Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (21) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Rate Field on April 17. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Athletics' Slugger Matches Pair of MVPs in Baseball History, Including Bryce Harper

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 8-0 on Thursday afternoon at Rate Field, finishing off a sweep of the Southsiders. With the win, the Athletics are now 9-10 and in fourth place in the American League West. The White Sox are 4-14 and own the worst record in the American League.

Once again, Tyler Soderstrom did damage at the plate for the A's, going 1-for-5 with his league-leading ninth homer of the season. The 23-year-old is hitting .315 with nine homers and 18 RBIs. He's a former first-round pick of the A's out of Turlock high school (Calif.).

His early-season home run barrage has put him in an exclusive list in baseball history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Tyler Soderstrom’s 9 home runs are tied for the most by a player in his team’s first 19 games at age 23 or younger, with:

2019 Cody Bellinger
2016 Bryce Harper
2003 Austin Kearns
1966 George Scott

Tyler Soderstrom’s 9 home runs are tied for the most by a player in his team’s first 19 games at age 23 or younger, with:

2019 Cody Bellinger
2016 Bryce Harper
2003 Austin Kearns
1966 George Scott https://t.co/4lVSmnx82J
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 17, 2025

Bellinger and Harper are both MVPs, and Scott was an eight-time Gold Glover and three-time All-Star, so that's special company to be in, undoubtedly.

Soderstrom made his debut in 2023 and is a lifetime .225 hitter, but he appears to have taken a big jump this season.

The A's will be back in action on Friday night when they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers at American Family Field. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET as JT Ginn (ATH) pitches against Freddy Peralta.

Ginn is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA while Peralta is 1-1 with a 2.31.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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