Leo De Vries remains the crown jewel when it comes to the Athletics farm system, but not far behind his status as a projected future star is another prospect who has generated heavy buzz as arguably the top hitter in the organization.
Last month, MLB Pipeline revealed Devin Taylor as the A’s Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year for 2026. Ranked as the A’s No. 7 prospect, Taylor was a relatively easy selection for the honor after a season in which he hit his way from High-A to Triple-A, combining to slash .308/.411/.493 with 23 homers and 106 RBIs at the three levels while leading the league in OPS (.904) and wRC+ (129).
The excitement with Taylor comes in that he is not far removed from college. He was a second-round pick by the A’s out of Indiana University in the 2025 MLB Draft and immediately acclimated himself to pro ball in his time with Single-A Stockton to end that year, hitting .264 with an .869 OPS in 28 games.
This season was supposed to present a stiffer challenge for Taylor. There were surely some adjustments he had to make over the course of the year, but based purely on the numbers, Taylor seemingly got better with each promotion. He dominated High-A to earn a promotion to Double-A Midland after just 57 games. Performing even better in the Texas League, he was then promoted to Triple-A in September, where the success at the plate continued by hitting .295 with a .860 OPS in 16 games.
Where Taylor differs from De Vries is on the defensive side. De Vries is regarded as a strong defender at shortstop with enough versatility and athleticism to play almost anywhere on the diamond. Taylor, meanwhile, is an outfielder whose defense remains a work in progress, with the A’s nearly splitting his time between left and right field this season as they continue to evaluate his long-term position.
Still, even with the defense lacking -- which the A’s remain optimistic can improve with further reps and fine-tuning of his 6-foot frame -- Taylor is regarded by some evaluators within the organization as justifiably deserving to be ranked anywhere among the top five prospects in the A’s system after De Vries.
Taylor is certainly on the radar of the big league staff. During an end-of-year conference shortly after the regular season, A’s manager Mark Kotsay singled out Taylor as a player who could make an impact in 2027, even on a roster with a crowded outfield picture that currently includes notable names such as Tyler Soderstrom, Henry Bolte, Lawrence Butler, Carlos Cortes and Denzel Clarke, along with part-time outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker.
“Devin Taylor’s a kid that obviously had an accelerated path and got to Triple-A,” Kotsay said. “I would have liked to see him go out to the [Arizona] Fall League and get my eyes on him. I would have went out and watched him play. Unfortunately, he felt like he had [played] a ton of baseball this year, which he had. Your first full pro season is challenging in itself.
“But I thought the success he had with the bat obviously put him on our radar probably quicker than anticipated. There’s still a lot of work for him. I think the biggest thing for Devin is the speed/agility issue. The athleticism in the outfield. What kind of defender he can be. … As we talk about our depth in the outfield, he’s another outfielder who could be on our radar for next season.”