The Oakland Athletics in their final season at the Oakland Coliseum have been playing below average baseball as expected, but it hasn’t been all bad. Some young rising stars have emerged all over the ball club, making the future look hopeful for fans despite the inevitable move to Las Vegas. Here’s a very early look of what the roster could possibly look like by the year 2028, the expected inaugural season for the Las Vegas Athletics.
Many of these names are currently working through the ranks of the farm system but the other names are establishing themselves as a new young core for this Athletics franchise. Some of the names have been some of the most exciting in baseball to watch, and others are being consistently overlooked due to the overall state of the Athletics franchise.
Catchers: Shea Langeliers & Tyler Soderstrom
Set to become a free agent in 2029, Shea Langeliers has been an expected piece for this inevitable move to Las Vegas. Langeliers in 2022 was Oakland’s second ranked prospect, and this season has broken out a little more, hitting at an above average clip with a 110 OPS+ and playing decent defense to pair with a 1.90 pop time behind the plate.
Langeliers will be in his 30’s after the likely inaugural season of the Las Vegas Athletics, and should be in his prime by then, helping lead this Athletics roster to a hopeful American League West division title.
Splitting time behind the plate and likely at DH or first base is Tyler Soderstrom. At 22-years old right now, if Soderstrom can stay healthy the two should develop into one of the better catching tandems in the major leagues. In 49 games this season, Soderstrom’s hit slightly above league average with a 105 OPS+
Outfield: Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, and Esteury Ruiz
The Athletics have seemed to carve out for themselves a very solid future outfield with some incredible athletes. It’s headlined by rising star Lawrence Butler, who broke out onto the scene this season. Butler in 105 games for the Athletics this season has been incredible with a 140 OPS+ and 21 home runs. He plays with style and a passion for the game that will fill out the seats for years to come in Las Vegas. When he becomes a free agent in 2030, the Athletics need to make it a priority to get him paid.
JJ Bleday may not be the flashiest player, but he’s a solid outfielder who can play the corner or man the center field spot. He’s in the same spot as Langeliers age wise, and should be playing at the top of his game upon the Athletics first season in Las Vegas. He’s found a home with the A’s, and has hit nearly .250 with an OPS+ of 127. He’s shown some pop as well with 20 home runs this season.
The world came to know the name Esteury Ruiz after his start to 2024, when he was optioned to AAA despite performing well. In 2023, Ruiz led the American League in stolen bases with 67, falling short of the league lead to National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. Ruiz rounds out this outfield nicely with generational speed that can steal 60 to maybe even 70 bases a year in Las Vegas.
Infield: Nick Kurtz, Zack Gelof, Max Muncy, Jacob Wilson, and Tommy White
The infield is just as exciting as the outfield. Similar to that core three, this is a group of young up and coming players, some still in the minor league system waiting to break the major league level. Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof on the other hand are getting accustomed to managing the middle infield together.
In seven games the A’s top prospect Jacob Wilson has a .200 batting average with just four hits, only one of them being an extra base hit. The glove, the speed, and the contact will eventually develop him into an incredibly solid big leaguer, but now may not be the time for him to be in the majors. By 2028 however, he’ll be an everyday player for this franchise.
Gelof in nearly 70 games last season hit for an .840 OPS with 14 home runs and stolen bases. Throw in current eighth ranked prospect in the A’s system Max Muncy, and you have a solid core of middle infielders. Muncy’s hitting .277 in AAA and is certainly near ready for a big league call up with an ETA of 2024 according to MLB Pipeline.
The corners are manned down by two bats that the A’s organization hope to develop into big power threats in the majors. Nick Kurtz and Tommy White are both bats from the 2024 MLB Draft that came with notable pop out of the college level. They round out the middle infield of contact bats very well, and could each be 30-40 home runs per year players.
Designated Hitter: Brent Rooker
Rooker has been so good for the A’s he deserves his own spotlight. A free agent in 2028, it’ll be interesting to see what his future looks like with the franchise as his value continues to grow and the move to Vegas is more imminent. If they’re able to maintain Rooker, he’s one of the best DH’s in the league to have. An All Star in 2023, he elevated his game to another level with a .294 batting average, .945 OPS, and 33 home runs this season in 2024.
Starting Rotation: JP Sears, Luis Morales, Osvaldo Bido, J.T. Ginn, and Gage Jump
This rotation isn’t amazing but four years from now, it should be much improved. JP Sears and Osvaldo Bido should both take steps up in their game as well as J.T. Ginn, whose numbers have been decent through his first major league stint. Prospects like Luis Morales and Gage Jump by 2028 should be established parts of this rotation as well, with Morales having that front of the line starter potential for the Athletics down the line as their current number three overall prospect.
The Bullpen
The bullpen will most likely look very different from now once the A’s are playing in Las Vegas. Mason Miller however is a piece that is expected to be a part of the new generation of Athletics baseball. The flamethrowing closer is the perfect cap to a team that is much better off than many think. By 2028 Miller should be hitting his prime, and given he stays healthy will almost certainly be one of the elite closers of the game.