2025 Athletics Dynasty Sleepers, Breakouts, and Busts

With dynasty season ramping up, I figured it was time to talk about some sleepers, breakouts, and busts for each team. You can find my rankings and reports to see how I value players for your dynasty leagues, but I also feel like it’s helpful to truly identify whether I believe a player can be a breakout or not. Here is where I call my shots on players I think require a call to action in dynasty, whether it be to buy or sell that player.

Athletics Dynasty Sleepers, Breakouts, Busts

MLB Sleeper: JJ Bleday, OF, 27, 6’1”/205

A former fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, most were ready to label Bleday as a bust. It was probably justifiable, given Bleday had a sub-.200 batting average in his first 550 plate appearances leading up to 2024.

Bleday broke out in a big way last season, hitting 20 home runs while slashing .243/.324/.437. Most are not buying the performance and see him falling off, but the gains are real. Bleday has seen a three-year increase in contact rates, seeing his zone-contact rate jump from 77.8 percent to 82.5 percent in 2024. The overall contact rate has improved to 74 percent, which is close to MLB average.

If you look at the exit velocity and hard-hit data, you might come away unimpressed. But given Bleday’s ideal launch angles, he barrels more balls than you might expect. His sweet-spot percent of 37 percent was 80th percentile among all hitters.

Then, factor in Bleday and the Athletics moving to Sacramento, a better hitters park than The Coliseum. Projections like Bleday to bust over the 20 home run barrier this year and I agree. The contact improvements could also lead to him posting a batting average near .250 with a strong OBP.

MLB Breakout: Tyler Soderstrom, 1B, 23, 6’2”/200

Touted as a top-catching prospect after being selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, Soderstrom has seen his bumps and bruises along the way, but has ultimately evolved into a solid power bat. Injuries limited Soderstrom to just 350 plate appearances, but between Triple-A and the Majors, he blasted 19 home runs.

Soderstrom ended the year strong upon his return to the big league team. While it was just 47 plate appearances, Soderstrom slashed a strong .279/.340/.512 with two home runs and four doubles.

The left-handed power bat checks a lot of boxes you want to see from a quality of contact standpoint. Soderstrom posted a 15 percent barrel in the majors, which was closer to ten percent in Triple-A, but still a solid mark. Soderstrom also posted an average exit velocity north of 92 mph with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 107 mph. The power is there.

Soderstrom will need to lift the ball more, but when he does get it in the air, he hits it with authority. His average exit velocity on pulled fly balls was 97 mph and Soderstrom actually makes respectable contact skills. In the majors, an 85 percent zone-contact rate, and in Triple-A, 89 percent. Those marks will play.

Nick Kurtz is on the way, but if Soderstrom hits, there is a way for both bats to play in this lineup.

MLB Bust: Luis Severino, RHP, 31, 6’2”/218

Severino bounced back and has a huge 2024 season, throwing 182 innings and posting a 3.91 ERA with the Mets. It was the first time that Severino had thrown more than 105 innings since 2018. Severino struck out just 21 percent of hitters, largely due to his 60 percent usage between his four-seam and sinker.

The performance earned Severno a strong $67 million contract over three years from the Athletics. The move from Citi Field, a notorious pitchers park, to Sacramento worries me a bit for Severino. As a pitcher who has struggled with home runs, moving to a park where the ball really flies could be an issue. Also, Severino has not been the picture of health throughout his career.

All this to say, I do not think Severino will be a complete bust, but he could run an ERA closer to 4.40 than 4.00, and I would not be surprised. With the lack of strikeouts, ratios are important to Severino so he needs to keep the ERA and WHIP lower.

If healthy, Severino still should provide valuable innings but maybe just not to the level people think given his 2024 season plus his big contract he got.

Athletics Prospect Sleeper: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS, 22, 6’0”/190, AAA

Kuroda-Grauer enjoyed a successful career at Rutgers before landing with the Athletics in the third round of the 2024 draft. After being a .300 hitter in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Kuroda-Grauer broke out in a massive way in 2024, slashing .428/.492/.590 with more walks than strikeouts. He hit just five home runs but added 19 doubles and a triple.

Just three hitters were drafted from the college ranks in 2024 who had a 90th percentile exit velocity north of 104 mph and an in-zone contact rate of 94 percent or higher. Kuroda-Grauer was one of them.

Stepping into professional ball, Kuroda-Grauer hit and moved fast. He reached Triple-A during the final week of the season, and in his 28 pro games, he slashed .324/.421/.343. While he did not homer, he had two doubles and stole five bases. Kuroda-Grauer also walked more than he struck out, just like at Rutgers.

The underlying data continued to be impressive with a wood bat as he made contact on 89 percent of pitches overall and 93 percent in-xone. He rarely expanded the zone, showing low chase rates. Already hitting a ball as hard as 110 mph with wood is a very encouraging sign as well.

Kuroda-Grauer is solid in the field. He plays a fine shortstop but could be an exceptional second baseman if he moves off of shortstop. His impressive contact skills and good exit velocity data make Him quite an attractive prospect.

Athletics Prospect Breakout: Jack Perkins, RHP, 25, 6’1”/220, AA

Pitching in short-inning roles to begin the year, Perkins slowly built up all season and wound up being a dominant start after the All Star break. A 2022 fifth-round pick, Perkins has struggled with command and walks at times, but his improvements now make it look like he could be a solid starting pitcher.

Perkins is armed with a big fastball that sits 94-96 in relief roles, but has been more 93-95 mph as a starter. It is a high-riding pitch from a low release point, missing plenty of bats. It does play up in shorter stints, which could lead to it being a plus pitch.

The slider evolved into a sweeper in 2024, reaching mid-80s with high spin rates. Perkins also mixes in a cutter that sits around 90 mph and a curveball in the mid-80s. The command is highly inconsistent on the secondaries at times, leading to relief questions.

Perkins is a heavy helium prospect right now and for good reason. Over his final seven starts to end the year, Perkins posted a 1.43 ERA with 54 strikeouts to 14 walks over 44 innings.