Former Atlanta Braves Prospect Ready to Reach New Heights with A's?

Sep 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) hits a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Back in March of 2022, right after the MLB lockout ended, the A's traded Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves for a package that was headlined by catcher Shea Langeliers. With the backstop set to enter his third full season in the big leagues, he's looking like he's ready to set a new standard for himself in 2025.

Last season Langeliers played in 137 of the A's 162 games, and put on catcher's gear in 131 of those. While his .224 average was a bit below league average, as was his .288 OBP, he ended up slugging 29 home runs, which ranked second among backstops behind Seattle's Cal Raleigh.

He's shown flashes of his upside, and has even arguably broken out already after his power display in 2024, but this spring he's looking like he could be in for a big year.

While taking spring stats too seriously isn't the best way to make large prognostications for how a season will play out, sometimes those stats can give you an idea of what to be on the lookout for heading into a season.

Last year, second baseman Zack Gelof struck out 35.1% of the time in camp, and then went on to lead qualified hitters in strikeout rate over the course of the season. He's striking out a lot this spring too, but that doesn't mean that the results will match during the regular season.

So what is standing out for Langeliers?

Well for starters, he has six extra-base hits (five doubles and a homer) in 37 plate appearances, compared to last year's four in 52. He's driving the ball well, and playing in a minor-league facility in West Sacramento could help boost his power numbers over the course of the season.

What's really notable, however, is that he has struck out just once in that same span, good for a 2.7% strikeout rate. Last spring he struck out 26.9% of the time, and in the regular season that rate held at 27.2%. While we don't expect him to strike out under three percent of the time in 2025, that strikeout rate could trend in the right direction.

To put it into perspective, A's top prospect Jacob Wilson, who is known for his bat-to-ball skills and how infrequently he strikes out, has K'd twice as much (okay, twice) as Langeliers. Even with ten more plate appearances, that works out to a 4.3% strikeout rate.

Another positive sign for Langeliers is that even though his average has dipped from spring to spring, going from .362 in 2024 to .314 this year, causing similar drops in his OBP and OPS, his BABIP is 166 points lower this year and he's still producing at a similar clip to where he was a year ago.

He's already shown that he can be better than league average as a hitter, posting a 109 wRC+ last season, but if that can take another step forward to 115 or 120, then he would be another legit bat in an up-and-coming A's lineup to pair with Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler.

If the A's are going to sneak up on some teams like they're planning, then one of the most important players to helping them reach that goal will likely be Langeliers.

A step forward with the bat would certainly help, but as the starting catcher, he can also impact the pitcher's performances here and there, which could make an even bigger difference to the team's fortunes in 2025.