Report: Athletics Promoting Top Prospects Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof
There haven’t been many positives surrounding the 2023 Oakland Athletics, who’re in the midst of a full-scale rebuild and plan to move to Las Vegas in the coming seasons. But the fan base will receive a glimpse of the future this weekend.
That is, of course, from an on-field perspective, as two of the franchise’s top farm hands are expected to make their MLB debuts.
The A’s are planning to promote infield prospect Zack Gelof from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Friday’s series opener versus the Minnesota Twins, MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos reported Wednesday night. But he won’t be the only youngster travelling to California.
Gallegos added just a few hours later that Oakland also plans to call up top prospect Tyler Soderstrom ahead of this weekend’s series against the Twins, inserting another injection of youth into their lineup as the second half of the season begins.
In doing so, the Athletics are providing their No. 1 (Soderstrom) and 3 top prospects (Gelof), per MLB Pipeline, an opportunity to showcase their respective talents at the highest level of competition. And they’ll be tasked with facing the AL Central’s second-place team.
Soderstrom and Gelof will soon join (No. 2) Mason Miller – currently sidelined with a UCL sprain – and (No. 20) Hogan Harris as the latest Athletics prospects to debut in the majors this season.
Neither player is walking into a winning culture. They might, however, improve a team that currently holds the worst record (25-67) in baseball and entered the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak – the second longest in the majors behind only the Los Angeles Angels’ five-game skid.
Oakland selected Soderstrom 26th overall in 2020, although he didn’t make his pro debut until the following season, posting a .306/.390/.568 slash line with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs and a 145 wRC+ in 57 games at Single-A. His rapid ascension hasn’t slowed since then.
After climbing three levels in 2022, the left-handed slugger has torn up Triple-A competition with his power stroke this season, blasting 20 home runs while producing a .536 SLG across 69 contests. But that’s also made him susceptible to strikeouts, evidenced by his 27.6 percent clip.
The 21-year-old, originally a catcher, has logged 292.2 innings behind the plate in 2023. He’s also spent time at first base – where he’ll likely earn most of his reps in the majors, especially with Shea Langeliers serving as the A’s primary backstop – compiling 210 innings.
Gelof, a second-round selection in 2021, has also risen quickly through Oakland’s organization and thrived at almost every stop along the way. Amazingly, he reached the Triple-A level two months after being drafted, albeit for only a brief stint.
This season, the 23-year-old righty has impressed with his contact and power, hitting .304/.401/.529 with 12 round-trippers, 44 RBIs and a 122 wRC+ over 69 games at triple-A. He’s also displayed excellent knowledge of the strike zone, earning a 13.3 percent walk rate while punching out almost 28 percent of the time.
Despite entering pro ball as a third baseman, Gelof has shifted over to second for the most part, where he’s played 1,132 career innings. But he’s returned to the hot corner on occasion, logging 512 career innings to date.
The Athletics’ 40-man roster features one vacancy after right-hander Adam Oller cleared waivers earlier this week. Another spot, though, must be vacated to make room for Soderstrom and Gelof ahead of Friday’s opener versus the Twins.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Jeffrey Hyde. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.