Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter. WEST SACRAMENTO -- The trio of Colby Thomas, Denzel Clarke and Henry Bolte stood out during Spring Training as the next wave of talented young outfielders making their way through the Athletics system. Thomas and Clarke have since reached the big leagues. Bolte, meanwhile, is fast approaching. Rated the A’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Bolte began the 2025 season at Double-A Midland. After an impressive first 80 games in which he slashed .278/.378/.424 with 25 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, 42 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, Bolte earned a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 22. It has not taken Bolte, who turned 22 on Monday, long to adjust to the new level. In his first 11 games with the Aviators, Bolte is hitting .341 with a .923 OPS, three doubles and a triple. |
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“The guy plays hard every single pitch, every single at-bat,” A’s Minor League hitting coordinator Jim Eppard said last week on A’s Cast. “He's a high school kid that was playing high school baseball probably three years ago or so. So, for him to already have hit Double-A and now on his way to Triple-A and playing there, I think we have a great player in the making.” It has been a quick rise for Bolte, who the A’s selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Palo Alto High School. At the time, he was touted for his exciting raw tools with an exciting combination of power and speed. Those tools have certainly shown through as a professional. More encouraging, though, has been Bolte’s ability to cut down on strikeouts, which has been the product of a revamping of his swing that the A’s have worked with him on over the past year or so. The strikeout percentage remains a bit high at 27.2 percent this season, but it is an improvement over the 34.7 percent mark he posted last year in 123 Minor League games. |
“Henry Bolte is a monster specimen with freakish tools,” said A’s assistant GM and director of player personnel Billy Owens. “His skill set has similarities to a prime Mitch Haniger, both of whom are Bay Area products. Henry’s strong work ethic and ability to make adjustments have been on display.” The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Bolte is knocking on the door of the big leagues. When he does arrive, he will already have a fan in A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who was impressed with how the outfielder handled himself in Spring Training earlier this year. “For Henry, excited about the development and excited about the progress,” Kotsay said. “I thought he looked really good in Spring Training and he’s continuing to go out and perform. Another bat and plus defender in our system that you can see a future for.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Bolte wasn’t the only high-profile A’s prospect recently promoted. Third baseman Tommy White (A’s No. 8 prospect), moved from High-A Lansing to Double-A Midland on July 29. For the season, White, who represented the A’s in this year’s All-Star Futures Game, is slashing a combined .255/.324/.442 with 11 homers and 19 doubles in 72 games. “He’s moving along very quickly,” Eppard said. “He had some struggles in [Single-A Stockton] last year in his first go with professional baseball. Now, he jumped to Lansing out of Spring Training and is on his way to Double-A. He’s starting to calm down, figure things out and letting his true talents play. I’m excited for him. It’s going to be a matter of collecting those plate appearances and seeing if that power can develop and what kind of player we actually have." |
The record for most strikeouts by any A's pitcher in a 9-inning game is 16. Which pitcher racked up those strikeouts? A. Dave Stewart B. Jose Rijo C. Rube Waddell D. Sonny Gray |
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the A's will induct the Class of 2025 into the Athletics Hall of Fame. The "Big Three" of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, along with former Kansas City and Oakland A's broadcaster Monte Moore, will be enshrined in franchise history forever. https://www.mlb.com/athletics/tickets/promotions |
"He’s been swinging the bat really well against left-handed pitching this year, so I thought it was a great opportunity to get him in the lineup. We’re going to face some more lefties going into Washington, and what a great day to come back after he’s been down battling to get back here. I’m really proud of the way he handled it. He was ready to go, and the results were there for him.” -- Kotsay on JJ Bleday after he went 4-for-4 with a home run in his first full game back from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday |
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