These reassigned A's prospects 'not far away' from Majors

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MESA, Ariz. -- Of the seven non-roster invitees who were reassigned to Minor League camp as the Athletics made their first round of cuts on Sunday to trim their big league camp roster to 56 players, two players with expected bright futures stood out.

Right-hander Mason Barnett and catcher Daniel Susac, two of the organization¡¯s top prospects, were among those cuts. Neither Barnett nor Susac was expected to break camp with the big league roster. For both, this Spring Training was about getting a close look in front of the Major League staff, and both left a strong impression.

Barnett headlined a prospect package sent from the Royals to the A¡¯s in the Lucas Erceg deal at the 2024 Trade Deadline. He joined Double-A Midland midway through last season and anchored the RockHounds¡¯ rotation -- posting a 2.61 ERA in seven starts with 52 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings -- all the way to an appearance in the Texas League championship. In all, Barnett combined for a 4.20 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Midland and finished with 161 strikeouts and 49 walks across 133 innings.

¡°He was a bulldog,¡± A¡¯s director of player development Ed Sprague said of Barnett¡¯s debut with the organization. ¡°He went right after guys. ¡­ He was great. He was instrumental in getting that Midland team to the championship game and performed well in the playoffs. It¡¯s a good three-pitch mix. I expect him to come out guns a blazing and have a chance to make his debut [in 2025].¡±

Barnett, the A's No. 6 prospect to end 2024, appeared in two Cactus League games and allowed four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in three innings. Beyond the numbers, his mid-90s fastball and sweeping mid-80s slider stood out.

¡°For Barnett, good first impression,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said. ¡°This is a kid that we think highly of. ¡­ Mature kid. He knows what he wants to do. We worked on a few things with him that we think he can clean up. He¡¯s going down to the Minor Leagues to prepare for the season.¡±

Barnett will continue building as a starter at the A¡¯s Minor League complex before joining either Midland or Triple-A Las Vegas for the start of the regular season. Regardless of the level, Barnett is viewed as part of that burgeoning starter depth the A¡¯s are building down in the Minors.

¡°He¡¯s a kid that¡¯s not far away, and that¡¯s exciting,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°It¡¯s exciting to have someone of that nature down there that we can tap into.¡±

As for Susac (A's No. 11 prospect), the 23-year-old catcher is expected to begin the regular season at Las Vegas. Drafted 19th overall by the A¡¯s in the 2022 MLB Draft, Susac spent 2024 at Midland, slashing .257/.300/.434 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs in 88 games, then got some extra work by playing six games in the Arizona Fall League.

¡°Daniel¡¯s progression has been great,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°Obviously, a highly touted prospect for us. Everyone matures at different times. Catching is a really hard progression. I¡¯ve seen him progress from his first year of camp to this year really nicely. I talked to Daniel about that. I think he¡¯s on a great trajectory. His timeline is still right in line with where it should be. He¡¯s a kid that is an injury away [from reaching the Majors], really. He will continue to grow.¡±

Also part of the first round of cuts were right-handers Anthony Maldonado (No. 21) and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, left-handers CD Pelham and Domingo Robles, and catcher Lyle Lin.

Pelham is viewed as someone who could help the A¡¯s bullpen at some point this season. A hard-throwing 6-foot-6 lefty who was once considered a top prospect in the Rangers¡¯ organization, Pelham got himself back on the big league radar by pitching well in Mexico over the past year, first in the Mexican League for Yucatan and later in the Mexican Pacific Winter League for Culiacan, where he posted a 2.25 ERA in 32 relief appearances with 28 strikeouts in 28 innings.

¡°The success he had [in Mexico], we identified some value there and brought him into camp,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°It¡¯s a long season. For CD, he¡¯ll figure out a way to get with us. We used 40-plus pitchers last year. We like the stuff, but we do understand he spent all winter pitching and we may want to give him a little rest. But he still can be a valuable piece for us.¡±