Many people have bemoaned the farm system's relative lack of strength right now -- after all, it lost Joe Blanton, Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson and Huston Street to the major league team. Our current crop of minor league prospects certainly seems to be a little weaker than in years past, but not tremendously so. Looking up and down the list, I still see several major league regulars if not the depth of potential stars that there once was. And that is still very good compared to other farm systems throughout the league.

Here's my current top 10:

1. Daric Barton, AA Midland. Age 20. ETA: late 2006. 318/438/469 at Stockton, 290/382/473 at Midland. Impact bat who's still trying to find a defensive position, perhaps the top plate discipline in the minors with developing power. Adequate at 1B, rumors abound that he'll move to catcher or LF by the time he makes the big leagues. Projects to a 290/380/450 type rookie line, with potential to grow into a 310/420/540 hitter. Probably one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball.
2. Dan Meyer, AAA Sacramento. Age 24. ETA: early/mid 2006. I know, he's been bad this year, but he was injured. The fact remains that his track record is sterling -- there are those words again! Damn Billy Beane and Macha for saying in May that the team was fine b/c the players had track records. In 352 minor league innings before this year, Meyer had a 2.71 ERA with 381 K's against 87 BB's. If you claim higher levels of competition is his problem, in 61.1 innings at AAA Richmond last year, Meyer had a 2.79 ERA, striking out 60 while walking 25. The guy is still very, very good and project to be at least a left-handed Joe Blanton (4.40 rookie ERA) with the potential to one day post a sub-3.50 ERA.
3. Andre Ethier, AA Midland. Age 23. ETA: mid/late 2006. Ethier has established himself as a legit prospect this year after being left off many top-10's in the off-season, a testament to just how strong the system was last year. Just 23, Ethier is killing the AA Texas league, hitting 325/390/522 with 17 HR's and 44 XBH total. At 6-3 200, he's a good athlete with tools the scouts like; after hitting 313/383/442 in the Cal League last year, he now has a performance record to match. The only disconcerting aspect of his game is the low walk rate, drawing only 38 BB in 408 in ABs. Ethier projects to be a major league regular at a corner outfield position, with potential to be above average with the bat (290/350/490) as well as defensively.
4. Jairo Garcia, AAA Sacramento. Age 22. ETA: early/mid 2006. Garcia lit up the minors last year, rocketing from A-ball to the Major League club in his first season as a reliever. With an explosive mid- to upper-90s fastball, devastating slider and developing change, Garcia's pure stuff is among the best in the minors; the only thing that could hold him back is his control. Some will point to his 5.30 ERA in Sacramento as evidence that he's the next Jesus Colome, but Garcia has clearly been instructed by the A's brass to work on pounding the strike zone first and worry about results second. His peripheral numbers are ungodly good: 57 K's to 15 BB's in just 35 IP, good for a sick 14.66 K/9. Garcia could become anything from a major league closer to a below-average middle reliever who never quite lived up to his potential.
5. Javier Herrera, low A Kane County. Age 20. ETA: 2008. The A's most "projectable" prospect, Herrera is a true 5-tool player who has the potential to be an offensive and defensive star. Herrera lit up short-season A ball last year, posting a 331/392/550 line at Vancouver en route to becoming the Northwest League MVP. Herrera drops in the rankings slightly this year due to a good, but not great 281/375/451 performance in his first year of full season ball. The most encouraging thing is the OBP, which has taken a notable step forward, although the notorious free swinger still has a 39:89 BB/K ratio. Herrerra is still so young that he probably has at least two more full seasons in the minor leagues. Hard to say what he'll become in the big leagues (or if he'll even make it) since he's so far away, but his ceiling could be as an All-Star.
6. Kevin Melillo, AA Midland. Age 23. ETA: late 2006 or early 2007. A 5th round pick in the 2004 draft, Melillo hit well at Vancouver to the tune of 340/422/564 but was largely under the radar coming into this season. Starting at low A Kane County, Melillo hit 286/399/457 before being called up to high A Stockton, where he mashed so much (400/471/800) that he earned another quick promotion. He's hit the ground running in Midland, hitting 313/450/375 in 16 AB's. Reportedly nothing more than an average 2B, Melillo's calling card is his bat, which has been nothing short of remarkable so far this year. He has 17 HR's in 386 ABs this year, the same as Ethier (but 47 XBH to Ethier's 44) in 20 fewer ABs. His plate discipline is tremendous, as he has a 69:63 BB/K ratio over the three levels. Melillo's defense projects to be better than the all-hit, no-glove Todd Walker or Keith Ginter. If Melillo can improve with the glove and keep mashing they way he has, he could be the A's opening day 2B in 2007. A more realistic expectation might be as a solid PH and utility infielder who develops into the starting 2B after 2-3 years of ML experience (and Ellis is gone).
7. Dallas Braden, AA Midland. Age 21. ETA: late 2006 or early 2007. Braden is another guy who was off-the-radar coming into the season but has forced his way onto the organizational Top 10 list. After a nasty 2.68 ERA with a 64:11 K/BB ratio in 43 innings at Stockton, Braden was bumped up to AA Midland where he has performed decently. The lefty sports a 3.90 ERA at AA, with a 71:32 K/BB ratio in 97 innings -- the ratio is good, but the K/9 is less than ideal. Braden is a legit prospect due to his stellar performance this year and increase in velocity from the mid-80's up to the high-80's, but the deterioration in his peripheral numbers casts some doubt over whether he can become a solid ML starting pitcher or just a decent bullpen guy.
8. Cliff Pennington, low A Kane County. Age 21(?). ETA: late 2007 or 2008. Pennington was given an aggressive placement in Kane County, where he hasn't exactly torn the cover off the ball but has acquitted himself well. There really isn't enough of a sample to rank him all that accurately, but I decided he's played enough to prove he belongs in the top 10 -- if he gets hot with the bat, he could force his way into the top 5. Regardless, expect either Pennington or Melillo to get significant playing time at 2B starting in 2007 or 2008.
9. Danny Putnam, high A Stockton. Age 22. ETA: late 2007.  (I'm partial to him b/c he's from Stanford - represent Danny.) Sandwich round pick from the 2004 draft, tabbed as a pure bat and average fielder who has done nothing to dispell either label. Currently hitting 303/395/467, Putnam has shown excellent ability to hit for average and get on base, although his current power output is somewhat lacking with exactly 39 XBH in 390 AB. Putnam will need to continue to hit in order to get to the major's, but he has a refined swing with an excellent approach. At the least, he'll become a useful left-handed PH and 4th/5th outfielder off the bench. However, if he's to become a ML regular, he'll need to develop some more power as it'll have to be his bat that gets him there.
10. Kurt Suzuki, high A Stockton. Age 22(?). ETA: late 2007 or 2008. A 2nd round pick from the 2004 draft, Suzuki was very impressive in his first big league Spring Training, showing plus mobility behind the plate, a strong throwing arm (threw out his first 5 base runners!) and a solid approach at the plate. His defense and game-calling have been questioned though recently, and it appears he'll have to improve in that area to become the guy that takes over for Jason Kendall. Has flashed a quick bat to go along with the great approach at the plate in hitting 271/388/431 with 8 HRs and 32 XBH in 332 ABs, but most impressive in the 56:52 BB/K ratio. Could become an above average ML starting catcher and at the least seems likely to make the major leagues as a useful backup catcher.

