Every year there are prospects and players whose strengths and weaknesses polarize A’s fans in their evaluations. It could be called The Daric Barton Rift, as Barton was one of the first young players to polarize AN into a debate frenzy that lasted longer than Daric’s career (and much longer than his ill-fated dive into a pool).
Topping the list in 2025 is Henry Bolte, toolsy, young for his leagues, prone to Ks and with little consensus on his outfield work. You might be extremely bullish on Bolte’s
future or you might be quite bearish. Chances are, though, you don’t sit in the middle.
With my luck, by the time this article is published Bolte will have been traded at the Winter Meetings, but in the off chance he’s still here let’s take a look at this “boom/bust” prospect that has AN so divided…
Quickie History
In 2022 the A’s made Bolte their 2nd round pick, 56th overall, following their 1st round selection of catcher Daniel Susac. Bolte was still 18 at the time and flashed some impressive power in his celebrational rounds of BP at the Oakland Coliseum.
Since then, Bolte has climbed the minor league ladder spending 2023-25 at A, A+, AA, and AAA where his season ended August 31st and he had surgery to repair damage to his wrist he had been managing all season. He is expected to be ready for spring training.
Strengths
There are plenty of reasons the “bullish” group believes in Bolte. They include:
- He has always been young for his leagues but has still put up over 100 wRC+ at each level each season. That includes 130 wRC+ (.267/.368/.466) in 2024 across A+ and AA and 121 wRC+ (.284/.385/.427) in 2025 across AA and AAA.
- No one can doubt his base stealing prowess. In 2025 Bolte not only swiped 44 bases he did it in 46 attempts. In 2024 he was 46 SB, 12 CS. Dude can fly on the bases and is getting better and better at it.
- Though his wrist sapped his power in 2025, there is little doubt about his ability to slug making him that coveted blend of speed and power.
- Scouts and coaches have long raved about Bolte’s patience and discerning eye. While this also shows up in the weaknesses below, it has led him to a career .369 OBP in MiLB which is especially important when you are such a threat on the bases.
- Defensively, Bolte comes with two key tools for excelling in the outfield. He has great speed and he is known for his strong arm. As a result he is probably best suited to RF.
This all being said, there are also reasons the “bearish” group digs its feet in and implores the front office to see Bolte as a good trade chip rather than a piece of the future core. They include:
- Bolte has strikeout issues and nothing derails a top prospect faster than a continued inability to make contact. While Bolte’s K rate improved in 2025, what it improved to was 28.9% down from the previous years’ 34.7% and 33.4%. Prospects with great tools who K at those rates in the minors have a very high “bust” rate overall.
- Part of Bolte’s issues with strikeouts come from what scouts have deemed excessive discernment and sometimes overthinking at the plate. Bolte has a pattern of getting too cerebral and not letting his natural talent take over, and it’s hard to know how much of this he can move past or how much is part of “who he is”.
- While Bolte has the tools to excel in the outfield, he doesn’t necessarily have the stats to match. Defensive metrics are few and far between as you go down the MiLB ladder, but Bolte’s error totals have been high and the available metrics are not in love with his defense to date. Evaluations of his defensive ability, present and future, are best described as “agnostic”.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Bolte joins a crowded group vying for spots in the A’s outfield in the second half of the 2020’s. Already entrenched, and under contract for several years, are Tyler Soderstrom, Denzel Clarke, and Lawrence Butler, with Colby Thomas trying to establish himself, Junior Perez a true CFer, and Devin Taylor likely to be a fast mover.
But that’s really an asterisk since there is always room for a star (Bolte’s upside) and never room for a dud (Bolte’s floor). So which is he? Or is the answer somewhere in between and if so closer to which one? Should he be kept and nurtured as a future core piece or should he be dangled as trade bait to a team more in need of outfield help?
By all means, please weigh in on the top candidate in this year’s Polarizing Prospect Sweepstakes.
