SB Nation • 7 min read

Elephant Rumblings: Top prospects in Double-A postseason

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

The A’s are not postseason bound, but many of the team’s ranked prospects will be playing into the fall, either in support of Double-A Midland’s playoff run, the Arizona Fall League, or both—in the case of No. 8 A’s prospect and third baseman Tommy White.

The Midland Rockhounds began their first postseason series yesterday with an 8-7 win in the first contest of a three-game Division Series against the most ingeniously named Amarillo Sod Poodles. The A’s No. 1 prospect,

shortstop Leo De Vries, is currently with Midland to lead the team’s playoff effort. De Vries was the headline return in the Mason Miller trade with the Padres.

Leo homered in his first at-bat yesterday to give the Hounds an early lead and an RBI single later in the game; all told he went 2-for-4 with a walk. And one hella tight bat flip.

The A’s No. 3 prospect Gage Jump started yesterday’s game on the mound, notching a victory through a scoreless performance through 5⅔ innings, with eight strikeouts and just one walk issued. The lefty was picked up by the A’s in the Competitive Balance round of the 2024 draft.

Another player with the Rockhounds that the A’s netted for Miller is right-handed pitcher Braden Nett, currently the No. 5 A’s prospect. The 23-year-old starter is slated to pitch Game 2 in Midland tomorrow according to Jason Burke at SI.com.

Burke also highlighted two of Jump’s fellow 2024 draftees playing with the Rockhounds: the aforementioned White, who is the A’s No. 7 prospect, and No. 10 ranked prospect and shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Kuroda was the Hounds leadoff hitter yesterday, going 1-for-4 with two walks, while White batted in the cleanup spot and went hitless in five at-bats—but never struck out.

The Hounds can advance to the Texas League Championship Series with a win at home tomorrow. These top prospects could be leveraging this playoff experience with the A’s in the next year or two.