With the dog days of summer winding down, the Oakland Athletics youth movement has come to the fore front. There have been great performances this season from young talent like Zack Gelof, Esteury Ruiz, and Lawrence Butler offensively. Those have been matched by impressive progression from JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, and Mason Miller on the mound. It is easy to be unaware of the last 30 days from an unexpected source. With that said, Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers‘ hot summer has continued into September.
Langeliers Shines on Defense
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The Athletics backstop has yet to find consistency at the plate in his two years in the big leagues. Yet, his biggest role on the team is to be a consistent face in the ever-rotating A’s pitching staff. His consistent presence behind the plate plays a huge role in the success of the young pitchers on the staff. His biggest asset defensively is his ability to control the running game. Langeliers leads the league in runners caught stealing with 18. He is second in pop time at 1.88. He trails Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto in that category at 1.84.
There was never a doubt about Langeliers presence, and abilities behind the plate. He was originally a first round pick, ninth overall, by the Atlanta Braves in 2019. From there, Langeliers quickly became the the No. 1 prospect for the Braves before being traded to the Athletics in the deal involving Matt Olson. What has taken time to develop has been Langeliers’ consistency on the offensive side of the game. Just like the A’s offense, he has started to heat up towards the end of the 2023 season. This has given hope to A’s fans that he can continue this streak and take it into the 2024 season.
Shea Langeliers Hot Summer Continues
Coming into August, Langeliers was slashing .202/.264/.366, leaving a lot to be desired at the plate. In those first four months, he had 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 14 doubles. For most of the season, he had the lowest on base percentage of any qualified hitter in baseball. Of course his value is mostly defensive, but for his long term aspirations in baseball, he needed to start being more consistent at getting on base.
Since August, Langeliers has really started to see the ball. August was a break out month for the young backstop. In that month, Shea slashed .232/.303/.507 with six home runs and 12 RBI. The biggest difference in his game in August were his seven walks. Highest of any month for him other than May when he walked nine times. He would draw a quarter of his walks for the entire season in the month of August. He is finally starting to show the progression with his eye that the organization has been waiting to see.
His last 30 days have been his best stretch of baseball all season long. Over those 30 games, Langeliers is slashing .232/.293/.580, giving him a .873 OPS. In those 30 days, he has three doubles, seven home runs, and 15 RBI. Nearly half of his home runs and a third of his RBI on the season have come in the last 30 days. This is a trend which A’s fans and the organization hope can start to take hold and Langeliers can flourish into the star many thought he would become.
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