Oakland Athletics’ shortstop prospect Franklin Barreto is perhaps the most highly-anticipated player on the non-roster invite list, not because of his chances to make the big league squad, but because he was ranked as the top prospect in the Oakland system by Baseball America last week.
Barreto is just 19 years old, and he’s a fairly small guy for a professional athlete. At just 5’9” and 175 pounds, according to his Baseball-Reference page, Barreto is built like Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Shortstops aren’t typically known for their size and strength, but it is worth noting.