Organizational report: A's say they are not raising white flag

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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The Oakland Athletics express unabashed admiration for the division-rival Houston Astros, whom they see as the model for building a team capable of sustaining success for a long stretch.

Except the A’s are not willing to endure the years of misery — three 100-loss seasons in a row — that led to all those high draft picks and top-notch prospects joining the Astros organization.

“There are certain differences,” Athletics general manager David Forst says. “We see our team hopefully being able to compete while giving those guys in the minor leagues time to develop.”

That’s one tough trick. The A’s tried to get younger, cheaper and deeper last offseason, trading All-Stars Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija, Derek Norris and Brandon Moss mostly for a collection of prospects on the verge of the majors.

That didn’t work out, as Oakland’s streak of playoff berths ended at three and it sank to the bottom of the American League West with a 68-94 record, the worst in Billy Beane’s 18 years running the show.

Beane, who has been promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations, is known for competitiveness and lack of patience, so it was curious to hear him say after the season that the club intended to hang on to its prized collection of prospects at Classes A and AA. They include the likes of shortstop Franklin Barreto, first baseman Matt Olson, catcher Jacob Nottingham, lefty Sean Manaea and third basemen Matt Chapman and Renato Nunez.

“We’re going to hold on to those guys, which creates a gap between now and when they arrive and become productive big-leaguers,” Beane says. “Our approach will be to make sure we keep that core group of kids together.”

But Forst disputes the notion the A’s have changed their philosophy and are willing to put up with a dry spell, insisting they intend to contend in 2016.

To that end, the first priority is addressing a pitching staff that produced the best ERA in the league for the first four months of 2015, then fell apart as injuries, inexperience and trades of key figures such as Scott Kazmir and Tyler Clippard took their toll. The bullpen is of particular concern after yielding the highest ERA in the AL last season at 4.63.

The A’s traded for reliever Liam Hendriks and signed free agents Ryan Madson and John Axford to fortify the bullpen. They also got lefty Rich Hill, whom they project as a starter. They are confident closer Sean Doolittle will return to his previous form after battling shoulder problems but have several holes to fill in the rotation behind Hill and staff ace Sonny Gray. The in-house candidates include Jesse Hahn, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt and Sean Nolin.

Oakland also made two moves to revamp the infield, reacquiring versatile Jed Lowrie and trading for first baseman Yonder Alonso. More changes are sure to follow, with infielder Brett Lawrie now likely trade bait.

“We’re having conversations on just about every part of the roster,” Forst says of the possibility Lawrie might be moved.

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Where the A’s stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: Stephen Vogt was a major offensive contributor in the first half, hitting 14 home runs and earning an All-Star Game invite. He also became one of the leading voices in a clubhouse short on leaders. But Vogt tailed off badly in the second half, his on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) dropping from .872 to .630. It appears the lefty-swinging Vogt is better suited for platoon duty, and the A’s have a solid complement in better-fielding Josh Phegley, a right-handed hitter who delivered nine homers and a .449 slugging percentage in 73 games. Nottingham, a highly regarded prospect, might be the long-term answer behind the plate but likely not for at least two more years.

Depth chart: Vogt, Phegley, *Carson Blair, Bryan Anderson, *Nottingham.

First base: Rule 5 draftee Mark Canha not only justified staying with the big club all season, but he also emerged as a legitimate option at first base or left field. Canha, 26, finished with 16 homers and 70 RBI, and he improved as the season went on, boosting his OPS from .722 in the first half to .759 after the break. He also played 61 of his 124 games in the outfield, versatility the matchup-happy A’s appreciate. The main downside to Canha, at least last season, was an inability to hit lefties, who limited him to a .587 OPS. He put up a .821 mark vs. right-handers. With the addition of lefty-swinging Yonder Alonso, Canha might see more action in the outfield or share first base.

Depth chart: Canha, Alonso, Vogt, Billy Butler, Max Muncy, *Matt Olson.

Second base: The return of Lowrie points to likely changes here and/or at third base. Lowrie prefers playing one position to moving all over, and his bat is especially valuable if he’s playing in the middle of the infield. In 2013 he had 15 homers and 75 RBI with the A’s.

Depth chart: Lowrie, Sogard, Tyler Ladendorf, *Joey Wendle.

Third base: The A’s were so pleased with Danny Valencia’s offensive output after they picked him up on waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays — he had 11 homers, 37 RBI and a .886 OPS in 47 games — they settled on him as the everyday third baseman.

Depth chart: Valencia, Lowrie, Muncy, *Nunez, *Chapman.

Shortstop: The first number that stands out about Marcus Semien is 35, the Oakland-record total errors he committed at shortstop last season. The number that should really matter is seven, which is how many errors Semien made in the final 63 games after coming under the tutelage of infield coach Ron Washington. Semien is determined to stay at shortstop, and the A’s appear willing to stick with him, knowing his hitting potential — he had 15 homers and a .715 OPS — might make the decision worthwhile. Plus, the other options (Lowrie? Sogard?) are not appealing.

Depth chart: Semien, Lowrie, Sogard, *Chad Pinder, *Barreto.

