Shea Langeliers Ready for History Against Texas Rangers?

Jason Burke | Aug 30, 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) is greeted at the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports / Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland A's catcher Shea Langeliers tied his career-high home run mark of 22 when he took former teammate Paul Blackburn deep in New York when Oakland visited the Mets on August 13. He has been stuck on 22 in the two weeks since, but a trip to arguably his favorite ballpark to hit could be what finally pushes him to a new career high.

The A's are set to take on the Texas Rangers in Arlington this weekend, and Langeliers has had a great time feasting on Texas pitching at Globe Life Field over his brief career. In 13 games played at the ballpark, Langeliers has gone 11-for-42 (.262) with a .340 OBP and six home runs. That total is his most in any ballpark outside of the Oakland Coliseum, where he has clubbed 18 dingers in 143 games.

It would be fitting for Langeliers to set a new career mark in Texas. He's also been on a bit of an under-the-radar tear in the second half of the season, hitting .243 with a .341 OBP, huge jumps over his .213 and .265 from the first half. Those improvements have also led to him holding a 129 wRC+ (100 is league average) since the break. That ranks sixth among all catchers, showing that he has the skillset to be one of the best offensive backstops in the game.

In an odd twist, Langeliers isn't the only A's catcher to have a ton of success at Globe Life. The guy before him, Sean Murphy, swatted nine bombs in 23 games played while hitting .308 with a .382 OBP.

While the A's aren't playing for a spot in the postseason, after a 50-112 season a year ago, they now sit at 58-76 with just over a month left in the season, and sit five games behind the Rangers for third place in the AL West. Outside of the A's final games in Oakland later this season, this is the last chance that the team will have to make up some ground in head-to-head fashion.