Gunnar Hoglund Set to Make MLB Debut Against Miami Marlins

It was reported on Thursday that the Athletics are set to call up No. 14 prospect Gunnar Hoglund ahead of their series this weekend with the Miami Marlins. Following the A's game against the Texas Rangers in Texas, manager Mark Kotsay spoke briefly with reporters on Hoglund's call-up.

Kotsay said that Hoglund would get the ball for the green and gold on Friday night in Miami, which will be his MLB debut. The A's will move Osvaldo Bido and JP Sears back a day, giving them the Saturday and Sunday starts.

"He's throwing the ball pretty well in Triple-A. We liked what we saw in spring training. This is a kid that we targeted in the [Matt] Chapman deal. This will be his first time out in the big leagues, and we're excited about that for him."

Hoglund was the key piece of the return in the Chapman trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevin Smith, Kirby Snead, Zach Logue were the other three pieces in the deal. At the time of the trade, Hoglund was a recent first-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft, going No. 19 overall. He was also recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time of the deal.

Through six starts this season, the 25-year-old right-hander is 1-2 with a 2.43 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, striking out 30 over 29.2 innings of work. He's allowed two runs or less in each of his outings, including two shutout performances the last two times on the mound. He's totaled nine innings with four hits allowed, two hit-by-pitches, three walks, and ten strikeouts in those two starts.

His last appearance was on April 27, so he'll get staying on turn for this start while giving Bido and Sears an extra day in the A's rotation. With the team's No. 5 starters struggling to begin the season, slotting Hoglund into what is technically the third spot and sliding Sears into the fifth is a pretty good decision, if you believe in superstitions.

Sears has been the A's best starter this season, holding a 4-2 record with a 2.94 ERA to begin the season. He has a solid 1.07 WHIP, and has been on par or better with ace Luis Severino in a number of categories. The one big difference between the two is that Severino has tended to go deeper into ballgames, pitching ten more innings that Sears so far this season in one more start.

As for Hoglund's debut, loanDepot Park in Miami is a pretty good place to get a taste of the big leagues in terms of park factors. This season it has been just a touch below league average both on the whole, and in terms of allowing home runs. Walks and strikeouts appear to be more common there than the average park, but that would seem to be more in the pitcher's hands than the park's.

With Hoglund's debut on Friday, he will be the final part of the Chapman trade to put on an A's uniform. He's also the last piece of the deal still with the organization.