Story by
Who Should Lead Off for the A's in 2027?
- Story by
- Who Should Lead Off for the A's in 2027?
(Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
The Athletics have a potent offense when everyone is healthy, but despite the success the club has had scoring runs over the past two seasons, they still haven't nailed down a leadoff hitter.
Going into the 2025 season, it was Lawrence Butler, who had excelled in the second half of the 2024 campaign, but after some struggles, the leadoff spot was mostly occupied by either first baseman Nick Kurtz or catcher Shea Langeliers during the final two months of the season.
Advertisement
This year Jacob Wilson was added to that duo, with a bit of a rotating cast of leadoff hitters early in the season, followed by Carlos Cortes getting some time there during his hot stretch. As injuries consumed the A's roster, Henry Bolte ended up in the leadoff spot around the middle of August and stayed there in every game the rest of the way.
Bolte hit .290 with a .371 OBP and a 127 wRC+ in his 53 games leading off. That worked out to an .828 OPS with an 8.8% walk rate and a 29.8% strikeout rate. He also added seven home runs, 36 runs scored, and 21 RBI batting first.
The A's will likely roll with Bolte leading off to begin the 2027 campaign, because not only are the stats above terrific, but he's also (tied for) the fastest player in baseball, which means a Kurtz single could have Bolte going first to third and put the A's in business quickly.
For Your Consideration, Zack Gelof
While Bolte is a pretty clear choice atop the A's lineup to begin the season, the option we'd like to bring to the floor now is third baseman Zack Gelof .
Advertisement
Gelof ended up batting .256 last season with a .322 OBP, but his 114 wRC+ on the year was slightly higher than Bolte's 111, and he also graded out as the better base runner, possessing 86th-percentile speed himself.
During the last weekend of the season, manager Mark Kotsay said that Gelof had a green light on the bases, while Bolte did not. That could be a huge difference in who you want on first base to start a game in an ideal scenario. Bolte stole 21 bases on 29 attempts, good for a 72.4% success rate. Gelof was 16-for-19 (84%).
It's also worth noting that while Bolte had the higher batting average on the year (.277 to .256), Gelof had just as many doubles (16) and triples (2), while also doubling Bolte's home run total (22 to 11).
The final point here would be that Gelof's 24.6% strikeout rate is also less than Bolte's 28.1% rate, and he's seeing slightly more pitches per plate appearance.
Advertisement
The A's could go either way and would be set up nicely with both options, but going with Gelof, a veteran, would also allow Bolte to settle into his first full season in the big leagues instead of heaping the success of the offense on him immediately.
Bolte was terrific in the leadoff role from the middle of August through the end of the season, but that was when the A's season was effectively over. Heading into a new season in 2027, the club will be looking to take a big step towards postseason contention, and a veteran like Gelof may be the way to go out of the gate.
