2023 has been a miserable year for Oakland Athletics fans for a myriad of reasons and we don’t really need to dwell on it now because this is a happy update. According to MLB.com, the A’s are calling up two of their top three candidates to start the second half of the season. That would be a promotion to the show for both catcher/first baseman Tyler Soderstrom and second baseman Zack Gelof.
Back in January, CBS Sports youth expert RJ Anderson ranked Soderstrom as the A’s best youth player, while Gelof landed in third place.
On Soderstrom he said:
Scouts have loved Soderstrom’s bat ever since he was drafted with the 26th pick in 2020. Some reviewers even advocated removing him immediately from behind the plate to give him a chance to play to his full offensive potential. Athletics obviously did not share this opinion. They continued to play Soderstrom as a catcher, albeit while coaching him at first base. Though the A’s share Soderstroms defensive responsibilities up front (and the presence of Shea Langeliers on the depth chart would suggest it’s not a catcher most days), the tie here is its offense. He has a chance to become a plus hitter that is both average and heavy hitter.
Soderstrom actually split the time between catcher and first. In 69 games for Triple-A Las Vegas this season, he’s hit .254/.303/.536 with 15 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 59 RBI and 45 runs.
And to Gelof Anderson said:
Gelof, Oakland’s second-rounder in 2021, reached triple-A in his first full pro season after hitting .271/.356/.438 with 13 home runs in 87 double-A contests. The selling point here is that he has a large collection of solid to mediocre tools and a patient approach that allows him to draw walks. The downsides to Gelof’s game are that he may not have any other plus tool other than speed, and his eagerness to constantly work his way down resulted in a 27 percent strikeout rate. Adding in that Gelof’s arm might play on the light side, there are probably more downsides here than meets the eye.
Originally, Gelof was a third baseman, but last season he was between second and third baseman and was a full-time second in 2023. In 69 games for Triple-A Las Vegas, he hit .304/.401/.529 with 21 doubles, a triple, 12 homers, 44 RBI, 60 runs and 20 stolen bases.
The A’s open the second half of the season at home against the Twins on Friday.