Zack Gelof Ending 2024 on a High Note

Jason Burke | Sep 17, 2024

Aug 24, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics infielder Zack Gelof (20) throws the ball to first base as Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (5) slides into second base during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

When he was called up right after the All Star break in 2023, Oakland A's second baseman Zack Gelof quickly became the face of the franchise. While the team was on its way to losing 112 games a year ago, the 24-year-old managed to produce some impressive numbers, batting .267 with a .337 OBP, along with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases in just 69 games.

Coming into this season, a 30/30 campaign seemed like it was a possibility. Yet, Gelof has struggled for much of the 2024 campaign, at least partly due to the league being more aware of the player that he is.

At the end of August, Gelof was batting .201 on the year with a .266 OBP. Seemingly since April, he would collect a few hits and get above the Mendoza Line, then go hitless for a number of at-bats, and it would fall to somewhere in the .190's. That was just how things were going, over and over, up until recently.

On September 1 in Texas, Gelof started the final month off with a 3-for-5 day that included two doubles. He hovered around a .205 average for most of the homestand at the start of September, then went 2-for-3 in the final game against Detroit before the A's went out on the road. On the current three city trip, he has collected a hit in all but one of the seven games the A's have played, going 10-for-29 (.344), raising his average on the year to .217. The big-league average is .244, so he is still below that mark, but he's closing the gap.

We talked to Gelof about his struggles this year when the A's were last in town. Even with the down year, he is still a good game or two away from a 20/20 season, sitting on 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

"It for sure means something," Gelof said of reaching 20/20, even in a down year. "It's definitely not my focus. I feel like I just want to put together quality at-bats and try to just hit the ground running for next year. To have a disappointing season for myself, and still going 20/20, that'd be pretty cool to know that that's, i feel like, the floor for what I can be as a player."

While 20/20 seasons aren't uncommon, they do take a combination of skills that not all players have. This year there have been 28 players that have stolen 20 or more bases, and five of those players (17.8%) haven't reached double digit homers. There are 63 players that have hit 20 or more home runs this season, and 40 of those players (63.5%) haven't reached double digit stolen bases.

There are currently a total of 12 players that have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases this season. Only two of those players have gone 30/30 so far, and one of them is Shohei Ohtani.

With the season winding down, players tend to reflect a little bit more. When asked what he's going to take from this year into the offseason, Gelof said, "It's been a lot of learning. I feel like I learned a lot about myself going through the ups and downs and the learning curves on what my routine needs to be. Learning how pitchers pitch [to] me."

Routine is a word that is used a lot in the A's clubhouse. There are a lot of younger players that are fairly inexperienced big leaguers, and they consistently mention finding their routine, or learning how to go about their routine from the veteran players.

When it comes to Gelof, routine for him is all about finding consistency.

"I think you'd go three days straight without seeing a good pitch to hit, and think you're going through it, but if your routine is consistent and you're really good at it and selling out to that, then you know that there's success in the margins. You just know that your routine, if it's consistent, you're going to be consistent in the field."

On April 11, Gelof was batting .220, and he has yet to get back up there over the course of the rest of the season. If he can manage a 2-for-4 night against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, he'll get back up there for the first time in five months. It's been a long, trying season for the second-year player, but he's starting to make strides towards becoming that player that burst onto the scene a year ago.