After breakout '24 season, Hoglund rewarded by A's

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And *subscribe* to get it regularly in your inbox.

For a pitcher selected 19th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, the start to Gunnar Hoglund's professional career has been anything but easy.

Hoglund was drafted by the Blue Jays just two months removed from Tommy John surgery, which derailed what was shaping up to be a stellar junior season at Ole Miss. Before the right-hander could even throw a pitch, he was acquired by the Athletics in March 2022 as the key prospect in the Matt Chapman trade.

Not only was Hoglund’s arm still not healthy enough to take the mound, he also had to acclimate to a new organization. Later that July, he finally debuted as a professional. The anticipated return to the mound lasted just three games and eight innings, as Hoglund sustained a biceps strain that kept him out the rest of that season.

Hoglund got to a good place with his health in 2023, though a 6.05 ERA in 61 innings put his once-bright future as a top prospect in jeopardy. Then came a breakthrough.

Fully healthy and afforded a larger workload in 2024, Hoglund found success in 2024. It began at Double-A Midland, where he posted a 2.84 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP, 97 strikeouts and 27 walks in 104 2/3 innings, and ended with a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas for his final five starts.

That performance was enough for the A’s to reward him with an official roster spot. Prior to Tuesday’s deadline to add players who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, Hoglund -- along with outfielder Denzel Clarke and right-hander Ryan Cusick -- was added to the club’s 40-man roster, which protects them from being exposed to other teams in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11.

Hoglund has yet to fully regain the velocity he showed in college. His fastball averaged around 92 mph in '24 as opposed to around 96-97 mph at Ole Miss. But his solid four-pitch mix and ability to consistently throw strikes helped vault him back up the A’s Top 30 Prospects list at No. 12 to end the season.

“Hoglund’s stuff amplified dramatically in 2024,” said A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel Billy Owens. “Couple that with his poise, instincts, strike-throwing ability, repertoire and creativity, Gunnar’s trajectory is geared toward a 2025 Major League debut.”

Owens noted that Hoglund’s fastball crept up to 94-96 mph at times throughout last season, giving hope that perhaps he could regain some of that lost velocity going forward. Now that he is part of the 40-man roster, Hoglund will get a chance to make an impression in front of the A’s Major League coaching staff in Spring Training for a team likely to have open competition for at least one spot in its starting rotation and lay the groundwork for a potential first big league call in the near future.