the reset button once again, and his team was just 37-42 and 13 games behind the Rangers at the end of June.

Instead of fading away, however, Oakland caught fire. It won 16 of its first 18 games in July and stayed hot, erasing a five-game deficit with nine to play and snatching the division title by sweeping Texas in the final series of the year. Justin Verlander put an end to the fairy tale, beating the A's twice in the ALDS, but that did little to dampen the glow of the season.

There may never have been a contender that relied on rookies as much as Oakland, which carried a record 12 on its ALDS roster. At times down the stretch, the A's went with an all-rookie rotation that included Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone—key pieces obtained in the Cahill and Gonzalez trades—and homegrown products A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily. Derek Norris, another product of the Gonzalez deal with the Nationals, did most of the catching down the stretch.

Yet the best rookie was Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who belted 23 homers and led the team in all three slash categories at .292/.356/.505. Oakland won a spirited competition to sign Cespedes in March with a four-year, $36 million contract.

While the A's were enjoying their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2006, their farm system also took on a much different look. Not only did several players graduate to the majors, but many new faces also came in via trades and the draft. Along with Milone and Norris, Oakland also acquired righthanders Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole from Washington for Gonzalez. They're two of the system's best prospects, as is corner infielder Miles Head, who was part of the Bailey trade with the Red Sox (as was non-rookie Josh Reddick, who slugged 32 homers in his first full season as a big leaguer).

In a departure from its "Moneyball" history of eschewing high school players, Oakland took prepsters with each of its three 2012 draft picks before the second round. The A's hadn't used their top choice on a high schooler since taking Cahill in the second round in 2006, and hadn't expended a first-rounder on one since selecting Jeremy Bonderman 26th overall in 2001.

Shortstop Addison Russell was the 11th overall pick and the highest-drafted A's prepster since Eric Chavez at No. 10 in 1996, and he already ranks as the organization's No. 1 prospect after hitting .369/.432/.594 and reaching low Class A in his pro debut. Shortstop/third baseman Daniel Roberston and first baseman Matt Olson, both supplemental first-rounders in June, are two of the system's most promising hitters.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe)

Pre-Order the 2013 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team