Despite much of the negative press around the Athletics since 2022, one thing they’ve been doing well for a while is developing young talent. This was evident in the early 2010s Athletics, featuring players such as Sonny Gray, Josh Donaldson, and Josh Reddick, among others. This was seen again in the late 2010s with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Frankie Montas, among others. This is also evident in 2025, with the likes of Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers, and Lawrence Butler. While the A’s may currently sit in last place in the AL West, these four players should be bright spots among the Athletics youth movement.
Jacob Wilson – Elite Bat to Ball Skills
2023 6th overall pick Jacob Wilson is unlike many of today’s MLB players, as he is what many would call an old-school baseball player. His K% of 5.3% is in the 100th percentile, while his BB% of 5.8% is in the 23rd percentile, and his 34.1 Chase% is in the 18th percentile. Since the start of the 21st century, only 10 times has a qualified player had both a K% and BB% below 6% for a full season.
Wilson’s batted ball data is near the bottom of the league, as his Average Exit Velocity is in the 10th percentile, Barrel% is in the 10th percentile, and his HardHit% is in the 5th percentile. This usually wouldn’t mean success for most hitters, but Wilson’s bat-to-ball skills are elite, skills means he’s putting the ball in play more than nearly any other hitter in the league. His .346 BABIP is high, but a high one is to be expected with how many balls are put in play. High BABIP and low poor batted ball data would suggest his success isn’t sustainable, but Wilson’s Whiff% is in the 99th percentile, so while he isn’t making hard contact often, he puts the ball in play so much that he’s bound to get positive results.
Leader of the Athletics Youth Movement
Another aspect of Wilson’s game that makes him a good hitter is his ability to hit a wide range of pitches. Against fastballs, Wilson has posted a .403 wOBA and a two-run value, numbers that aren’t near the top of the MLB leaderboards. Where he is near the top of the leaderboards, though, is his numbers against sliders, as Wilson’s six run value 5.2 RV/100 are either first or tied with first, while also putting a .454 wOBA against sliders. In addition, Wilson has also had positive numbers against changeups, as he has posted a .384 wOBA and two run value.
While there is still plenty to go in the 2025 season, Wilson is the clear frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year right now. Through 52 games played, Wilson has a 157 wRC+, .392 wOBA, 1.08 K/BB, 1 OAA, and 2.5 fWAR. The closest rookie in terms of fWAR is Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez at 1.8.
Tyler Soderstrom – Power Hitting First Baseman
Unlike the aforementioned Wilson, the Athletics 2020 first-round draft pick, Tyler Soderstrom, is more like many hitters of today’s era. 58 games into the season, Soderstrom has posted a 123 wRC+, .343 wOBA, .786 OPS, 11 home runs, 8.3 BB%, and a 0.6 fWAR. Even with the offensive stats, Soderstrom’s underlying numbers actually show he could be an even better hitter, as his batted ball numbers are elite. His Average Exit Velocity is 92.5 (88th percentile), Barrel% is 15.5% (90th percentile), and his HardHit% is 51.6 (89th percentile).
Looking even deeper, the type of contact Soderstrom has been making in 2025 has led to his breakout. His 1.30 FB/GB is not ideal for a hitter, but Soderstrom did lower his GB% from 48.9% to 44.8%. While his FB% is also lower this season, Soderstrom’s LD% rose from 13.1% to 20.8%. Baseball Savant also has his AIR% at 54.8%, which is a career high.
Another positive increase for Soderstrom is that he increased his Pull AIR% from 12.4 in 2024 to 15.5 in 2025. The reason this is so important for a hitter is that, from 2022-2024, hitters had a .733 wOBA on pulled fly balls compared to a .353 wOBA on all other types of fly balls. While there is still room for improvement, Soderstrom has been refining his batted ball profile, which can make all the difference for a hitter, especially in the middle of this Athletics youth movement.
