Green and Gold Futures Prospect Weekly: Milone's Power Week at Midland, Sha Deals at High-A
By Ethan Price ·
Green and Gold Futures Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Athletics farm system.
Milone Finds Some Pop in Midland
Brennan Milone (AA, 1B, Rank: 27) went 4-for-15 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, and two walks this week at Double-A Midland. Over his last 30 days he is slashing .289/.413/.553 with two home runs and four doubles, running a 17.4 percent walk rate while keeping strikeouts manageable at 26.1 percent. That is a meaningfully better version of Milone than the season-long .230 average suggests, and the power showing up more consistently is the interesting piece. He has nine home runs across 393 plate appearances on the year, with 19 doubles mixed in, and the last month represents his most sustained stretch of extra-base production of the 2026 campaign.
The profile has always been built on a 55-grade hit tool and elite zone discipline rather than big power, and the 17.8 percent season-long walk rate is among the best marks in the system. The concern entering this season was whether the offensive dip he experienced in 2025 (from a combined .246/.349/.405 line that itself followed a stronger start to his career) indicated something structural. The last 30 days do not answer that question definitively, but they push back against the pessimistic read. His contact rate has dipped to 67.1 percent over that stretch compared to 73.1 percent in 2025, which is worth watching, but he is also swinging at just 40.7 percent of pitches, staying disciplined. The projection as a potential everyday or second-division first baseman still hinges on whether the bat can settle into the .260-.270 range with 15-plus home runs; this week looked more like that player than most of 2026 has.
Sha Generates Whiffs and Nothing Else at Stockton
Tzu-Chen Sha (A+, RHP, Rank: 37) turned in four scoreless innings against High-A hitters this week, allowing one hit, walking nobody, striking out six, and generating 13 whiffs on 53 pitches, 32 of which went for strikes. That 60.4 percent strike rate is well above his season mark of 43.7 percent, and the 13 swinging misses on 53 pitches is an outing-level whiff rate that the season-long numbers have not shown he can produce with any regularity. Over the last 30 days at High-A, his strikeout rate has climbed to 31.1 percent against a 6.7 percent walk rate, and his whiff rate over that stretch sits at 33.7 percent. That is a very different pitcher than the one who posted an 8.71 ERA across 72.1 innings this season.
The context matters here. Sha carries a 40-grade command projection and fringe-average stuff across his four-seamer and slider, and the season as a whole has reflected those limitations: home runs, high hit rates, and command lapses have kept him from stringing outings together. The best-case profile is a low-leverage reliever who can use the fastball-slider combination in short bursts. This week looked like that guy, with the delivery cleaner and the slider behaving. His last-30-day stretch is the most promising run of his 2026 season, and if it carries into a relief role, the ceiling he can realistically hit becomes clearer. I would take the over on a bullpen conversion improving these results; the stuff plays better without the third-pitch obligations that starter innings create.
Quick Hits
Steven Echavarria (AA, RHP, Rank: 18) · threw 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball, scattering five hits, walking one, and striking out seven while generating 13 whiffs on 90 pitches. The 47-of-90 strike rate sits above his 44.9 percent season-long mark. A 55-grade fastball that touches 96-98 mph and a firm mid-80s slider are the carrying tools, and both were effective here. His Double-A ERA sits at 5.30 across 18.2 innings, and the walk rate has tightened to 6.2 percent at this level compared to 10.7 percent at High-A. The command (graded 45) has always been the ceiling question; when he locates like he did this week, the three-pitch mix looks like a back-end starter.
Cole Miller (A, RHP, Rank: 30) · struck out eight and allowed nothing over five innings, giving up two hits and a walk while generating 11 whiffs on 62 pitches. That is the sharpest outing of his recent stretch; over his last 30 days his ERA is 3.46 but his walk rate has climbed to 14.0 percent, so the command has been the friction point. A 55-grade fastball that can reach 96 mph is his best weapon, and on a night when he keeps it in the zone, the results look like this. The season ERA of 6.67 and 34 walks in 82.1 innings are still the operative numbers, but a post-Tommy John arm with that fastball and a viable slider is worth watching when it clicks.
Kade Morris (AAA, RHP, Rank: 13) · was optioned from the Athletics to Triple-A Las Vegas on September 5. Keep an eye on his workload in Las Vegas as September wraps up.
Edgar Montero (A, SS, Rank: 17) · went 6-for-21 with a double, a home run, two RBI, and three walks this week at Single-A Stockton. The 19-year-old switch-hitter has a 55-grade hit tool and a season-long 16.3 percent walk rate across 449 plate appearances, though the 35.6 percent strikeout rate and 60.3 percent contact rate are the things to watch as he faces better stuff. His last-30-day line shows a .278/.391/.417 mark with a 14.9 percent walk rate and a 38.8 percent swing rate; the plate discipline is working, and the contact rate is the remaining variable to track. At 19, the development timeline remains long, but the approach is ahead of where most players his age look in full-season ball.
Clark Elliott (AA, OF, Rank: 26) · posted five hits in 26 plate appearances, adding a double, a home run, three RBI, and five walks. He is a disciplined left-handed bat with a 20.3 percent walk rate on the season and 22 stolen bases, though the 40-grade power and hit-tool concerns (a .230 season average) keep the projection capped at organizational depth. His last 30 days show an 18.1 percent walk rate and three home runs, which is more thump than the season line suggests he can sustain. The on-base skills are real; the question is whether there is enough else to go with them.
Roman Martin (A, SS, Rank: 9) · had a rough week at Single-A Stockton, going 1-for-17 with a home run, two RBI, four walks, and six strikeouts. The 21-year-old has enough profile to absorb a slow week: a 55-grade field, a 60-grade arm, and a contact-oriented swing that profiles as an everyday shortstop if the bat catches up. Over the last 30 days he is hitting .198 with a 15.9 percent walk rate, so the approach is holding but the bat has been cold. The single home run kept the RBI count from being a complete zero, and four walks in that sample show the zone judgment is still there.
Drew Burress (A, OF, Rank: 2) · went 6-for-23 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a walk this week at Stockton. No home runs is the notable absence for a player with a 60-grade power tool and seven on the season, but the last 30 days remain outstanding: a .315/.447/.565 line with four home runs, three triples, and a 17.5 percent walk rate across 114 plate appearances. His season-long swing rate of 36.3 percent is exceptional selectivity, and the 16.8 percent walk rate confirms the approach is working. One power-light week does not change the read on a player who has been the most exciting bat in the lower levels of this system.