Down on the farm: injuries idle A's top prospects

As we all know, nothing can have a bigger impact on a team than injuries. And the same applies to a team's prospects. It's important for their development, and their ultimate success, that they stay healthy and stay on the field. Unfortunately, a number of the A's top prospects have been sidelined early this season. Four of the top ten players from our preseason prospect list are currently doing time on the disabled list - Addison Russell, Michael Ynoa, Bobby Wahl and this week's latest addition, Raul Alcantara. And we're giving a special focus to the injured bats and arms with each team this week. Word has it Ynoa's on his way back in the coming week, but here's hoping they all get healthy and back in action soon! You can always keep tabs on all the A's top prospects and minor league teams on my Athletics Farm site and get lots more details on the last week of minor league action right here on Athletics Nation...

SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS

(Pacific Coast League - Triple-A)

Record This Week: 2-3

Record This Season: 13-10

Top Cats:

3B-2B Alden Carrithers (1 HR / 15 BB / 10 K / .377 AVG / .506 OBP / .475 SLG / .982 OPS)

SS Tyler Ladendorf (0 HR / 14 BB / 12 K / .364 AVG / .493 OBP / .455 SLG / .947 OPS)

OF Jake Goebbert (4 HR / 6 BB / 11 K / .333 AVG / .395 OBP / .638 SLG / 1.032 OPS)

RHP Arnold Leon (24 IP / 24 H / 10 ER / 7 BB / 18 K / 3.75 ERA / 1.29 WHIP)

RHP Fernando Rodriguez (8 2/3 IP / 8 H / 1 ER / 2 BB / 10 K / 1.04 ERA / 1.15 WHIP)

RHP Evan Scribner (7 IP / 3 H / 0 ER / 2 BB / 10 K / 0.00 ERA / 0.71 WHIP / 4 SV)

The biggest loss to injury for Sacramento so far this season has been catcher Stephen Vogt, who's been sidelined for almost three weeks. Infielder Hiro Nakajima was added to the disabled list this week, where he also joined RHP Matt Buschmann. Infielder Jake Elmore came off the disabled list this week though and he was assigned to Sacramento, where he was joined fellow infielder Andy Parrino who returned to the River Cats after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers. Since his addition to the team, Parrino has supplanted Tyler Ladendorf as the River Cats' starting shortstop, and Ladendorf has since made starts at second base and in center field. He, along with third baseman Alden Carrithers and outfielder Jake Goebbert have been the Cats' hottest hitters so far this season. Goebbert had a particularly eventful week, hitting 3 home runs, including a grand slam on Friday. After a rocky start, RHP Arnold Leon has put things together on the mound lately, allowing just 1 earned run in each of his last two starts. RHP Marcus Walden, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto, fared far better in his second start for Sacramento this week, allowing just 1 run in 5 innings of work on Saturday. Meanwhile, RHP Evan Scribner has been flawless as the Cats' primary closer, allowing no runs while striking out 10 and earning 4 saves in his 6 appearances so far this season. Rehabbing RHP Fernando Rodriguez has been almost as good, allowing just 1 run and striking out 10 in 8 2/3 innings of relief. He only has about a week left on his rehab stint though, and the A's will need to try to sneak him through waivers if they hope to keep him at Sacramento beyond that.

MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS

(Texas League - Double-A)

Record This Week: 4-3

Record This Season: 14-8

Top Hounds:

OF-1B Josh Whitaker (3 HR / 5 BB / 11 K / .322 AVG / .379 OBP / .542 SLG / .921 OPS)

1B-3B Max Muncy (1 HR / 19 BB / 13 K / .288 AVG / .422 OBP / .400 SLG / .822 OPS)

SS-2B Dusty Coleman (3 HR / 11 BB / 32 K / .279 AVG / .357 OBP / .453 SLG / .811 OPS)

RHP Chris Jensen (19 1/3 IP / 15 H / 4 ER / 8 BB / 13 K / 1.86 ERA / 1.19 WHIP)

RHP Raul Alcantara (19 2/3 IP / 17 H / 5 ER / 5 BB / 10 K / 2.29 ERA / 1.12 WHIP)

RHP Drew Granier (22 1/3 IP / 22 H / 9 ER / 12 BB / 11 K / 3.63 ERA / 1.52 WHIP)

