After releasing the 2008 top prospects lists for 28 of the 30 teams throughout the winter, Baseball America finally got around to the A’s and released the team’s top 10 list for ‘08. It looks like this:

1. Carlos Gonzalez, OF
2. Gio Gonzalez, LHP
3. Brett Anderson, LHP
4. Fautino de la Santos, RHP
5. Daric Barton, 1B
6. Trevor Cahill, RHP
7. James Simmons, RHP
8. Henry Rodriguez, RHP
9. Aaron Cunningham, OF
10. Chris Carter, 1B

My thoughts:

1. First, the obvious - six of the ten players listed were not in the A’s organization before the Haren trade.

2. Only two guys (Barton and Cahill) are repeats from last year’s list.

3. Other lists, like those at Minor League Ball and Baseball Prospectus, differ on how the top 5 rank, but it is some combination of the same guys.

4. If Daric Barton is the fifth best prospect in the organization, we should have a very good starting rotation in 2011. (I am, of course, ignoring TNSTAAPP.)

Chris Kline also conducted a chat regarding the A’s top 10 list, and here are some highlights:

1. He says the A’s system now ranks in the top 10 in baseball, after being one of the worst pre-trades. I figured that, but it’s nice to see it confirmed.

2. He thinks Gio is the safer bet if one Gonzalez is going to pan out.

3. Former first rounder Cliff Pennington still exists and Kline thinks he can still get it together.

Pitchers and catchers in just two weeks, people. I’m looking forward to seeing how these guys do.

1. So Jim Callis wants to fulfill my fantasy.

Johnny Mac ( At work): Does Lastings get a starting job in 2008?

 Jim Callis: Yeah. In Oakland.

Nick (Long Island, NY): Who comes to NY from Oakland for Lastings?

 Jim Callis: Joe Blanton.

This is certainly not new speculation. I feel like I’ve been wanting something along the lines of Blanton-for-Milledge for eons. I remember talking about it last offseason, and yet again, it’s getting buzz this offseason.

Lastings could be a better leadoff hitter than Travis Buck, who’d be better suited at 6th or so. He’s also right handed, and the A’s always need those guys. And if Buck could move to center field (as has been mentioned in the past), we’d be in business with Swisher and Milledge at the corners.

Of course, there’d still have to be a pitcher thrown into the mix by the Mets for a Blanton-for-Milledge to work.  Do it, Billy. I’ve been asking you for over a year. Now’s the time.

2. About the catcher situation in 2008 - I’ve always been a Kurt Suzuki fangirl since his Cal State Fullerton days, so I was ecstatic when my boy got his chance to start in 2007. But Mychael Urban brought up the possibility of a spring training catcher battle between Kurt Suzuki and Rob Bowen in his recent interview with Athletics Nation.

I have to say that’d be an interesting one to watch. Bowen did show himself to handle the bat very well in his little bit of playing time. Suzuki is the superior defender, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 60/40 platoon with each guy being the personal catcher of three and two of the starting pitchers. I’d give Suzuki the Haren/Blanton/Gaudin combo though, as he has the experience-handling-the-pitching-staff advantage. And he wouldn’t bitch about not playing every day, like another catcher I know.

3. Baseball America gave us a little insight into the Arizona Fall League progress of our 2007 first round draft pick, pitcher James Simmons - he has a 3.94 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 30 innings so far in the notoriously hitter-friendly AFL.

A scout had these words to say:

His biggest asset is exquisite fastball command. He can put it where he wants to…He’s a strike-thrower that seems to have a great idea of what he wants to do. He understands situations and has a plan…He’s got an above-average changeup. Really, the question with him remains the breaking ball. That will be the pitch that determines where his future will be. He’s shown a slider out here, but he gets around it at times and he has trouble locating it. But again, he’s experimenting and this is the atmosphere to do that. It’s gotten a lot better from where it was just earlier this year in college, but the development of that pitch will dictate what kind of role he’ll have.

So there you have it - the guy who’s been on the fast track since day one is progressing nicely on the fast track. Mid-2008 callup? I wouldn’t be shocked.