If there is one thing we can learn about the Athletics as an organization, it's that the current state of their farm system offers some perspective into the transitional period they appear to be heading towards.
Prior to the MLB lockout, there were reports regarding a potential A's rebuild where cornerstone players such as Matt Chapman and Matt Olson might be available in trade.
If the A's were to rebuild, that decision might be due, in part, to Oakland's desire to replenish a farm system in which they have just one top 100 prospect.
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SIGN UP HERE Baseball America recently released a list of the A's top 10 prospects and only one of them, 2020 first-round pick Tyler Soderstrom, was ranked among the 100-best prospects in the game.
Here are the A's top 10 prospects:
1. Tyler Soderstrom C | 1B
2. Zack Gelof 3B
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3. Nick Allen SS
4. Max Muncy SS
5. Pedro Pineda OF
6. A.J. Puk LHP
7. Daulton Jefferies RHP
8. Brayan Buelvas OF
9. Lawrence Butler 1B | OF
10. Colin Peluse RHP
Of the top 100, Soderstrom currently ranks 21st, the only player in the A's organization to make the list.
The A's 2021 first-round pick, Max Muncy, is an intriguing player who will likely rise in both the organizational and league-wide rankings with a full season under his belt in 2022, but other than Oakland's two most recent first-round picks, their farm system leaves little to be desired.
Of course, that shouldn't come as a surprise given that there is an abundance of young talent already at the major league level, which naturally will leave the farm system barer each time a player is promoted.
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If the A's decide to rebuild and stock up on young talent, it would only continue a trend that fans of the team have become all-too-familiar with over the years. Oakland has a history of trading off young, controllable talent as they near the end of their rookie contracts before they become too expensive for the organization to retain.
Star players such as Olson and Chapman, who remain under team control through the 2023 season, will certainly hold the most value of any players currently on the A's roster.
If the organization does decide to tear down, the farm system will likely improve very quickly.