The Power and Presence of A's Tyler Soderstrom

On Wednesday, Tyler Soderstrom's solo home run in the sixth inning at Nationals Park gave the Athletics the lead over the Washington Nationals. They ended up losing that game by a score of 2-1, but the very next day, the A's young outfielder hit another. This time it was a 6-0 victory for the Athletics, and another day where Soderstrom has shown his sheer power and presence on this team.

Soderstrom fits perfectly in manager Mark Kotsay' lineup, usually sitting somewhere in the middle of the order surrounded by sluggers Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Shea Langeliers and others. When the offense is producing, it's the Turlock native who always seems to always be right in the middle of the action. He's collected at least one hit in 10 of the last 11 games, as well as eight RBI in that span.

Now in the dog days of summer, it's a reminder and call back to what he's been doing all season long for the Athletics. April may now seem like a distant memory, but it was the start of the year that propelled Soderstrom to new heights so early in his young career.

As the season got underway, Soderstrom immediately started to exhibit his power. His hot start and ability to hit the long ball put him atop the leaderboard for home runs, taking the MLB lead with eight total by April 15th.

Manager Mark Kotsay felt early on at spring training this could be a breakout season for his first baseman/outfielder. "He put in a lot of work in the offseason (and) came to spring training with a great mindset," Kotsay said. A former first round pick by the A's in the 2020 MLB Draft, they've been seeing him develop and excel at each and every level of the farm system.

His approach is now paying off at the big league level, and A's fans are excited to see him find success at such a young age.

It's also a credit to his work ethic and approach, when it comes to both the physical and mental side of the game. He's currently second in the American League for games played at 116, and the player ahead of him is none other than teammate Brent Rooker at 117 games.

These two have great preparation at the field every day to get their bodies ready to play, even when the days are hot and and season grows long.

Rooker was recently named the A's nominee for the Heart & Hustle Award, voted on by Alumni and active Major League players. It is presented annually to an active player who "demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game."

In mid-April as the A's faced the White Sox, Soderstrom caught the attention of all of Major League Baseball by etching his name in the history books. His third multi-homer game put him in some very elite company. Only four other players in MLB history have had three multi-homer games in their first 17 games of a season: Teoscar Hernandez (2020), Carlos Delgado (2001), Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (1974) and Ken Keltner (1948).

After that game, no one was a bigger cheerleader for his accomplishment than teammate and fellow outfielder Lawrence Butler, who gave him high praise and quite a big comparison. "He's Babe Ruth for us right now," he said after Soderstrom's historic night. He added, "I hope he keeps it going."

All A's fans would agree with Butler's sentiment and will enjoy watching him take the field in West Sacramento and for years to come.