Kuzul

Last season everyone was talking about the Kansas City Royals. All you have to do is look at Baseball America’s list of top 10 prospects for 2011 and you’ll know why: That was one deep farm system.

But over the course of 2011, the farm diminished. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Aaron Crow and Lorenzo Cain all saw a lot of time at the major league level. Kansas City still boasts a deep system, but four of their top prospects are moving on (with Hosmer and Moustakas being two of their best).

As we head in to 2012, it is time for another team to take up the mantle of best farm system in Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves have a lot of pitching, the Washington Nationals have Bryce Harper, while the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are stacked as always.

However, neither of these teams win the farm system title. Well, not as of yesterday, that is.

Scratching the Surface: Oakland’s Trades

This year’s deepest farm has to go to the Oakland Athletics. It’s about time. It seems like Billy Beane has been turning players over forever.

Earlier this month, the Oakland Athletics traded Trevor Cahill to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Just yesterday they moved Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals. What did they get in return?

For starters, we have to look at the pitching. It’s pretty drool worthy.

For Cahill, Oakland acquired Jarrod Parker. Parker was drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft and shot through the minors, He got one start as a 22-year-old last year with Arizona. Parker received a no-decision in that contest, but pitched 5.2 innings of no run ball.

In return for Gio Gonzalez, the Athletics received Brad Peacock and Tom Milone. Peacock had two starts last season, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Milone went 1-0 in his five starts in 2011, posting a 3.81 ERA.

So, we’re just scraping the surface here, and already Billy Beane has turned two established starters into three MLB-ready starters—all under 25 years of age. Seriously, just scraping the surface.

Also received in these deals: Collin Cowgill, Ryan Cook, Derek Norris and A.J. Cole.

Cowgill is another MLB-ready prospect. He has great discipline (.383 minor league OBP) and is a power and speed threat. If he bats behind Jemile Weeks, Oakland could have a devastating 1-2 combo at the top of the order.

Ryan Cook projects as a solid major league reliever and could be a closer candidate. He pitched between AA and AAA in 2011, posting a 2.21 ERA, 19 saves and a 9.1 K/9. Like the other four prospects, Cook is ready for the major leagues.

Derek Norris is a catcher with high upside. He opened eyes as a 20-year-old at A ball, when he hit .286/.413/.513 with 23 home runs. Norris has fallen off the map in the last two seasons; he posted a .838 OPS in 2010 (high-A) and a .813 OPS in 2011 (AA). However, he’s stayed patient and the power continues to develop. Once he establishes some consistency, he could be a great major league catcher.

The final guy to talk about is A.J. Cole. Cole was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 season, and put up solid numbers last year at A ball. The 4.04 ERA wasn’t amazing, but the 10.9 K/9 and 4.50 K/BB certainly were.

Guess what… we’re still only on the surface here. Let’s recap: So far, Oakland has three major league-ready starters, a major league-ready closer, a possible lead off candidate in the outfield, a high-upside catcher and a young power pitcher.

And, we still haven’t even touched on the prospects Oakland already had!

Oakland’s Farm Prospects

Topping Oakland’s farm are prospects such as Grant Green, Chris Carter, Michale Choice, Michael Taylor and Sonny Gray. Let’s start from the bottom up.

Michael Taylor, 25, has dealt with injuries the last couple seasons. However, 2011 was a step in the right direction as he hit .272/.360/.456 at AAA with 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Taylor is another lead-off and two-hole candidate who could be a starting outfielder for Oakland in 2012.

Then there’s Chris Carter. Carter’s power is legendary, as evidenced by his 170 home runs in seven minor league seasons. He struggled last year with Oakland, but didn’t get much of a shot (only 44 at bats). His defense stinks, but he makes a great DH candidate with Ryan Howard-esque power.

Sonny Gray was drafted by Oakland in the first round of last year’s draft, and was able to make five AA starts before the end of the season. A product of college baseball, Gray looked polished. He went 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.00 K/BB.

Michael Choice was Oakland’s No. 1 pick in 2010 and he looked great in 2011. In a full season at high-A, Choice posted a .918 OPS with 30 home runs. Did I mention he’s only 21?

Finally, we have Grant Green. Green is an athletic 24-year-old who originally projected as a shortstop. Because of poor defensive play, Green moved to the outfield in 2011. The power dipped a bit in 2011, but that can be expected with a move to AA. He still has great upside and athleticism, and could be in Oakland as soon as next year.

And, those are just the names worth writing home about. Oakland still has a lot of lower level talent with high upside.

Beane Has All the Pieces

The Athletics have been really aggressive with their prospects, and a lot of these guys could be seeing AAA/MLB time as soon as next year. What does that mean? Oakland could finally return to relevance as soon as the 2013 season.

For the first time in a long time, Billy Beane finally has all the pieces to field a stellar team. With a potential move to a new stadium, things can only get better for the Oakland Athletics.

Having the MLB’s deepest farm system doesn’t hurt either.

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