From rotoworld:

Oakland Athletics

1. Nick Swisher - OF - Age 24 - ETA: Now

.269/.406/.537, 29 HR, 92 RBI, 109/103 K/BB, 3 SB in 443 AB for Triple-A Sacramento

.250/.352/.417, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 11/8 K/BB, 0 SB in 60 AB for Oakland

Swisher hit just .230/.324/.380 in 76 games after being moved up to Double-A in 2003, but the A's still had him start last year at Sacramento, and he rewarded their confidence by becoming one of the PCL's best hitters. A center fielder in the minors, Swisher is probably going to patrol right field in Oakland this year, and the feeling is that he might eventually settle in as an excellent defensive first baseman. He might forever be a .260 hitter, but the 30 homers and 90-100 walks per year will make up for it, leaving him an above average player no matter where he ends up. He'll be a Rookie of the Year contender if he gets 500 at-bats.

2. Joe Blanton - RHP - Age 24 - ETA: Now

11-8, 4.19 ERA, 199 H, 143/34 K/BB in 176 1/3 IP for Triple-A Sacramento

0-0, 5.63 ERA, 6 H, 6/2 K/BB in 8 IP for Oakland

Blanton lacks ace upside, but he is a safer bet to become a quality No. 3 starter than just about any other pitching prospect. He tops out at 95 mph, possesses four major league pitches and has a 348/68 K/BB ratio in 365 1/3 IP since being drafted. Blanton usually works in the low-90s and his slider is his out pitch. His curveball can be above average when he's on, but he's not as good at spotting it as he is his slider. His changeup is barely average and still needs more work. Blanton should be an adequate fourth starter for the A's this year. More will be expected in 2006.

3. Daric Barton - C/1B - Age 19 - ETA: 2008

.313/.445/.511, 13 HR, 77 RBI, 44/69 K/BB, 4 SB in 313 AB for low Single-A Peoria

So he's probably not a catcher. Barton has nearly as much offensive upside as anyone in the minors. The 2003 first-round pick put up extraordinary numbers for an 18-year-old in a full-season league last year. The A's may not even mess with leaving him behind the plate after picking him up from St. Louis in the Mark Mulder deal. Since catchers have high injury rates and tend to stall offensively, a move would probably be for the best. Barton shows outstanding on-base skills and his left-handed stroke could be good for 30 homers per year in the majors. He'll get a long look at first base, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him become Oakland's DH in 2007 or 2008.

4. Dan Meyer - LHP - Age 23 - ETA: June 2005

6-3, 2.22 ERA, 50 H, 86/12 K/BB in 65 IP for Double-A Greenville

3-3, 2.79 ERA, 62 H, 60/25 K/BB in 61 1/3 IP for Triple-A Richmond

0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1/1 K/BB in 2 IP for Atlanta

The A's picked up two more potential No. 3 starters to go along with Joe Blanton in the Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson trades. Dan Haren lost his rookie eligibility back in 2003, but Meyer qualifies for the list. The left-hander has posted sub-3.00 ERAs at five levels since being drafted 34th overall in 2002 (10 spots after Blanton and 18 after Swisher). Meyer throws 89-92 mph and uses a plus slider. His changeup remains a work in progress, and since his peripherals weren't nearly as impressive after he was moved up to Richmond last year, he likely could use a couple of more months in Triple-A. The A's will let him compete with import Keiichi Yabu and non-roster invitee Seth Etherton for a rotation spot.

5. Huston Street - RHP - Age 21 - ETA: June 2005

0-1, 4 Sv, 1.69 ERA, 9 H, 14/5 K/BB in 10 2/3 IP for low Single-A Kane County

1-0, 3 Sv, 1.35 ERA, 10 H, 14/3 K/BB in 13 1/3 IP for Double-A Midland

0-0, 1 Sv, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 2/0 K/BB in 2 IP for Triple-A Sacramento

1-0, 7 Sv, 0.98 ERA, 11 H, 19/2 K/BB in 18 1/3 IP for Phoenix (AFL)

The third of Oakland's four first-round picks in 2004, Street would hold the title of baseball's best relief prospect if only the Twins had called up Jesse Crain a couple of weeks earlier last year. The University of Texas product doesn't quite have Crain's raw stuff, but his command of a low-90s fastball and a quality slider should make him a top setup man or a closer. It doesn't appear that there will be room for him in the Oakland pen at the start of the year, but he will make an impact over the final three or four months.

