The Athletics were a trendy preseason sleeper thanks to a rising young nucleus of bats and stood four games above .500 in early May. But they have since nose-dived behind shoddy defense, a patchwork bullpen and poor results in their temporary Sacramento home of Sutter Health Park. Their work on the farm, though, paints a much rosier outlook.
The club already graduated AL Rookie of the Year favorite Jacob Wilson and, as they’ve shown they are willing to do, fast-tracked Nick Kurtz to the big leagues. The A’s are among the most productive organizations in the full-season minor leagues on both sides of the ball. And after graduating the likes of Wilson, Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom to their big league lineup, their pitching development is showing signs of taking a big step forward, highlighted by the emergence of lefthander Gage Jump so far this season.
Read on below for prospect graduates, risers, fallers, new additions and injury updates below. Top 30 updates for all 30 teams can be found here.
Graduates
Jacob Wilson, SS: Wilson has been the American League’s most productive rookie via his unique blend of frenetic energy, elite bat-to-ball skills and impressive plate coverage. His 6.1% walk percentage trailed only Luis Arraez among qualified big leaguers through May, and his 91.3% contact percentage ranked third behind Arraez and Steven Kwan. Wilson’s playing a solid shortstop, and he’s even homered seven times, showing a bit more over-the-fence power than external evaluators anticipated.
J.T. Ginn, RHP: As a minor leaguer, Ginn racked up plenty of grounders but also struggled at times to stay healthy. That’s continued in 2025. Ginn’s velocity actually ticked up, and he was missing more bats early in the season, but he has spent time on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and a quad strain. There’s opportunity aplenty in the back of the A’s rotation if he can stay healthy.
Grant Holman, RHP: The 25-year-old has settled into a middle relief role with the A’s. He gets elite extension, and his fastball has performed well so far this season, although big leaguers are having much more success against his splitter.
Gage Jump, LHP: Jump has made one of the biggest leaps among pitching prospects in the sport so far in 2025. He has leaned on his fastball roughly 60% of the time, and for good reason. His mid-90s heater from a low slot has overwhelmed High-A and Double-A hitters in 2025. Jump mixes in a slider, a newly-added sweeper, a curveball and an occasional changeup. He’s consistently filled up the strike zone this season, and the results have followed.
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP: Hoglund arrived at spring training showing improved stuff, including a velocity bump, two fastball shapes and an enhanced slider. He carried that momentum into a strong start with Triple-A Las Vegas. While his arsenal still isn’t overpowering, and he’s struggled since moving into the A’s rotation, the improvements to his pitch mix give him a better chance to stick as a back-end starter.
Kade Morris, RHP: Morris is walking fewer batters than at any previous point in his career and racking up grounders at a 53% clip so far in his first taste of Double-A. He’s not overpowering, but Morris has a deep array of pitch shapes to keep hitters off balance and turn over lineups.
Colby Thomas, OF: Ranked as the Athletics’ No. 3 prospect entering the season, Thomas hasn’t fallen far, but his slow start has been disappointing for those hoping to see growth in his approach. He dropped off Baseball America’s Top 100 as a result. His explosiveness remains, but his aggressiveness continues to hurt him, particularly early in counts against offspeed pitches and with two strikes.
Mason Barnett, RHP: Barnett endeared himself to his new organization after he posted a 2.61 ERA in 41.1 innings with Double-A Midland upon arriving from the Royals in the Lucas Erceg trade deadline deal, including some competitive outings in the postseason. But he hasn’t looked as dominant so far in 2025. Barnett’s fastball quality has taken a step back, and he’s throwing from a slightly-higher slot. That has led to nearly as many walks (31) as strikeouts (38) through his first 49.1 innings in Triple-A.
Myles Naylor, SS/3B: The 39th overall pick in 2023 has yet to advance beyond Low-A Stockton and is nearing 200 career games at the level. Naylor’s raw power remains among the best in the Athletics’ system, but swing-and-miss issues and a stagnant approach have limited his production. He’s struggled to make consistent contact and has split time between third base—where he’s committed 11 errors in 28 games—and designated hitter after primarily playing shortstop last season.
Nick Kurtz, 1B: Kurtz had just started to find his power stroke, homering in four of five games, before a left hip flexor strain required a stint on the injured list at the end of May. It’s not expected to require a long-term absence, although it’s the second lower body injury in as many years for Kurtz, who was limited to 12 games in his pro debut with a hamstring injury.
Brady Basso, LHP: A left shoulder strain sent Basso to the injured list in early April. He was throwing bullpens as of the end of May and will likely return at some point in June.
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP: The A’s placed Hoglund on the injured list with a left hip impingement on June 2.
Kyle Robinson, RHP: Robinson’s fastball-changeup combination from a vertical slot has given hitters fits so far, and he’s showing some improvements, rounding out his arsenal and throwing more consistent strikes. Adding a kick-change over the offseason certainly helped. After opening the year with High-A Lansing, the A’s quickly moved the 21-year-old to Double-A Midland.
Wei-En Lin, LHP: The 19-year-old lefty out of Taiwan didn’t walk a batter until May, and his riding, low-90s fastball generated plenty of whiffs in the zone early on in Low-A. His ERA has ballooned after a few rough outings, and he’s still learning how to sequence his three-pitch mix. Still, Lin had a 32.9% strikeout-minus-walk rate through May. He’s quite polished for his age with a frame that suggests a bit more velocity could be coming.
Ayden Johnson, SS: The A’s signed Johnson for $1.5 million in their most recent international class. He’s a powerful infielder with plenty of bat speed and an above-average arm, though there are swing-and-miss concerns and some skepticism about whether he’ll stick at shortstop in the long run.
Ryan Lasko, OF: Lasko’s plus center field defense keeps him alive at the back of the A’s Top 30. He will need to find a way to string together more consistent contact quality in his return to High-A Lansing.
Elvis Alvarado, RHP: Claimed off waivers from the Pirates, Alvarado has been up to 102 mph out of the bullpen for Triple-A Las Vegas. He’s throwing better strikes this year and appears to have a real shot to carve out a role in the A’s bullpen.
