Minor League Minute: Choice, Green, Mitchell, & More!

Minor leaguers Michael Choice and Grant Green finished this year’s Arizona Fall League in strong fashion. The two former first round draft picks, Choice and Green, performed well this fall and are definitely inching closer to majors.

Baby steps. But steps nonetheless.

The A’s have high hopes for Choice, who could potentially become a force in Oakland’s lineup for years to come. He’s not expected to be in Oakland next season, but he is working his way up the minor league latter.

In 17 games during the AFL, Choice hit .318/.423/.667 with 6 HR and 18 RBIs. The former 2010 first-rounder should walk away from the AFL with some added experience. Getting extra at-bats during the offseason definitely doesn’t hurt Choice in his quest to become a major league baseball player.

Green, another first-round draft pick, also had a strong outing this fall. His numbers, while not as impressive as Choice’s, were encouraging. Through 26 games, Green hit .290/.342/.551 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.

Green’s status as Oakland’s future answer at short stop was put into question when the organization shifted him to the outfield this year, making 47 appearances as Midland’s center fielder. He also made 79 appearances at short.

His regular season with the RockHounds this year didn’t do much to impress his critics, as he saw his stats decline across the board. In 2010, Green hit a solid .318/.363/.520 with 20 HR and 87 RBIs with Stockton. After getting a promotion to Double-A, however, Green struggled a bit. He hit .291/.343/.408 with 9 HR and 62 RBIs.

Seeing him perform well during the offseason is an encouraging sight for the former USC Trojan. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve as we get closer to spring training, where I’m sure he’ll get a chance to show the A’s front office what he’s got to contribute.

As mentioned in my previous post, the A’s are likely going to lose their entire starting outfield this offseason in free agency. The Willingham-less A’s will likely roll out an outfield that includes the likes of Ryan Sweeney, Michael Taylor, and Jai Miller. In addition to those guys, however, the A’s also have an option in Jermaine Mitchell.

Mitchell, 27, has spent his career in the minor leagues, but he enjoyed quite the breakout season this year in Midland and Sacramento. With Oakland’s Double-A affiliate, Mitchell hit an astounding .355/.453/.589 with 10 HR and 50 RBIs over 76 games.

He continued that success during his promotion to Triple-A Sacramento, where he hit .302/.401/.453 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 56 games. His K rate is a cause for concern, but Mitchell proved that he’s worth a look next season.

Some more Minor League Rumblings: 

• Brandon Allen, hasn’t performed well at all this winter. In fact, he’s nowhere to be found on the roster for the Estrellas De Oriente, the winter club Allen was playing for. In 14 games for the winter club, Allen hit a paltry .143/.222/.286 with two home runs and 6 RBIs. Not great for a player figured to be in the running for Oakland’s first base job next season.
• Tyson Ross made 7 starts during the AFL, but didn’t get very positive results. He went just 1-3 with a 5.94 ERA over 16.2 innings. He performed well with Oakland last year, but an injury cut his season short. 
• Andrew Carignan made 12 appearances during the AFL and posted a 6.57 ERA over 12.1 innings of work. One positive: he did strike out 16 this fall.