Top A's prospect Barreto heads to Majors

In the midst of a season when Athletics fans haven't had much to cheer about, there's cause for renewed excitement in Oakland.
On Saturday, the A's announced the callup of top prospectFranklin Barreto, a 21-year-old shortstop who's also logged significant time at second base. He takes the roster spot of Chad Pinder, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.

Barreto wasted no time making an impact, smacking a two-run homer off James Shields in the third inning and adding a single in the fifth. He, Matt Olson and Jaycob Brugman became the first trio of teammates to hit their first homers in the same game in Major League history.
"When I first got here, I was told I had the day off, so I took a breath, tried to relax a little bit, but then when they told me I was going to play, I had to regain my focus and get ready for the game," Barreto said through interpreter Juan Dorado. "First hit, a home run, I don't think I'm ever going to forget it. I can't even explain it, put it into words, I just feel great about it."
Barreto opened the season as the second-youngest player in the Pacific Coast League (the Dodgers' Alex Verdugo was born a couple months after him) and batted .281/.326/.428 in 68 games with Triple-A Nashville.

He hit .281/.340/.413 in the Double-A Texas League last year, bashing 10 homers and 25 doubles while stealing 30 bases in 119 games. That earned him an end-of-season promotion to Nashville, where he was 8-for-19 (.421) with six extra-base hits in the PCL playoffs.
His performance has supported scouts' assessments that he'll develop into a strong hitter for average and power, and he also has above-average speed. His throwing arm rates a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale.  
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Barreto signed with the Blue Jays at 16 in 2012 and debuted in two Rookie-level circuits in the United States the following summer. He was named MVP of the Class A Short Season Northwest League in 2014 and was a key piece of the five-player Josh Donaldson-Brett Lawrie swap that November.
The A's promoted No. 4 prospect Matt Chapman from Nashville on June 15, but the 24-year-old third basman was placed on the 10-day DL with left knee cellulitis after appearing in four big league games. At 32-42, the A's are in last place in the American League West Division, 17 1/2 games behind the Astros, who boast baseball's best record (50-25).