Left field: Oakland left fielders produced the lowest batting average (.199) and second-lowest OPS (.606) of any team in the AL, so an upgrade is imperative. It’s not clear how the A’s intend to go about it. One option is to use Canha in left field more regularly, but that will depend on their plans for Alonso, whose career OPS of .757 against right-handers is 104 points higher than vs. lefties. The A’s hope a healthy Coco Crisp can start the majority of the games here, but that’s an iffy proposition. Jake Smolinski, a terror against lefties, is another possibility.

Depth chart: Crisp, Canha, Smolinski, Sam Fuld, Craig Gentry.

Center field: With Crisp sidelined for most of the season, Billy Burns got a chance to fill the void in center field and ran away with the position. Burns batted .294 and tied for third in the league in stolen bases (26) while playing a sometimes-spectacular center field. Burns found lots of success swinging at first pitches — he hit .479 in 0-0 counts. But if he’s going to remain at leadoff, he’ll have to improve on last season’s .334 on-base percentage.

Depth chart: Burns, Fuld, Crisp, Josh Reddick, Tyler Ladendorf.

Right field: Reddick seemed to have finally overcome his wrist woes last season, when he had 20 homers, 77 RBI and a .781 OPS. He also remains a high-quality defensive outfielder with a terrific arm he loves to show off. Reddick is eligible to become a free agent after the 2016 season, leading to trade speculation that doesn’t figure to subside anytime soon. The A’s insist he’s part of their long-range plans. We’ll see.

Depth chart: Reddick, Fuld, Smolinski, Gentry, Canha, Olson.

Designated hitter: Last offseason’s signing of Butler to a three-year, $30 million contract was puzzling at the time and looks disastrous now. Not only did Butler hit a career-low .251, but he continued a three-year pattern of decline even though he doesn’t turn 30 until April and he was out of shape all season. The A’s hope a renewed commitment to conditioning and tinkering with his swing will help salvage their investment.

Depth chart: Butler, Vogt, Alonso, Muncy.

Starting pitchers: Through the first four months of the season, Oakland starters had the best ERA in the league at 3.13. That figure blew up to 3.91 by the end of the season, a stark indication of how much went wrong in the final two months. The A’s have a legitimate staff ace in Gray and a lot of questions after that. They’re betting that Hill’s four late-season starts, his first ones since 2009, will translate into a full season in the rotation. They’d happily settle for twice the 1.55 ERA he posted. Even if Hill delivered such a season at 36, the A’s would need healthy, improved years from the likes of Hahn, Graveman, Bassitt, Nolin and/or Aaron Brooks to bounce back from the last-place finish. The A’s are also keeping their fingers crossed that Jarrod Parker can finally make it back from his second Tommy John elbow surgery.

Depth chart: RHP Gray, LHP Hill, RHP Hahn, RHP Graveman, RHP Bassitt, LHP Nolin, RHP Parker, LHP Felix Doubront, RHP Brooks, LHP *Manaea, RHP *Daniel Mengden.

Bullpen: The overhaul of the worst bullpen in the league has begun but is far from being finished. In fact, the A’s might not have a real sense for how much better their relief corps will be until they ascertain whether Doolittle, who missed most of the season with shoulder woes, can return to his All-Star form of 2014. Newly acquired right handers Madson, Hendriks and Axford will be looked upon to handle a key setup roles in a revamped bullpen, after this season’s unit registered the AL’s worst ERA at 4.56 and logged 31 losses.

Depth chart: LHP Doolittle, RHP Madson, RHP Hendriks, RHP Axford, RHP Fernando Rodriguez, RHP Dull, LHP Rzepczynski, RHP R.J. Alvarez, Doubront, RHP Arnold Leon.

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Top five prospects

Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2016 Minor League Baseball Analyst.

1. Franklin Barreto, SS: Barreto, is a short (5-9), strong infielder who set a career high in home runs (13). His above-average bat speed and use of all fields should lead to a high average, though his line-drive stroke will cap his power output. Despite solid range and arm, he commits careless errors in the field, but it’s nothing he can’t tidy up. At 19 and heading to Class AA, Barreto has the makings of an All-Star.

2. Sean Manaea, LHP: Strongly built but with an injury history, Manaea, acquired in July in a trade with the Kansas City Royals for Ben Zobrist, dominates when on the mound. A lively fastball, thrown on a downhill plane, is his best pitch, and his pitches can be tough to elevate when he repeats delivery and arm slot. His slider has potential to be a second plus pitch and only needs consistency. Command, including with his changeup, still needs work. Manaea, 23, is close but likely will start in Class AAA.

3. Matt Olson, 1B: Olson, 21, is mammoth slugger (6-5, 230 pounds) with a great eye at the plate (100-plus walks in 2014 and 2015). With a simple stroke, he produces leverage and loft for consistent power. He still struggles with left-handed pitching (.216) and will always swing and miss a lot. He split time between first base and right field and will start in Class AAA.

4. Renato Nunez, 3B: An improving power source, Nunez, 21, cracked 18 home runs while showing more consistent, hard contact in 2015. He destroys lefties, swings hard at all times and can catch up to any fastball. He spends most of the time at third but also plays first. Defense isn’t his forte, but his bat can carry him in Class AAA.

5. Richie Martin, SS: An athletic infielder who stands out with his glove. He plays plus defense with range to both sides and has a strong, accurate arm. He has a selective eye and can hit hard line drives to all fields. Power is not a part of the 20-year-old’s game. He’ll begin 2016 in Class A.

Jeremy Deloney