The Athletics Farm System: The Athletics’ farm system blends high-ceiling talent with volatile upside and steady depth, offering both impact potential and organizational stability.
Summary
The Athletics’ system is anchored by Leo De Vries, the clear centerpiece with explosive bat speed, advanced approach, and impact power at a young age. He’s joined by Tommy White, a middle-of-the-order bat with plus power, and Devin Taylor, whose OBP skills and corner outfield profile give him strong fantasy appeal. On the pitching side, Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold headline the pitching, while Wei-En Lin provides polished strike-throwing profiles that project as mid-rotation starters. Together, this top tier blends impact upside with stability.
The next group offers upside but comes with risk. Henry Bolte and Rodney Green both bring loud tools with power-speed potential, though strikeouts remain a concern. Steven Echavarria has shown velocity gains and an improved curveball, but his changeup development will determine whether he sticks in the rotation. Braden Nett flashes upper-90s heat and a promising slider, though health and command issues point toward a bullpen role. These players carry impact potential but must overcome volatility to reach it.
Depth options round out the system with useful but lower-ceiling profiles. Kade Morris is a durable workhorse with a sinker/sweeper mix, projecting as a back-end starter who can provide innings stability. Mason Barnett has a fastball/sweeper combo that misses bats, though his changeup remains a liability. Brennan Milone offers strong on-base skills and modest pop, projecting as a steady fourth or fifth outfielder. While not headline names, this group provides organizational depth and potential fantasy utility in deeper formats.
AI-Assisted Fantasy Tiers: Methodology and Observations
AI has made significant strides in all aspects of our lives. Over the past four years, I have compiled 500,000 words of personal scouting narratives, which have formed the foundation for training my own AI assistant. This assistant now evaluates prospects and assigns fantasy tiers exclusively based on the insights and observations contained in my write-ups.
After requesting that my AI assistant generate fantasy tiers using this year’s reports, I found that the AI’s rankings generally align with my own assessments. However, there are some cases where the AI’s evaluations differ from my personal rankings. I am sharing those differences here for your consideration.
🥇 Tier 1: Fantasy Impact Targets
- Leo De Vries – Explosive bat speed, growing power, advanced approach; centerpiece prospect with star-level upside.
- Tommy White – Plus power, compact swing, corner bat with middle-of-order potential.
- Gage Jump – Polished lefty, plus changeup feel, command-driven mid-rotation ceiling with strikeouts.
- Jamie Arnold – He has a plus fastball-slider combination but his lower three-quarters delivery might work best in the bullpen.
- Wei-En Lin – Advanced strike-thrower, four-pitch mix, high-floor starter with sneaky whiff potential.
🥈 Tier 2: Everyday-Upside Targets
- Devin Taylor – Plus power, disciplined approach, corner outfield bat carries OBP-heavy fantasy value.
- Henry Bolte – Explosive speed/power, swing-and-miss risk threatens everyday role and floor.
- Rodney Green – Power-speed athlete, walk-driven approach, strikeouts define boom-or-bust trajectory.
- Steven Echavarria – Mid-rotation traits, fastball/curve tick up; changeup development unlocks ceiling.
- Braden Nett – Upper-90s heat, slider flashes; command/health push bullpen impact outcome.
- Kade Morris – Durable sinker/sweeper starter, strike-thrower, back-end innings with steady ratios.
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