Things are looking up for an A¡¯s team that appears to have identified a core that could help them return to playoff contention in 2025.

The A¡¯s finished this season with a 69-93 record -- a 19-win improvement from 2023 -- on the strengths of breakout seasons by young players such as Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers and All-Star Mason Miller, as well as an elite offensive season by Brent Rooker, who is under club control through 2027.

Part of why the A¡¯s believe next year could see another sizeable step forward is a farm system with emerging players who could soon supplement that group. Here are three prospects to watch for in 2025 as potential impact Major Leaguers:

SS Jacob Wilson (A's No. 1 prospect/ MLB No. 24)

Wilson forced his way to the big leagues just 376 days after he was selected sixth overall by the A's in the 2023 MLB Draft by slashing a combined .401/.446/.606 over 307 total Minor League at-bats.

After sustaining a hamstring injury in his Major League debut that caused him to miss over a month, Wilson made his way back in August and finished the season with the A¡¯s, hitting .250 (23-for-92) with only 10 strikeouts in 103 plate appearances. Between his 70-grade hit tool showing through and solid defense, Wilson should enter next season as the expected starting shortstop from day one.

¡°Overall, he catches the ball really well,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said of Wilson. ¡°He¡¯s got a strong arm. The bat has shown up enough to where we know he can hit. I think that at 22, he¡¯s only going to get bigger, stronger and faster. We talk a lot about when young men hit their man strength. He¡¯s got ways to go before he gets there. It¡¯ll be exciting to watch that growth from a young player that handles himself pretty well right now in the big leagues.¡±

1B Nick Kurtz (A's No. 2 prospect/ MLB No. 45)

The No. 4 overall pick by the A¡¯s in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz earned a promotion to Double-A Midland after the first seven games of his professional career with Single-A Stockton, where he slashed .400/.571/.960 with four home runs, two doubles and 12 RBIs. The only thing that could stop Kurtz was a hamstring injury shortly after debuting at Double-A that caused him to miss the end of the season. Progressing well from his injury this offseason, the A¡¯s are hopeful to get Kurtz some at-bats in this year¡¯s Arizona Fall League.

¡°Any time you take a guy in the top five of the Draft, you hope he moves quickly,¡± A¡¯s general manager David Forst said. ¡°We obviously got him to Double-A based on his limited performance, and then he had the hamstring injury. ... He¡¯s going to put himself on the radar sooner rather than later. We¡¯ve had those conversations. He does come with a great reputation [for] his defense at first base.¡±

SS Max Muncy (A's No. 8)

It was a less than ideal 2024 campaign for Muncy, who, after generating some momentum in the Arizona Fall League last year, was derailed by injuries that limited him to just 50 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, where he hit .277 with an .865 OPS, eight homers and 11 doubles. But with third base seemingly up for grabs for the A¡¯s, Muncy could factor into the equation at the hot corner, along with Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris.

¡°I think all those guys are definitely candidates,¡± Forst said. ¡°It¡¯s about versatility. We¡¯ve mentioned to Max needing to think about playing [third base] with Jacob getting first crack at shortstop right now. Any of those guys are going to be part of the discussion at third base. I think we¡¯ll also look outside the organization for options, because it is the one place on the field where we probably shuffled through the most players this season. If we¡¯re looking for defensive consistency and consistency in the lineup, it¡¯s a place we have to look at this offseason.¡±