Why Tyler Soderstrom is the Best Pick to Replace Corbin Carroll in the WBC
In this story:
With the opening of spring training this week, there has been a slew of injury news coming out from other camps. One of those reports was that Corbin Carroll, the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder, has a broken hamate bone in his right hand, requiring surgery. This will also keep him out of action for the World Baseball Classic, leading Team USA to look for a replacement.
Among those being considered, per Jon Morosi, is A's left fielder Tyler Soderstrom. The A's outfielder had a breakout season in 2025, not only hitting a career-high 25 homers and holding a 125 wRC+ (100 is league average), but he also switched positions from first base to left field and became a Gold Glove finalist in the process.
After the solid season he had, the A's decided to lock him up long-term, signing him to a seven-year, $86 million deal with an eighth year club option.
The other names that Morosi mentioned as being in contention to replace Carroll are Cleveland's Steven Kwan, Detroit's Riley Greene, Boston's Roman Anthony, Washington's James Wood, Texas' Wyatt Langford and Miami's Kyle Stowers.
How does Soderstrom compare?
To make this process nice and simple, we're going to take some key offensive and defensive numbers, put them in a chart, and then have you gaze at which player deserves the shot.
For Roman Anthony, we should note that he only played in 71 games at the age of 21, so those numbers are a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, those are incredible stats for a debut year. On the other, has he been tested enough to be a huge addition to the WBC roster, or could he be exposed a bit? His inexperience could be a blessing and a curse for this decision.
His defensive stats were also better in right field, which are the ones that we have used below, while everyone else was primarily used in left field.
BA | OBP | HR | wRC+ | DRS | OAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soderstrom | .276 | .346 | 25 | 125 | +10 | +5 |
Kwan | .272 | .330 | 11 | 99 | +22 | +5 |
Greene | .258 | .313 | 36 | 121 | -5 | +2 |
Anthony | .292 | .396 | 8 | 140 | +8 | +4 |
Wood | .256 | .350 | 31 | 127 | +1 | -7 |
Langford | .241 | .344 | 22 | 118 | +16 | +10 |
Stowers | .288 | .368 | 25 | 149 | +1 | -3 |
Just so we get a sense of what these guys are trying to replace on the roster, here is how Carroll fared last season too.
BA | OBP | HR | wRC+ | DRS | OAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carroll | .259 | .343 | 31 | 139 | +8 | +10 |
Carroll also spent most of his time in right field last year, which could provide someone like Anthony a leg up on the competition.
Who should be named to USA roster, and who will be named
In terms of the USA adding a solid bat that also plays good defense, the clear answers would appear to be Soderstrom, Langford and Anthony. If they're looking for more of a glove-first addition that makes solid contact, Kwan is the guy.
We should also point out that Stowers only played in 117 games before suffering a season-ending injury, and he was still able to club 25 homers. Over a full season he would have netted around 36-37 dingers, which would have put him right up there with Riley Greene.
All of these options are tremendous, and you can make a case for each of them. For Soderstrom, it's that his approach at the plate also allowed him to drive in runners in scoring position as he was going with what the pitcher gave him to produce runs for his club. He had a team-leading 93 RBI last season, which was just outside of the top-25 among all players in baseball (No. 26).
In this competition, where the pitchers aren't as well known, that approach could be a huge boon to the roster, on top of his other standout attributes.
That all said, the most high-profile name on the list is Roman Anthony, a top prospect who plays for a big market East Coast team. It would be a little surprising if he doesn't get the nod given his defensive ability, the fact that he can play left or right, and that he can get one base better than anyone. Still, Soderstrom brings a little bit of everything that should make him an enticing option.
Recommended Articles:
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
Follow byjasonb