'The tools are there': No. 10 prospect Bolte impressing 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.

When it comes to pure raw talent in the A’s organization, there might not be a player with a more tantalizing skillset than Henry Bolte.

Rated Oakland’s No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Bolte has a 55-grade power tool and 65-grade run tool that both rank as the highest in the system. That power-speed combo continues to earn him high praise.

“Bolte is a phenomenal athlete with great makeup,” said A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel Billy Owens, who compared Bolte’s game to that of former All-Star Mitch Haniger. “Mentally, he’s a sponge. Capable of absorbing instruction and making adjustments. Henry’s future is bright.”

The A’s worked closely with Bolte last spring on cutting down on his swing-and-miss, and he did that last season with Single-A Stockton by hitting .257 with 14 homers, 17 doubles, five triples, 68 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. Beginning the 2024 season at High-A Lansing, Bolte is off to a solid start through 35 games with six homers, 17 stolen bases and a .864 OPS.

Bolte still has some levels to hit before reaching the Majors, but the 20-year-old outfielder maintains a sky-high ceiling and should keep rising through the system.

“The tools are there,” A’s director of player development Ed Sprague said. “He can run. He can throw. He’s got great power. It was always just that swing-and-miss, and he cut that out to the point where he really competes at the plate. The development path for him last year was really impressive.”

Here’s a roundup of some other notable performances throughout the A’s system:

Triple-A Las Vegas
A’s No. 1 prospect Jacob Wilson, who recently moved up MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list from No. 60 to No. 56, continues to dominate Minor League pitching. The shortstop was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month and is batting .375 (9-for-24) in six games for the Aviators. Overall, Wilson is hitting a combined .438 with a 1.110 OPS in 28 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A. The 22-year-old’s elite bat-to-ball skills are also on full display, as he’s struck out just 12 times in 118 plate appearances.

Double-A Midland
Gunnar Hoglund, the lone player remaining from the Matt Chapman deal with Toronto in 2022, is finally in a good place with his health after being injured for the majority of his A’s career. The 24-year-old right-hander, rated Oakland’s No. 18 prospect, holds a 4.63 ERA in eight games (seven starts) and leads all Midland pitchers with 41 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. Pitching with a bit more freedom after working under a strict innings limit in 2023, Hoglund should get a chance to move up at least one level at some point this season.

Single-A Stockton
Luke Mann flew under the radar a bit as a 14th-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft out of University of Missouri. So far, he’s performing as Stockton’s top hitter, leading the team in homers (seven), RBIs (23) and OPS (.959) through 32 games.