Some of the A's top prospects have been sidelined this season at Midland. Top hitting prospect Addison Russell hit the disabled list with a hamstring tear after just his second game. And this week, the organization's top pitching prospect, RHP Raul Alcantara, joined him on the DL with a sore right elbow. Fellow starter Tanner Peters preceded Alcantara onto the DL with a sore shoulder just last week, when outfielder D'Arby Myers was also DL'd with a fractured wrist. And on top of that, the team's hottest hitter so far this season, outfielder Josh Whitaker, along with fellow outfielder Billy Burns, were both sidelined with various ailments for a number of days this week. The RockHounds did receive a few reinforcements this week though when first baseman Anthony Aliotti was sent down from Sacramento and RHP Ryan Doolittle, Sean's little brother, was promoted from Stockton. Meanwhile, first baseman Max Muncy and shortstop Dusty Coleman have both continued to produce at the plate, while second baseman Colin Walsh has now reached base in all 12 of his games since joining Midland and third baseman Jefry Marte is currently riding a 14-game hitting streak. With Alcantara and Peters sidelined and Zach Neal moved up to Sacramento, RHP Chris Jensen, acquired in the Brett Anderson deal, has emerged as the current ace of the RockHounds rotation, posting a 1.86 ERA on the season. Elsewhere on the mound, RHP Drew Granier tossed 6 scoreless innings in the Hounds' win on Friday, while RHP Shawn Haviland, called up from Stockton to replace Neal in the rotation, tossed 7 2/3 scoreless frames in Saturday's win, and RHP Nate Long, filling in for Peters, tossed 5 scoreless to earn the win on Sunday.

STOCKTON PORTS

(California League - High-A)

Record This Week: 6-1

Record This Season: 13-11

Top Ports:

2B-SS Chad Pinder (6 HR / 5 BB / 19 K / .295 AVG / .340 OBP / .602 SLG / .943 OPS)

OF Dusty Robinson (5 HR / 10 BB / 21 K / .276 AVG / .364 OBP / .553 SLG / .916 OPS)

SS Daniel Robertson (2 HR / 13 BB / 11 K / .304 AVG / .407 OBP / .457 SLG / .864 OPS)

RHP Seth Streich (26 2/3 IP / 18 H / 7 ER / 7 BB / 30 K / 2.36 ERA / 0.94 WHIP)

RHP Tim Atherton (28 1/3 IP / 24 H / 10 ER / 8 BB / 29 K / 3.18 ERA / 1.13 WHIP)

RHP Tucker Healy (10 1/3 IP / 4 H / 1 ER / 1 BB / 16 K / 0.87 ERA / 0.48 WHIP / 2 SV)

The organization's perennial pitching prospect, RHP Michael Ynoa, has been sidelined for the past couple of weeks with a right bicep strain. But he's apparently been progressing well and is expected to be back in action for Stockton sometime this coming week. Third baseman Renato Nunez has missed the Ports' last four games but hasn't hit the disabled list. With Nunez sidelined, it gave 3B-1B Ryon Healy, last year's 3^rd-round pick for the A's, the perfect opportunity to kick his game up a notch. After struggling mightily early in the season, Healy has gone 7 for 18 with a pair of home runs over his past 4 games, while second baseman Chad Pinder, the team's best overall hitter so far this season, has gone 5 for 12 with a home run, a double and a pair of stolen bases over in his last 3 games. On the mound, RHPs Seth Streich and Tim Atherton have formed a potent 1-2 punch for the Ports. Streich picked up a pair of wins this week and is sporting a 2.36 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings, while the Aussie Atherton allowed just 1 run while striking out 9 to earn his 3^rd win on Thursday and currently has 3.18 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings for Stockton.

BELOIT SNAPPERS

(Midwest League - Class-A)

Record This Week: 2-4

Record This Season: 8-14

Top Snappers:

OF Herschel Powell (1 HR / 16 BB / 10 K / .358 AVG / .465 OBP / .469 SLG / .934 OPS)

OF B.J. Boyd (2 HR / 10 BB / 13 K / .262 AVG / .340 OBP / .393 SLG / .733 OPS)

OF Ryan Mathews (2 HR / 2 BB / 13 K / .259 AVG / .283 OBP / .466 SLG / .749 OPS)

RHP Kyle Finnegan (28 2/3 IP / 24 H / 9 ER / 9 BB / 13 K / 2.83 ERA / 1.15 WHIP)

RHP Ronald Herrera (21 IP / 26 H / 8 ER / 3 BB / 13 K / 3.43 ERA / 1.38 WHIP)

RHP Sam Bragg (15 2/3 IP / 9 H / 3 ER / 3 BB / 17 K / 1.72 ERA / 0.77 WHIP)

One of the organization's top pitching prospects out of last year's draft, RHP Bobby Wahl, has been sidelined with a strained oblique since making his last start almost two weeks ago, while the team's 9^th-round pick last year, LHP Matt Stalcup, has been out of action for almost 3 weeks, and shortstop Melvin Mercedes has been missing since he hit the DL at the same time. Meanwhile, the team's top hitter has been outfielder Herschel "Boog" Powell, who had a hell of a week, going 10 for 22 with 9 walks in his last 7 games. Fellow outfielders B.J. Boyd, Ryan Mathews and Tyler Marincov have provided some occasional pop at the plate for Beloit, as has outfielder Jaycob Brugman since his return from the disabled list, and he went 9 for 23 with a home run, a triple and a pair of doubles this week. RHPs Kyle Finnegan and Ronald Herrera have been the Snappers' top starters, while RHP Sam Bragg, the A's 18^th-round draft pick last year, has been the standout in Beloit's bullpen, striking out 17 in 15 2/3 innings while sporting a 1.72 ERA for the Snappers.

You can check out my blog - Athletics Farm - for updates on the A's minor league teams and all the top prospects down on the farm.