A's Announce Non-Roster Invitees for 2023
On Tuesday, the Oakland Athletics announced their non-roster invitees for 2023, and a new coach to be added to their staff.
Former A's catcher Ramón Hernández is joining the A's coaching ranks as a staff assistant and interpreter. He is arguably best remembered in his time in the green and gold (and the original black jerseys) for his walk-off bunt against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the 2003 ALDS.
Hernández and outfielder Terrence Long were traded to San Diego after the 2003 season in exchange for current A's manager, and the owner of a memorable playoff hit of his own, Mark Kotsay.
The press release also stated that Vimael Machín has elected free agency after being designated for assignment. The A's site had previously listed him as outrighted to Las Vegas following the DFA. Cody Thomas, another recently DFA'd player, is listed among the non-roster invitees after clearing waivers.
Jasseel De La Cruz is a post-hype Atlanta prospect that was ranked as highly as 10th in their system as recently as 2020. He touches 98-99 with his fastball and could be in the mix for a bullpen spot later in the season.
Jake Fishman was just signed by the A's and immediately assigned to Las Vegas. The 27-year-old left-hander has 11 innings of big league experience, all coming last season with the Miami Marlins. Fishman didn't walk any batters in his eleven frames, but he did hit three batters. He throws just a sinker and a slider, with the sinker averaging 88 miles per hour. He made 33 appearances out of the bullpen in the minors in 2022, posted a 2.25 ERA, and totaled 56 innings.
Rico Garcia averaged a 96 miles per hour fastball in a short stint with the Orioles last season. He's had a tough time getting his strikeout rates from the minor leagues to transfer to the big leagues.
J.T. Ginn is currently the A's #12 prospect on MLB Pipeline after coming to Oakland in the Chris Bassitt trade along with Adam Oller. The 23-year-old righty had a tough time staying healthy in his first season with his new club, but he pitched well in 16 Arizona Fall League innings, recording a 2.25 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP.
Deolis Guerra was just re-signed by the A's to a minor-league deal after being non-tendered at last month's roster crunch. He held a 4.11 ERA in 2021, but 10 of his 18 bequeathed runners came around to score. He had Tommy John last spring, but once he's healthy could be a solid veteran addition to the Oakland bullpen.
Daulton Jefferies had Tommy John surgery in September.
Mason Miller is one of the A's prospects primed to move up prospect lists when those get updated before the season. He is currently listed for the A's at #22, but should easily be a top-ten player before long. Miller is a starting pitcher that throws 100, and could be looking to crack the A's rotation before long.
Norge Ruiz is a 28-year-old righty that had a brief stint with the A's in 2022. He made 14 appearances, totaling 19 innings (mostly mop-up work), and accumulated a 7.11 ERA with a 1.95 WHIP.
Trey Supak signed with the A's ahead of the 2021 season as a minor league free agent but missed the entire season. He re-signed with the A's a year later, and totaled 5 2/3 innings in Double-A, giving up just three hits, walking five, and striking out eight en route to a 1.59 ERA in three games.
Garrett Williams is a former Giants prospect, and he has shown terrific strikeout rates the last two seasons, but he also walks a ton of guys. The lefty is an interesting add, but that walk rate is going to have to come down.
Yohel Pozo is the clear "next man up" behind the dish if either Shea Langeliers or Manny Piña gets hurt early in the season. If the Piña/Langeliers combo is still rolling entering the second half of the year, we could potentially see Kyle McCann or Tyler Soderstrom creep into that mix as well. Soderstrom is the A's #1 prospect.
Daniel Susac, the other NRI catcher, was Oakland's first round selection in the 2022 Draft and is currently the team's #4 prospect on Pipeline. He has 25 games in Stockton under his belt.
Ernie Clement was DFA'd last week, but has been outrighted to Triple-A. The 26-year-old was claimed off waivers from Cleveland in late September and got into six games with the A's the final week of the season and went 1-for-18.
Kevin Cron, the son of A's assistant hitting coach Chris Cron, is another minor-league signee. He spent the last two years playing abroad. He absolutely raked in Triple-A back in 2019 when his dad was his manager.
Logan Davidson has been in Midland the past two seasons, and has shown some improvement year-over-year by lowering his strikeout rate and improving his power and hit tools. The 24-year-old could be in line for his Triple-A debut.
Zack Gelof, Oakland's #3 prospect, got a taste of Triple-A at the end of the 2022 season and hit five home runs in nine games, but he also struck out 11 times in 38 plate appearances. He struck out 27.4% of the time in Midland, and it's likely the A's will want to see that number go down a touch before they deem him ready for The Show.
Max Muncy (2.0), the A's first rounder from 2021, now has his first full pro season behind him after reaching Lansing for 42 games in 2022. He hit a combined 19 homers with a .758 OPS as a 20 year old.
Pablo Reyes is a guy with some major league experience, and he also doesn't strike out a ton--two things the A's have been looking to add to their roster for 2023. Reyes, 29, is more of a jack-of-all-trades depth option that can play pretty much anywhere, but doesn't have a terribly strong arm.
Tyler Wade is another MLB veteran that can play a variety of positions, and when the off-season began it looked like there may be room for him come Opening Day. With the additions of Aledmys Díaz and Jace Peterson, Wade's path to the Majors is a little more cloudy.
Cody Thomas has apparently cleared waivers since he's listed here. He notably hit 18 home runs in 59 games with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2021, but injuries have kept him from getting a real shot at playing time the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy, the A's may have a spot for him in their outfield.
Denzel Clarke is the A's #13 prospect and split his '22 campaign between Stockton and Lansing. He's a tremendous athlete that is still learning the nuances of the game, but he also hit 15 homers and swiped 30 bags in 343 at-bats last season. He's 22.
Finally, there is Trenton Brooks, not to be confused with Brent Rooker, who is on the A's 40-man roster. Brooks is a 27-year-old that hit .273 with a .367 on-base with Cleveland's Triple-A squad in 2022. He swings it from the left side, hit a career-high 11 homers last season, and had a walk rate of 12.1% to go along with a strikeout rate of 16.2%. At the very least he's an interesting depth option.