The Athletics finished 2015 tied with the Brewers and Rockies for the fourth worst record in the majors and it shouldn’t have been too surprising that they landed there. Oakland dealt Josh Donaldson in the offseason and entered the season without A.J. Griffin or Jarrod Parker in their rotation. Things were not expected to go right for them, and unsurprisingly it turned out that way.

The future does look bright for the Athletics, however. They still have Sonny Gray leading their rotation, a young offense led by players like Josh Reddick and Billy Burns, and a strong farm system built with players like Franklin Barreto and Sean Manaea who have been acquired through trades. The 2016 season may be another rough one for the Athletics, but they have a strong, young core that should be ready to compete again as early as 2017.

If you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, head on over to our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. You can find the rest of my team prospect breakdowns, fantasy baseball prospect rankings, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.

Oakland Athletics Top 10 Dynasty Prospects

These are the top ten prospects for the Oakland Athletics in terms of fantasy production for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.

1. Franklin Barreto (SS, A+)
Stats: 364 PA, .302/.333/.500, 13 HR, 8 SB, 4.1% BB rate, 18.4% K rate
ETA: 2018
A lot of people look at the Josh Donaldson trade and insist that the Athletics were had. Those people clearly haven’t at Franklin Barreto, the centerpiece in the return for the Athletics. Is Barreto an elite shortstop prospect like Carlos Correa or Corey Seager? No, but he is definitely among those in the tier of shortstop prospects just below Correa and Seager. Scouts praise his bat speed which they believe will allow him to not only hit for a high average in the majors, but also give him the power to hit double-digit home run totals and rack up plenty of extra base hits. Barreto’s speed translates well onto the basepaths which should help give fantasy owners that nice power/speed combo. Though he doesn’t possess the same name recognition as other shortstop prospects, Barreto is about as worthy of owning as anybody and should be stashed in all dynasty leagues.

2. Sean Manaea (SP, AA)
Stats: (with OAK) 42.2 IP, 1.90 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 10.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9, 0.63 HR/9
ETA: 2016
Acquired in the Ben Zobrist deal, Sean Manaea has the potential to be a very solid starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. Manaea’s repertoire used to consist only of a fastball, but improvements with his offspeed stuff has really helped to make him a more complete pitcher. His fastball has a lot of life on it and typically sits in the mid-90s. He also features a slider that has made some serious progress over the past few seasons and a changeup that could use some more improvement, but shows some upside. The biggest concern from scouts is his control which many believe will be the only thing holding him back from taking the step forward from a middle of the rotation starter to a top of the rotation guy. Regardless of his control issues, Manaea should strike out enough batters in the majors to warrant at least the opportunity to produce for a dynasty league. He is not a must-own, but he is one of the better options for teams in need of some pitching depth.

3. Matt Olson (1B, AA)
Stats: 585 PA, .249/.388/.438, 17 HR, 5 SB, 17.9% BB rate, 23.8% K rate
ETA: 2017
After a particularly strong showing in 2014 at High-A, Matt Olson appears to have taken a slight step backward. Though it was not a major change, Olson went from 37 home runs and a .262/.404/.543 slash line to 17 home runs and a .249/.388/.438 line. Olson is essentially a toned-down version of Joey Gallo: less power and less strikeouts. Though he doesn’t have the 40 home run potential of Gallo, Olson should be counted on to hit at least 25 home runs per season and he should be able to hit for a higher average than Gallo. Matt Olson is not a must-own for all dynasty owners, but teams without much first base depth should consider him to be one of the premier first base options for keeper leagues.

