Athletics' Big League Weekend lineup falls short of expectations

The second of two Big League Weekend games will be played this afternoon as the Athletics take on the Brewers in Las Vegas.

Despite the moniker, there aren't many big leaguers present in Saturday's starting lineup. This should have been a major marketing effort by the Athletics and has instead turned into a bit of a laugher.

JP Sears, who should be the Athletics opening day starter, will take the mound today. Tyler Soderstrom earns the start behind the plate, and Lawrence Butler will start in center field.

Outside of that group, there are zero major league appearances by the remaining seven players, just three of whom are ranked in MLB Pipeline's list of top-30 Athletics prospects.

Shortstop Max Muncy, second baseman Cooper Bowman, and first baseman Logan Davidson are the only ranked prospects in the lineup this afternoon. MLB Pipeline has Muncy ranked as the A's 8th best prospect, while Bowman and Davidson come in at 22nd and 25th, respectively. The remaining spots are filled by interesting, albeit low-profile, prospects.

The players themselves are intriguing enough. Bowman should open the year at Double-A and has looked good in previous years. Catcher Yohel Pozo is a long shot to make the majors but he'll be an option behind the plate if Soderstrom can't cut it.

Hoy Park has looked good this spring, bagging a homer and two doubles with 6 RBI in his 10 games. Jeisson Rosario is a post-hype guy with decent upside, and Muncy is one of the more exciting prospects in the system.

Overall though, you'd expect the Athletics front office to put more into this event. The team is currently trying to win over fans in Las Vegas. Despite their planned move, a large number of baseball fans in Vegas are Dodgers fans. The A's aren't going to curry favor with the new fanbase by trotting out lackluster lineups in their brief appearances in the city.

We'll still be tuned in to keep an eye on a number of these guys and their potential impact on the roster in Oakland this year. But for fans planning on being in attendance, this feels like it could be a bit of a let down.

Not that the A's have a bunch of star power on the roster to start, but you'd figure they'd send some of the more high-profile guys out to Las Vegas to show the baseball world how interested they are in putting the best possible product on the field.

The Brewers counter with righty Evan McKendry, who has posted an ERA of 9.00 in his two spring appearances. Prospect sensation Jackson Chourio will lead off for the Brew Crew, while 2023 first-round pick Brock Wilken will hit third, starting at third base. First pitch at 1:05 pm PST.