Athletics Community Prospect List Shocker: Why Bolte’s Rise to #6 Has Everyone Talking
There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a rising star finally claim his rightful due, don’t you think? Henry Bolte—the fleet-footed, right-handed slugger—has at last carved his name into the top tier of the Athletics’ prospects. After bulldozing through Double-A pitching like a runaway train, Bolte earned a stint in Triple-A, where the competition stepped up dramatically. Sure, he stumbled a bit against those sharper arms, but the kid held steady, showcasing a mix of speed, savvy, and pure baseball grit that hints at an imminent breakthrough. With perhaps a few more months polishing his craft with the Aviators, Bolte isn’t just a future asset; he could very well be patrolling the outfield for the A’s as they christen their brand-new stadium this summer.
But let’s not forget about the scrumptious underdog story unfolding alongside Bolte’s rise—Tommy White, the corner infielder who just squeaked out a victory in a tightly contested nomination race. The former second-rounder wields a powerful right-handed bat, yet lingering doubts about his defensive chops at third base hang over him like storm clouds. With Nick Kurtz firmly entrenched at first base and Brent Rooker locked in as designated hitter, White’s path to the majors is anything but straightforward. He’s got to sharpen his skills at the hot corner if he wants to punch his ticket to the big leagues with the Athletics.
Now, here’s the exciting part: you, the fans, get to have a say in this ongoing saga. A public vote is underway to determine the seventh-best prospect in the A’s system. How’s that for engagement? The process is simple, transparent, and downright fun. You cast your vote—one pick only—and the highest vote-getter claims the spot. The rest hang tight for the next round, joined by fresh nominees. Want to toss in your own favorite prospect? Just fire up the comments with “Nomination: Player Name” and watch the community rally behind your pick.
So, ready to dive in and weigh in on the future of Oakland’s baseball brass? Don’t miss your chance to make your voice heard in shaping this annual, fan-driven prospect ranking extravaganza. The contenders are fierce, the future bright, and every vote counts. Now, let’s get to it.
*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.
Well he finally got his spot on our annual list. Outfielder Henry Bolte comes in as the obvious pick for the sixth-best prospect in the A’s system. The righty-swinging Bolte had a great all-around year this past season, demolishing Double-A pitching before a brief promotion to Triple-A. He faced some challenges at that next level but still held his own as a relatively young player against better pitching. While he may need another couple of months with the Aviators the speedy outfielder could be a legitimate option for the Athletics in the outfield this summer and looks like a potential contributor when the A’s open their new stadium.
Advertisement
The next nominee was a close vote but corner infielder Tommy White just eked out the win this time around. The former second-round pick has a strong right-handed bat but there are major questions about his ability to remain at the hot corner. With Nick Kurtz sticking around for the next few years at first base and Brent Rooker locked in as the DH White is going to need to show improvement at third base if he wants to get to the big leagues with the A’s.
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
-
Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
-
In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
-
If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
Click on the link here to vote!
* * *
Advertisement
A’s fans top prospects, ranked:
-
Leo De Vries
-
Jamie Arnold
-
Wei-En Lin
-
Braden Nett
-
Henry Bolte
The voting continues! Which A’s prospect do the fans believe is the #7 player in the system? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.
Nominees on the current ballot:
Tommy White, 3B
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 22
2025 stats (A+/AA): 395 PA, .275/.334/.439, 23 doubles, 0 triples, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 29 BB, 54 K, 3 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45
White’s right-handed power is legitimate and he can hit the ball a long way to all fields thanks to his strength and bat speed. He might be known for his home run totals but he’s a better overall hitter than people think, finding the barrel consistently and limiting strikeouts. His knack for contact can lead to him expanding his strike zone, but he doesn’t swing and miss very often.
It will be White’s bat that carries him to the big leagues. He’s a well-below-average runner who likely lacks the range and tools to stick at third base, where he toiled as a sophomore and junior, earning praise for playing through a shoulder injury at LSU in 2023. He’s likely headed to first base long term, which could give the A’s a glut of serious offensive talent between him and first-rounder Nick Kurtz.
Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP
Expected level: Low-A | Age: 19
2025 stats (Rookie Affiliate): 188 PA, .258/.399/.384, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 36 BB, 47 K, 4 SB
Advertisement
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades (hitter): Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40
Scouting grades (pitcher): Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
At the plate, Morii features a smooth left-handed swing with tremendous balance. His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control. On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization.