On the fringe:

11. Jason Windsor. Great control, average stuff. High 80's fastball with good command of all his pitches. Has struck a lot of guys out in the minors with his location, but questions over how his stuff projects to the major leagues. Probably not an ML starter but could easily become a useful middle relief type.
12. Richie Robnett. Toolsy first round pick from the 2004 draft has struggled in the first half of the year at high A Stockton but is really starting to come on of late. Strikes out a ton but takes his plenty of walks, and his ISO power is excellent. Ability to make consistent contact in question due to .258 batting average. If he can continue his recent strong performance through the end of the season, he should definitely sneak into the top 10 on projectability alone.
13. Jeremy Brown. Nothing more than a back-up catcher at this point, but could still develop enough to become an adequate stop-gap starter for part of a season until Suzuki or Powell is ready to take over full time.
14. Brant Colamarino. Power hitting 1B who was promoted to AAA from after lighting up Midland earlier in the year. Only hitting .266 at Sacramento, but his slugging is above .500 so could be a useful left-handed pinch hitter starting in 2006 or eventually even a part-time DH. Wouldn't be ready to play any type of significant role until he gets a year or two of big league experience under his belt.
15. John Baker. See #13.
16. Dustin Majewski
17. Jason Perry

Not enough data, but top 10 material:

Travis Buck
Craig Italiano
Jared Lansford
Landon Powell
Brian Snyder

2005's Most Disappointing: Brad Sullivan