Oakland Athletics: Why Can’t Zack Gelof Be Their Best Prospect?
Let’s get one thing straight regarding the Oakland Athletics prospect pool. They don’t have a very good farm system. There are promising talents like Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Allen (who is now batting 9th in AAA, Las Vegas). Outside of that, it’s relatively bleak for the franchise.
In terms of the 2021 class, most are hyping up a first-round pick, Max Muncy, and rightfully so. He’s going to be a solid baseball player. With that being said, Zack Gelof ( the team’s second-round pick in 2021), might be the one who makes the biggest impact of any current Oakland prospect.
In my eyes, outside of Soderstrom, Gelof is the main piece to the A’s future. While many haven’t seen that yet, the baseball skill is undeniable.
I look at the A’s system and see a lot of promise. Soderstrom has the tools to be an All-Star catcher. Nick Allen used to be (and still can) a defensive dynamo paired with a solid hit tool. You have other prospects like Muncy, Buelvas, Clarke, Butler, all of who could be key pieces to Oakland’s future. It’s Gelof that intrigues me most. He’s the one who will be a guaranteed everyday option for Oakland.
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Looking at Gelof, the 21-year-old out of the University of Virginia, he’s not as sexy a name as some of the high school bats from this year. He might not be a 30+ HR guy in the majors. Gelof will hit above .270 and maintain a 25 HR pace. That’s a prediction you can take to the bank. In Stockton, Gelof was one of the team’s best talents. It only took him a quarter of the season to become that.
Looking at Gelof’s numbers in Lo-A Stockton, in 126 AB’s at 3B, he put up 39 hits, 7 home runs, 70 total bases, 24 RBI’s, and 8 doubles. He did this while maintaining a .310 BA and a .405 OBP. Those are pretty impressive stats for a guy who is just being introduced to pro ball. There’s going to be regression, especially as he makes his way up to Lansing and Midland next season. I don’t think he is the type of player who will regress too much.
The one thing to possibly watch with Gelof isn’t related to his offensive production, rather where he fits in on defense. He’s a 3B as it stands now. Many believe he is best suited for an OF spot. The times I’ve seen Gelof play, there haven’t been too many instances of missed balls in the field. It has happened, however. Many are being led to believe he’s going to be moved off of 3B. More so due to his athletic ability on the infield. Even if that does happen it won’t affect his offensive production.
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Whatever the stance on Gelof staying at 3B is, he’s already been the most impressive 2021 pick of the A’s. Muncy has yet to play in affiliated ball. Drew Swift (8th round pick) was sent to Hi-A, Lansing, but has struggled with a .167 BA. (Gelof will assuredly start the season at Lansing, and will undoubtedly surpass Swift’s average and production.) There’s also C.J. Rodriguez, the A’s 5th round pick out of Vanderbilt. He was terrible for Stockton. Playing on most nights due to Tyler Soderstrom’s injury, Rodriguez wasn’t able to hit above .160 and had an OBP below .200.
Gelof will probably have some struggles as he moves up the ladder. He’s not the type of prospect who will struggle long. Gelof is as good of a bet as anyone in the A’s system to reach the majors. In fact, he’s probably one of the only locks to make it to Oakland. We will need to watch his progression. At this time next year, he might be a top-100 prospect. It’s just best to not catch anyone off guard when that happens.
Image Source: Matt Riley/UVA Athletics Media Relations
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
