The devil is in the details. In the headline, a key word is “talent” which is different from “performance”. My point here is that as bad as the 2026 A’s have been, and will undoubtedly continue to be with the majority of their key players on the IL, the “core” much ballyhooed is indeed legitimate.
If properly coached and harnessed.
The 2027 infield landscape looks something like this: Zack Gelof, Jacob Wilson, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, and Nick Kurtz, with Leo De Vries hopefully healthy and on the fast
track to the big leagues, and Shea Langeliers behind the plate.
Gelof has re-emerged as a dynamic player who combines speed and power with solid defense at not one, not two, but now three positions: 3B, 2B, and CF. Wilson’s and Kuroda-Grauer’s contact skills are elite giving each a chance to produce a high batting average and both offer slick defense. Kurtz is Kurtz: one of the league’s most feared hitters and a recognized star even at age 23.
Now there are adjustments that simply have to happen, such as Wilson’s swing decisions, Langeliers’ blocking and pitch calling, and Kurtz making enough contact to avoid creeping K rates, but especially with De Vries in the mix that’s a group with “division winning” talent — and I don’t just mean a division you can take with 81 wins.
The outfield landscape is similarly flush with talent and upside even if not all of it has been coaxed out. Tyler Soderstrom, Henry Bolte, and Lawrence Butler have shown, at different times, how much they can positively impact a game, while Denzel Clarke is a luxury 4th OFer to have if you are not overly relying on his bat or health to hold up over 150 games.
Bolte is still unproven and very much learning, Butler’s career has taken the “Gelof arc,” and Soderstrom’s defense cratered this season possibly due to ongoing hip discomfort. But there is a lot of star upside in each of those 3 and Clarke adds platinum glove level defense even if his role is primarily to be a pinch runner or defensive replacement and occasional weak side platoon. And Devin Taylor is not long for the minor leagues either.
The main issue the A’s have with regard to the position player core is not talent, upside, or even “expected arc”. It’s that A’s players seem to stall in their development by repeating the Achilles heels that drag down their performance and then take steps backwards when they should be hitting their prime and blossoming.
This needs to change and if it doesn’t then the A’s may well continue to hit around league average even when fully or mostly healthy, as they did this season, and they may give away outs and bases on defense despite their athleticism.
But not necessarily. Get this core group healthy and properly coached and disciplined, and no acquisitions are needed in order for the lineup to be excellent both on offense and defense. The talent is there — now it has to be realized.
