Oakland Athletics: Finding optimism in an already lost season

The Oakland Athletics are going nowhere near the playoffs this season, and may not reach that pinnacle for quite a bit. On pace to lose over 100 games already, it is easy for fans to give up and throw in the towel. Still, there are a few reasons to watch Oakland, and even some bright spots for future contenders.

Oakland Athletics: Mason Miller looks legit

Yes, it was a sample of just 21.1 innings in big league action, but Mason Miller lived up to his prospect hype. The hard-throwing righty averaged 98.7 mph on his fastball, showcasing a potentially elite pitch. Eno Sarris’ Stuff+ model tabbed the fastball as Miller’s best pitch, checking in at a score of 131, where 100 is MLB average. Overall, Miller’s Stuff+ grade of 122 ranks 42nd in the league (no minimum innings qualification). Miller is out for a while now with a UCL sprain, dodging the dreaded Tommy John surgery for the time being. The bright side to the injury is that Miller is now unlikely to accrue a full season of service time, preserving his team control until 2029.

Oakland Athletics: Brent Rooker might have figured something out

Brent Rooker arrived to professional baseball with a decorated college career and high expectations in 2017. After a strong seven game debut in 2020, Rooker has bounced to his fourth organization in Oakland, arriving with a .200 career batting average. Finally receiving consistent playing time, Rooker has run his highest career walk rate, posted the highest average exit velocity of his career, and surpassed his career total of home runs.

That all of these have occured in just 38 games is reason for skepticism, but Rooker is not running an outrageous BABIP, which means these numbers should hold rather steady, The slugger has demolished fastballs to the tune of a .672 slugging percentage, so opponents may adjust their plan of attack.

Tyler Soderstrom leads a talented Oakland Athletics farm system

The upside in being a bad baseball team is the chance to pick in the top half of the next summer’s draft. Tyler Soderstrom was actually drafted 26th overall in 2020, but has skyrocketed through the minors, including last season at High-A where we caught up with him. High school catchers usually take longer to reach the majors, but Soderstrom’s athleticism and size have pushed him away from the position. Splitting his time between catching and first base, Soderstrom’s carrying tool is his work at the plate. In 35 Triple-A games this season, the 21-year-old has posted an .843 OPS, hitting eight home runs. Half of Soderstrom’s base hits have been extra bases. Still, there are some red flags, such as the 40 strikeouts, but that can be written off as a youngster adjusting to near big-league pitching. How aggressive the A’s get with Soderstrom is yet to be seen, but he is just one level away.

Infielder Zack Gelof is also in the Las Vegas lineup, less than two years since being drafted out of Virginia. Gelof has posted a .912 OPS with three home runs and 12 stolen bases thus far.

While the 2023 season is likely to disappoint, the future may be bright enough to inspire some optimism amongst the Oakland (soon to be Las Vegas) faithful.

All stats are current as of May 19.