The Oakland A’s youth movement is beginning to reach full swing, but there are still a few top prospects waiting in Triple-A. The cream of the crop is shortstop Franklin Barreto, the very best youngster in the team’s entire minor league system.
We’ve followed the 21-year-old’s performance throughout the year, and it can be summed up as such: He’s alternated between hot and cold stretches, but the one consistent factor is that he’s been striking out too much for a hitter who relies more on making contact than any other skill. There was still work to do before a callup to the bigs.