SB Nation • 11 min read

Elephant Rumblings: Henry Bolte named A’s Minor Leaguer of the Year

Good morning A’s fans!

The final week of the season is upon us. At 73-83 the Athletics have guaranteed yet another losing season, but on the bright side that’s a massive improvement from where this club

was this time last year in the final week. And while unlikely, winning out the rest of the way would put the A’s damn close to a .500 record. Imagine where this team might be if not for those massive double-digit losing streaks earlier in the season. This club isn’t that far from postseason contention.

The team has a motivated opponent coming to town tonight as the division-rival Houston Astros fight for a playoff spot that they probably felt was all but locked up just a few weeks ago. They’ve instead faltered late, blowing a division lead to the Seattle Mariners and now face the very real prospect of perhaps sitting on the couch watching playoff baseball this October. They’ve fallen a long way since their regular 100-win seasons and now they have their backs up against the wall as they’re currently on the outside looking in on the postseason. Who feels like ruining Houston’s playoff chances? We haven’t forgotten about the trash cans.

Back to the A’s though. The season is just about over and that of course means we get to begin looking back on the season, for both the big league and minor league teams. There will be plenty of time for a deep dive into the players on the Athletics and the young prospects inching towards the major leagues, but for now it’s award season, and Baseball America has crowned outfield prospect Henry Bolte as the Athletics’ Minor League Player of the Year:

It’s an obvious choice but well-deserved honor for the former 2nd-round draft pick from the 2022 draft class. Now wrapping up his third full season as a professional, Bolte started the year at Double-A and impressed to the tune of a .278/.378/.424 with 7 home runs and 31 stolen bases while splitting time between center field and right for the Rockhounds. After 80 games that earned him a promotion to the top level of the minor leagues and the 21-year-old looked more than comfortable against older competition. In Triple-A with the Aviators Bolte slashed an even better .300/.404/.433 with a pair of long balls and 13 steals in just 30 games! He’s likely to start the year next season with the Aviators but he’s now seemingly just an injury away from a call up to The Show next year.

Having grown up an A’s fan from Palo Alto Bolte thriving in the final levels of the minor leagues is exciting. While the new guy Leo De Vries is justifiably taking a lot of the attention right now, Bolte offers his own upside as a speedy outfielder with a bit of pop in his bat. The righty-swinging Bolte has some stiff competition ahead of him on the depth chart in defensive wiz Denzel Clarke and Lawrence Butler, but there should be every expectation that Bolte, considered the organization’s #5 prospect after the additions of De Vries and first-rounder Jamie Arnold, will be making his big league debut some time next year. Bolte didn’t have obvious platoon splits this past season but as a righty hitter maybe he’ll break in to the bits in a platoon with Butler in right? Maybe as the everyday starter in left? First Butler, then Clarke, and now Bolte. The Athletics’ outfield defense next year could be legendary if things break right, and it could last for a while with these three locking the outfield grass down for years to come.

Well done, Henry! We’re all excited to see you don the Green & Gold next year. Until then, we got a game tonight against the ‘Stros and it’s time to focus up. Run through the finish line. Have a great day everyone!