Morning everyone and happy Wednesday!

The regular season for MLB may be over and for most of us that’s all that matters. Wake us up when pitchers and catcher report, you may say. But there is still baseball being played out there! Young position players and pitchers still hard at work refining their tools and improving their game. For some, the grind can’t and won’t stop.

The A’s have nine players playing in the Arizona Fall League this year. We checked in a couple of weeks ago to see how our players were doing in the early goings, and at least for the hitters they’ve either continued to have a solid AFL or are starting to heat up.

The organization’s #7 prospect Tommy White has been one of the league’s better hitters so far this Fall. Splitting time between first and third on defense hasn’t seemed to bother White with the bat. He’s got three homers already and perhaps more encouraging is that he’s drawn nearly as many walks (6) as strikeouts (7). Not the most gifted with the glove, the hope is that he can stick at third base long-term but if he needs to slide across the diamond to first base then he’ll need his bat to carry a lot of the load for him. So far it’s looking like that won’t be a problem based off his first full pro season. He’s expected to begin the year in Double-A next year.

Outfielder Ryan Lasko continues to have a strong AFL performance as well. The former 2nd-rounder has been one of the Mesa Solar Sox’s best players so far, slashing .373/.465/.458 in a team-high 18 games. The 23-year-old doesn’t have a home run yet but he’s at least been active on the basepaths with six swipes (though five times caught). He’s mostly been playing center field but he’s also logged some innings in the corners as well which should only help his ascent up the minor league ladder. Though he skipped Double-A at the end of last year and went straight to the Aviators, he’s probably still ticketed for Midland to at least start next year.

Meanwhile a former 3nd-rounder in Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has been getting some reps at new positions. Drafted as a shortstop, he’s now behind by two higher-ceiling guys in Jacob Wilson and Leo De Vries on the organizational depth chart so it makes sense. He’s started four games at short for the Solar Sox but also three games at second base and three in left field. And after starting off slow he’s caught on fire in the batter’s box, collecting 12 hits in his last 30 at bats. He’s been perfect with seven steals as well, showing off his prowess on the base paths. He’s likely to start the year in Double-A while De Vries begins in Triple-A but could move up faster if he can play multiple positions (and if De Vries gets The Call).

As for Max Muncy, he hasn’t been playing much of late. Since our last check in a couple of weeks ago he’s gone just 3-for-14 with a home run. No word on any injury but it’d be nice to see him back out there soon just to know.

Some highlights from yesterday’s contest…

It’s just the AFL and hitters usually tend to feast on pitching more than the other way around, but it’s been an encouraging sign of development for multiple of our top-ranked prospects. The hope is they aren’t too far away from helping the big league club and more reps certainly helps in that regard. We can expect to see each one of these guys in big league camp, just to give ‘em an early feel for what it’s going to be like when their time comes.

As for the pitchers, it’s been mostly disappointing results. The one arm that has shown results has been the only ranked pitcher for the A’s in the AFL: lefty Will Johnston. The org’s #18 prospect, Johnston hasn’t allowed a run in his last five appearances spanning 5 2/3 innings. It’s difficult to know how aggressive the club will be in promoting him after his Triple-A debut went poorly at the end of the season but it’s a good sign that the left-hander has put together a string of solid and consistent outings.

The AFL is almost over so we’ll check back in on our guys when it’s all said and done. Until then, have an excellent Wednesday all!

Interesting wish list. Anyone in particular you’d prefer over the others?

The only question now: will the teammates finish 1-2 in voting for the award?