4. Renato Nunez (3B, AA)
Stats: 416 PA, .278/.332/.480, 18 HR, 1 SB, 6.7% BB rate, 15.9% K rate
ETA: 2017
Unlike most power hitters, Renato Nunez does an exceptional job keeping the strikeout rates in moderation. He has improved on his strikeout rate every season and has continued to show the power that scouts have praised for years. Last year at High-A, Nunez hit 29 home runs and 22 between Rookie League and Double-A. Nunez may never hit for a high average or steal any bases, but he should be able to contribute 20+ home runs per season to fantasy owners. Nunez is very close to the majors and is worth owning for most dynasty owners, especially as there appear to be fewer elite offensive third base prospects.

5. Jacob Nottingham (C, A+)
Stats: (with OAK) 182 PA, .299/.352/.409, 3 HR, 1 SB, 6.6% BB rate, 20.9% K rate
ETA: 2017
The headline return for Oakland in the Athletics’ trade of Scott Kazmir, Jacob Nottingham is one of the few standout bats at catcher in the minors. If there is one thing that virtually all scouts agree on with regards to Nottingham, it’s that he will have no issue hitting when he reaches the majors. He has an advanced approach to the plate and provides quite a lot of power. Where scouts debate is on the subject of his future position. He is not great defensively and could possibly necessitate a move to first base. Dynasty owners need to hope that he remains at catcher, but his bat should be enough to make him ownable in most leagues.

6. Matt Chapman (3B, A+)
Stats: 352 PA, .250/.341/.566, 23 HR, 4 SB, 11.1% BB rate, 22.4% K rate
ETA: 2018
The other power hitting third base prospect in the Athletics’ system, Matt Chapman made it all the way to Double-A in his first year of professional ball in 2014, but didn’t spend a day there in 2015. Chapman has decent power and is a great defender, but scouts see his lack of plate discipline as a major obstacle in him being able to maintain a high batting average. Chapman will still require a few more seasons before he is ready to face Major League pitching, but he could be ownable for fantasy owners in desperate need for power at third base.

7. Chad Pinder (SS, AA)
Stats: 522 PA, .317/.361/.486, 15 HR, 7 SB, 5.4% BB rate, 19.7% K rate
ETA: 2016
Chad Pinder put together a solid campaign in 2015 in which he flashed all of his potential skills. After a solid 2014 at A+, Pinder only improved as he lowered his strikeout rate, raised his batting average, and increased his home run total (albeit in a few more plate appearances). Pinder won’t be as big of a contributor as Franklin Barreto, but he would provide some pop, a few stolen bases, and a decent average for dynasty owners. He is by no means a must own, but he certainly warrants consideration.

8. Richie Martin (SS, A-)
Stats: 226 PA, .237/.353/.342, 2 HR, 7 SB, 11.1% BB rate, 20.8% K rate
ETA: 2018
While Chad Pinder is a solid bat that may eventually necessitate a move to second, Richie Martin will undoubtedly spend his entire career at shortstop. His best asset is his glove which is Gold Glove caliber. For dynasty owners, Martin doesn’t really excel at anything outside of providing some well-above average speed. Martin isn’t a particularly great hitter and will virtually never hit any home runs. He will fringe on the line between worthy of owning and not owning when he is promoted to the major, but he certainly is not worth stashing.

9. Dakota Chalmers (SP, R)
Stats: 20.1 IP, 2.66 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 7.97 K/9, 7.52 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9
ETA: 2020
Dakota Chalmers looks like a solid starting pitcher in the future, but right now he is far away from the majors. He was just drafted in 2015 out of high school and still has a lot of progress to make on his control before he looks ownable. At least for the foreseeable future, Chalmers can be ignored.

10. Casey Meisner (SP, A+)
Stats: 32.1 IP, 2.78 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 6.68 K/9, 1.95 BB/9, 0.28 HR/9
ETA: 2018
When the Athletics acquired Casey Meisner from the Mets in the Tyler Clippard deal, they knew they were getting a pitcher with some upside. Meisner began his professional career with only a fastball, but he is beginning to develop some quality secondary pitches. Though he has some potential upside, Meisner still has a ways to go until he is ready to reach his potential. For dynasty purposes he can be temporarily pushed aside.

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