No matter how young and talented a player is, one thing remains true: No one can be a prospect forever. Players get older, and teams eventually need to see results. That’s not a lesson that Renato Núñez needed to learn, but like many skilled prospects before him, he soon discovered it anyway.



In 2010, the Oakland A’s signed the 16-year-old Núñez out of Venezuela for $2.2 million. Starting in 2012, he was first listed among the A’s top 10 prospects on MLB.com (slotted eighth). The following four seasons, he was ranked as one of Oakland’s top six prospects:



2013: 3rd2014: 3rd2015: 6th2016: 5th



Núñez never cracked any MLB.com top 100 lists, but his youth and powerful swing were exciting and left room for upside. But even though the power was evident, the rest of his game failed to blossom.



After failing to live up to the hype, dropping to 20th on MLB.com’s A’s prospects list...