6. Dan Johnson - 1B - Age 25 - ETA: April 2006

.299/.403/.534, 29 HR, 111 RBI, 93/89 K/BB, 0 SB in 536 AB for Triple-A Sacramento

Although he has little left to prove, Johnson apparently is again bound for Sacramento after the A's made the rather surprising decision to keep Erubiel Durazo as their DH. Jettisoning Scott Hatteberg was a less likely possibility that never materialized. Johnson is below average at first base, but he's hardly so bad that he absolutely has to DH. He also spent a little time in left field in Mexico this winter, though he's nothing more than an emergency option there. A very consistent offensive force in the minors, Johnson has earned his opportunity. He should spend a half dozen seasons as a quality regular capable of hitting .280 with a .360 OBP and 25-30 homers per year.

7. Omar Quintanilla - SS - Age 23 - ETA: April 2006

.314/.370/.480, 11 HR, 72 RBI, 54/37 K/BB, 1 SB in 452 AB for Single-A Modesto

.351/.419/.521, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 9/10 K/BB, 2 SB in 94 AB for Double-A Midland

.374/.404/.527, 0 HR, 18 RBI, 5/5 K/BB, 0 SB in 91 AB for Phoenix (AFL)

A teammate of Street's at Texas, Quintanilla was the 33rd overall pick in the 2003 draft. The left-handed hitter has hit .329 since being drafted and shows 12-homer power. Add in the 50 walks per year and he's practically a clone of Todd Walker. A shortstop up until this point of his career, he's expected to move to second base if he stays with the A's. He's capable of being an above average defender at that position, so his future appears bright. One more year in the minors might be enough.

8. Javier Herrera - OF - Age 19 - ETA: 2009

.331/.392/.555, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 59/24 K/BB, 23 SB in 263 AB for SS Single-A Vancouver

Herrera is probably the best athlete in the system and he's developing as a player much more quickly than expected, allowing him to take home Northwest League MVP honors last year. He figures to show 30-homer power as he matures and he's fast enough to cover center field, so if he learns not to chase breaking balls outside the strike zone, the sky will be the limit.

9. Jairo Garcia - RHP - Age 22 - ETA: Aug. 2005

1-0, 16 Sv, 0.30 ERA, 16 H, 49/6 K/BB in 30 IP for low Single-A Kane County

2-0, 2 Sv, 1.50 ERA, 10 H, 32/15 K/BB in 18 IP for Double-A Midland

1-2, 1 Sv, 3.95 ERA, 10 H, 21/9 K/BB in 13 2/3 IP for Triple-A Sacramento

0-0, 0 Sv, 12.71 ERA, 5 H, 5/9 K/BB in 5 2/3 IP for Oakland

It turned out that Garcia wasn't ready to help the A's last year, but his star hasn't dimmed. He just needs to do a better job of throwing strikes. Garcia features a 95-mph fastball, a slider and a splitter. The three-pitch arsenal gives him more upside than Street, though he may never have the command to be a truly great reliever. With Street now ahead of him, Garcia isn't likely to get another opportunity to pitch in the majors until after the All-Star break or maybe September.

10. Brian Snyder - 3B - Age 23 - ETA: 2007

.311/.421/.484, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 82/67 K/BB, 3 SB in 366 AB for low Single-A Kane County

Edging Brad Knox and Richie Robnett. Like Barton, Snyder put up some very nice numbers in the Midwest League last season. The problem was that he is 3 ½ years Barton's senior. Snyder turns 23 in March, so he needs to be challenged with Double-A. The 2003 first-round pick could be capable of making the same time of leap that Mark Teahen did last year. He's already a solid defender with on-base skills, and the A's are optimistic he'll add more power. He could be an average regular.

2004 top 10: Bobby Crosby, Joe Blanton, Nick Swisher, Brad Sullivan, Jeremy Brown, Mike Wood, Freddie Bynum, Dan Johnson, John Rheinecker, Mike Rouse

2003 top 10: Rich Harden, Bobby Crosby, John-Ford Griffin, Mike Wood, Adam Morrissey, Esteban German, John Rheinecker, Freddie Bynum, Jeremy Brown, Jason Grabowski