A's Prospect From Matt Chapman Trade Turning a Corner

The Oakland A's have traded a number of star players in recent seasons, and they're likely to trade a few more fan favorites in the coming months, too. The difference with the most recent round of deals and the previous churn cycles is that the returns the A's have received haven't panned out quite as well as expected.

One trade that has stood out as particularly bad has been the Matt Chapman trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. Three of the four players involved (Kirby Snead, Kevin Smith, and Zach Logue) are no longer with the organization just two years later. The fourth piece, however, is starting to find his groove.

That piece is 24-year-old right-hander Gunnar Hoglund. He was selected 19th overall in the 2021 Draft even though he'd just received Tommy John surgery. The A's acquired him as he was nearing a to return to the mound in March of 2022. He made his pro/season debut on July 23 and only ended up throwing eight innings that season.

In 2023 he came back and spent most of the year in Stockton (43 1/3 innings) before receiving a promotion to Lansing (12 2/3) and then making his final start of the year with Double-A Midland (5). He ended up pitching a total of 61 innings and held a 6.05 ERA.

Hoglund began this year back with Midland, and has already surpassed last season's innings total in early June, tossing 66 innings with a 3.41 ERA. Last night he went seven innings, gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out nine. In his previous three starts he'd racked up a combined 14 1/3 scoreless innings.

The scoring last night came on a single and a home run in the first inning, and then in the second with runners on first and second and one out, Hoglund got the batter to fly out to center. Yet, after the catch was made, the ball scooted well into left field and allowed the runner from second to score. The play-by-play announcer guessed the ball went at least 100 feet. It was a wacky play.

From that point on, Hoglund was nails. He allowed a third inning single, a sixth inning walk, and a seventh inning double the rest of the way, striking out eight in the process.

Part of the reason for his turnaround this season has been that his velocity has returned after undergoing Tommy John. Last year he was sitting 90-91 per Baseball America, but this season he's up to 92-93 and touching 95. With the added velocity, they view him as a back-end starter.

The one downside here is that his FIP sits at 4.75, so there may be a little luck involved in the ERA at the moment, but it's undeniable that he's been on a run of late, giving up two earned runs across 21 1/3 innings.

Since Hoglund was drafted in 2021, he will be Rule 5 eligible later this year. That means that at some point in 2024, it's likely that we see him added to the 40-man roster.

The righty is currently the A's No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.