Morii’s high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but some evaluators see a possibility of moving to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out. While scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, the A’s plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed as a two-way player, with excitement already building over his impressive physical traits and desire to become one of the next great players out of Japan.
Johenssy Colome, SS
Expected level: Dominican Summer League | Age: 17
2025 stats: None
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 65 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60
It’s not often that teenage prospects launch home runs. But Colome has a tendency to get to that jumpy pop with frequency, consistently leveraging his swing well – so well in fact, that one evaluator mentioned the most recent occasion on which he saw an international prospect continually get to their launch point in such a manner was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Colome is a right-handed hitter with explosive hands and a solid contact rate, although he has been known to be a tad aggressive in the box as a means of getting to said power.
Something of an athletic marvel at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds at age 16, Colome is an agile athlete who shows a lot of lateral quickness. The fluidity of his movements and strong arm led to a Manny Machado comparison being hung on him defensively. Much like the seven-time All-Star, Colome may move off short as his frame fills out, but he’s a tremendously dedicated worker and has the feet, soft hands and instincts to stick at the premium position.
Steven Echavarria, RHP
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 20
2025 stats (A+): 4.59 ERA, 25 starts (26 appearances), 104 IP, 88 K, 42 BB, 8 HR, 4.10 FIP
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45
The A’s believe Echavarria’s stuff played better than the overall numbers might suggest. His fastball reached 98 mph and sat 95-96 with good ride up in the zone. The issue was struggling to command his arsenal when he would fall behind in counts. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, and his upper-80s changeup continues to improve. He also throws a two-seamer in the 92-93 mph range. He clearly dealt with some control issues, but the A’s are not at all sounding the alarm, instead patiently working with the teenager on adjustments.
Echavarria profiles as a starter for the long-term with his 6-foot-1 frame and sound delivery. Previously having shown an ability to consistently throw all of his offerings for strikes prior to the Draft, he will continue to work to rediscover that control in his second season of pro ball.
Edgar Montero, SS
Expected level: Low-A | Age: 19
2025 stats (DSL): 244 PA, .313/.484/.580, 14 doubles, 3 triples, 9 HR, 50 RBI, 60 BB, 54 K, 11 SB
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
A switch-hitting shortstop, Montero has shown the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate, with his natural right-handed swing more direct to the ball, though his left-handed swing is more picturesque and he obviously gets more plate appearances from that side. He has the chance to hit for average and power, with a solid approach that has allowed him to walk more than he strikes out for much of the summer.
Last year, Montero was slower and less athletic, but attention to conditioning and nutrition has helped him get leaner and stronger. An average runner, Montero has the instincts and actions to stick at shortstop for a long time, with a solid and accurate arm. If his body gets bigger as he matures — he played all of 2025 at age 18 — he could move to the hot corner, but the A’s don’t see that in his future. What they are hoping for is that he comes to instructs this year and stays in the United States as one of the better prospects to come out of their Dominican academy in some time.
* * *
Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay m
CHECK OUT THE HOTTEST DEALS ON AMAZON!
2022 Topps MLB Chrome Updates Baseball Trading Card Mega Box
$66.99 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Topps Baseball Flagship Collection Series 2 Trading Card Box (1 Oversized Card Per Box)
$59.89 (as of February 1, 2026 15:07 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Panini Donruss Optic Football HOBBY BLASTER box (6 pks/bx)
$119.99 (as of February 1, 2026 15:07 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025–26 Panini Absolute Football Mega Box – Retail Exclusive Parallels & Inserts – NFL Trading Cards – Sealed Retail Mega Box
$47.08 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Topps 2021 Chrome Baseball Blaster Box, 32 cards per box
$34.93 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Lamine Yamal #74 Facsimile Signed Reprint Laser Autographed Funko POP! Soccer FC Barcelona Figurine with Protector Case
$29.99 (as of February 1, 2026 15:07 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Topps 2025 Series 2 Baseball MLB Trading Cards, 3 Packs, 14 Cards per Pack, 42 Cards Total
$17.50 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 ABSOLUTE Football Series Blaster Box with 4 Green Parallels Possible Cam Ward Travis Hunter Jaxson Dart Shedeur Sanders and Other Rookies Plus Chance for Autograph and Memorabilia Cards
$39.99 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
100 Vintage Football Cards in Old Sealed Wax Packs - Perfect for New Collectors
$15.75 (as of February 1, 2026 15:04 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Post Comment