The Flaw for Soderstrom
For as good of a hitter he is, there are flaws to Soderstrom’s game, mainly his defense. Soderstrom has split time between left field and first base, neither of which he plays too well. Soderstrom has posted -1 DRS and 0 OAA in LF and 1 DRS and -4 OAA at first base. Poor defense at first base usually results in a low fWAR for a player, which explains why Soderstrom’s fWAR is only 0.6. Not to mention, Soderstrom’s K% is in the 20th percentile, with a Whiff% in the 17th percentile and Chase% in the 35th percentile. Soderstrom has these flaws, but his power and his ability to make hard contact show he can be an even better hitter, making a mainstay middle-of-the-order bat.
Shea Langeliers – Top 10 Catcher
The Athletics acquired catcher Shea Langeliers in March 2022, when the A’s traded Matt Olson to the Braves. It was part of this most recent Athletics youth movement. After playing in 175 games between 2022 and 2023, Langeliers broke out in 2024 and is continuing his success in 2025. In 50 games in 2025, Langeliers has posted a 104 wRC+, a .316 wOBA, and 1.0 fWAR, which may not seem like much, but these numbers make him a top-10 catcher.
Among the 20 catchers with at least 150 plate appearances, ninth in fWAR and wRC+ and tenth in wOBA. Not to mention, offensive production at the catcher position is almost always lower compared to any other position. While all catchers combined in 2025 have a 98 wRC+, from 2021 to 2024, MLB catchers had a combined wRC+ of 89 in 2021, 88 in 2022, 89 in 2023, and 91 in 2024. Thus, a league-leading offensive catcher is very valuable.
Despite Langeliers’ Average Exit Velo dropping from the 84th percentile to the 56th, Barrel% dropping from the 87th to the 57th percentile, and his HardHit% dropping from the 69th percentile to the 64th, he has been able to continue his production at the plate by making more contact. Langeliers dropped his K% from 27.2% in 2024 to 17.2% in 2025 and his Whiff% from 29.2% to 21.9%. While Langelier isn’t making as consistent hard contact as he did in 2024, just as with Wilson, the more balls put in play, the more positive results will be achieved.
Improved Defense for Langeliers
Another area Langeliers has improved is in his defense. In 2024, Langeliers was in the 1st percentile in blocking with -26 Blocks Above Average and was in the 12th percentile in framing as he had -6 Framing. In 2025, however, Langeliers is currently in the 71st percentile in blocking, with 3 Blocks Above Average, and in the 77th percentile in framing, with 1 Framing. This goes along with a 1.88 pop time, which is in the 96th percentile. A league-average offensive production with this type of defense at the catcher position makes for a valuable player.
Lawrence Butler – Looking to Bounceback
Heading into the 2025 season, the Athletics extended outfielder Lawrence Butler a seven-year, $65.5 million contract after posting a 3.3 fWAR in 2024. 53 games into 2025, however, Butler hasn’t been replicating his 2024 numbers, as he has posted a 112 wRC+, a .328 wOBA, and a .749 OPS so far, all lower than last season’s. His Barrel% and HardHit% only decreased slightly, and his GB/FB rate improved slightly to 1.12. These factors could explain why Butler isn’t seeing as much success at the plate in 2025, but another possible explanation is that he is no longer seeing as much success with curveballs.
Curveballs Spell Trouble
In 2024, Butler posted a .493 wOBA and a seven-run value against that pitch and only whiffed 20% of the time against them. Among the 259 batters that saw over 100 curveballs, Butler’s wOBA was ranked fifth. In 2025, however, Butler has lost his ability to hit the pitch, as evidenced by his .177 wOBA and -3 RV/100 against curveballs, which he whiffs at 52.9% of the time. His K% against curveballs is 54.5%, which is the seventh highest among all batters to have seen at least 50 of them, and his aforementioned Whiff% is the sixth highest. Additionally, Butler is also struggling against four-seam fastballs, the pitch he has seen the most. While a .334 wOBA may seem good, it is below average for the pitch and has zero run value.
For Butler to repeat his success in 2024, he needs to improve his numbers against curveballs and four-seam fastballs. Despite these offensive struggles, Butler has been a valuable base runner despite his sprint speed being only in the 26th percentile. Butler has a Base Running Value of 2, which is in the 92nd Percentile. Although he was unable to replicate his 2024 performance, Butler has demonstrated his capabilities in the past and can still impact the game on the base paths. That makes him a valuable piece to the Athletics youth movement.
Main image credit: © Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
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