Minor Tweaks Could Turn This A's Player Into Superstar

This A's player has all of the tools of a good player, and is a few tweaks away from being great.

Jul 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This A's season has been nothing short of disappointing, as the team's season has been derailed by injuries, and the pitching staff has been very weak.

Henry Bolte made his MLB Debut earlier this season and almost immediately burst onto the scene as a really solid contact hitter, showcasing his 100th-percentile speed. Before his call-up, he went 12 at-bats in a row with a hit.

Aug 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte (33) and third base coach Bobby Crosby (8) shake hands after Bolte hit a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We talked about why he was having early success: he was very good at keeping the ball on the ground. Usually, players want to avoid hitting grounders, but with Bolte's speed, it's actually just what he needs to stay successful.

It was kind of crazy seeing the young Bolte make his debut as early on as he did, as the injury to Denzel Clarke made room in center field for the speedy Bolte.

Henry Bolte Needs To Cut Down Whiffs

Aug 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte (33) hits a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keeping the ball on the ground has allowed Henry Bolte's expected batting average of .243 to rise to his actual .267, thanks to his insane speed.

One way he'd be able to raise his average even higher is if he could cut out some swing-and-miss in his game. He whiffs on 33.1% of his swings, which is in the ninth percentile of players this season, which is very rough. This also leads to a 27.3% strikeout rate, which also takes away from his speed being a factor.

Henry Bolte JUUUUUST nicks the foul pole for a three-run homer 🤯 pic.twitter.com/61MexQXQwb

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 16, 2026

It's also worth noting that he walks only 6.7% of the time, which is very low. Anything Bolte can do to get on base, whether it be a grounder or a walk, could give him a chance to score on a ball in the game or potentially even swipe a base.

It's easier said than done to cut out whiffs, but if he does more work on it over the offseason on shortening up his swing, especially on two strikes, it could result in even more contact, which allows him to use his speed.

Bolte Needs To Be Better Base-Stealer

Aug 12, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte (33) runs towards first after hitting a single against the Tampa Bay Rays in the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Base stealing has really gone from being purely about speed to having better techniques and getting better jumps. Slower guys like Josh Naylor are able to have 30 stolen-base seasons just because he gets good jumps.

This season, Bolte has recorded 14 stolen bases and has been caught stealing eight times. That means his stolen-base percentage is just 63.64%, which is not good.

Henry Bolte since the start of August

97.1 MPH EV (2nd)
60.7% HardHit% (6th)
14.3% Barrel% (27th)
pic.twitter.com/F3NLakbZlr

— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) August 14, 2026

With the bigger bases, the league average in stolen base percentage is around 80%, which means Bolte would have a lot of work to do just to become an average base stealer.

With his 100th percentile speed, he needs to find a way to become more of a threat on the base paths so he can find ways to get on base and use his killer speed to put more pressure on opposing defenses.