Grading Athletics Outfielders From First Half of Season

The A's have been struggling recently, and most of the blame has been pointed at the pitching staff.

The team elected to fire their pitching coach, Scott Emerson, before the second half of the season kicks off. A's GM David Forst said it wasn't a wake-up call for anyone, but rather a move they needed to make.

Jun 26, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21), center fielder Henry Bolte (33) and right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) celebrate after the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before the team throws its first pitch after the break, let's take a look at how each of the A's outfielders performed in the first half of the season.

Henry Bolte: B+

Jul 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte (33) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The A's called up Henry Bolte a few weeks into the season, which was partly due to the injury of Denzel Clarke.

We've discussed how Bolte's success stems from his ability to keep the ball on the ground. His 100th percentile speed gets to be in use, and it's turned into a bunch of infield hits and hard grounders that get into gaps in the infield.

After collecting 12 straight hits last week at Triple-A, Henry Bolte has reached in each of his first 3 @Athletics plate appearances.

And he flashes his 65-grade run tool with a 28.5 ft/sec sprint speed on this diving catch! pic.twitter.com/ECg4TBRCCV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 14, 2026

Bolte finished with a .261 batting average and a .690 OPS with 11 stolen bases in 176 at-bats. While his average has dropped quite a bit, and he's racked up some strikeouts, he's still been a really productive player for the team.

Lawrence Butler: C

Jul 5, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a disappointing start to 2026 for Butler, who the team handed a contract extension before the 2025 season, and he hasn't been playing as expected.

However, things are looking up for Butler before the second half. He's starting to hit the ball a lot harder, and the results are slowly coming back for him.

Lawrence Butler over the batter's eye 💪

He knew he got it! pic.twitter.com/3L98tCqh0K
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2026

He posted a .196 batting average with a .592 OPS in 240 at-bats. Since he's heating up, expect a better second half from Butler, as he's been known to be a better second-half player over the last few seasons.

Carlos Cortes: A-

May 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Carlos Cortes (26) celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cortes quickly became one of the hottest hitters in the lineup early this season, which led him to switch from a bench bat to an everyday player and eventually even a leadoff hitter for a while.

After his scorching-hot start, he would cool down for a little while and have a huge slump. After his slump was broken, it seems as if he's returning to the Cortes we saw earlier in the season.

Carlos Cortes hits a ball out of sight 😳 pic.twitter.com/jWsWcdLgWz
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2026

His first half ended with a .279 batting average and a .788 OPS in 204 at-bats. Considering he was only expected to be a bench bat, the production we've seen has been awesome.

Tyler Soderstrom: A

Jun 20, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a while in the first half, Tyler Soderstrom was one of the coldest hitters on the team. It was really difficult to watch Soderstrom and Rooker both struggle in the three and four spots in the lineup.

Unfortunately, the A's would lose Rooker for the remainder of the season, but since then, Soderstrom has really gotten hot, and his numbers flipped from being a completely unproductive bat to an extremely productive hitter with a high OPS.

Tyler Soderstrom gets the A's on the board with his 14th home run of the year!

He's got an .814 OPS and a 122 wRC+ this season 🐘 pic.twitter.com/jO5brOvV7b
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 11, 2026

His first half stats finished at a .241 batting average and an .808 OPS with 14 home runs in 299 at-bats. Since he's been in a groove, there's a good chance he will stay hot for the second half of the season.

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