Oakland A’s top prospects already making an impact for big league club

OAKLAND – An innocuous-looking item sat on a shelf in Zack Gelof’s locker, another baseball in a stadium full of them. 

Of course, this was no normal piece of memorabilia: it was the ball that the 2021 second-round draft pick had smacked into a gap for an RBI double on Friday night, the first hit of his career. 

It won’t stay at the second baseman’s locker for long, with the ball’s final destination being his family’s home in Delaware. 

“I’ve got it here in my locker,” the 23-year-old said as he glanced at the ball, “and I’m gonna give it to them today.” 

The rookie’s mom Kelly, dad Adam and brother Jake, who was just drafted by the Dodgers in the second round earlier this week were all in the stands on Friday night to cheer for their son and the A’s. Their presence meant even the sting of Oakland’s loss couldn’t take away Gelof’s joy from his debut.

“It meant everything to me for them to be here,” Gelof said. “They deserve it all.”

Gelof is one of two highly-touted prospects the A’s called up to Oakland, along with 2020 first-round pick Tyler Soderstrom. The A’s are hoping the youngsters can inject some life into the 25-68 ballclub. 

“There’s a reason they called us up, and that’s because they think we can help this team win,” Gelof said. “We’ll do anything we can do to add to this team.”

Soderstrom went 0-4 as the designated hitter on Friday, but is back in the lineup for Saturday’s game and will start behind the plate for the first time.

“It’s a big day for Tyler behind the plate,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.

Shea Langeliers, who the A’s acquired in the Matt Olson trade last March and has been a mainstay behind the plate since arriving in the Majors last August, will get the day off.

 Soderstrom’s teammate is confident that Soderstrom can catch a major league staff that enters Saturday with a 6.04 ERA, the worst in MLB.