A's Prospect Henry Bolte Homers in Arizona Fall League

Jason Burke | Oct 10, 2024

Lugnuts' Henry Bolte hits a home run against Michigan State in the fourth inning on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, during the Crosstown Showdown at Jackson Field in Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the A's selected Henry Bolte out of high school in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, that was a pick that the team needed to made. The A's had spent so many years seemingly playing it safe and grabbing guys that had a high likelihood to make the big leagues. Bolte had lots of loud tools, but he was by no means a sure thing.

Following the 2024 season, the A's scouting department has to be breathing a little easier. In 123 games split between High-A Lansing and Double-A Midland, Bolte hit .267 with a .368 OBP, 15 home runs and 46 stolen bases. It should also be noted that he is still just 21 years old.

Bolte always had that power and speed combo that could make him a real threat in MLB, and if he continues to realize his potential, he could be a legitimate 30/30 guy, joining Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof as other potential 30/30 guys in their early 20's on the A's roster.

On Wednesday night in the Arizona Fall League, Bolte was slotted fourth in the Mesa Solar Sox lineup and went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored.

Henry Bolte hammers one!

The @Athletics' No. 5 prospect, who hit a career-high 15 HRs between High-A and Double-A this year, stays hot with his first @MLBazFallLeague homer: pic.twitter.com/ik9G4NdzVE

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 10, 2024

Bolte is the A's No. 5 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and with another year of development like the one he put together in 2024, he could be included among the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. The key for him will be working on limiting his strikeouts moving forward.

With Lansing, he held a 31.8% rate, and in Midland it jumped up to 38.8%. Working on making more contact is presumably why he is currently in the AFL getting more ABs after playing 123 games during the regular season.

Catcher Daniel Susac, the Athletics' No. 11 prospect, was hitting fifth in Mesa's lineup and went 1-for-6 with an RBI double in the top of the third. Right-hander Wander Guante, 24, also pitched in this one and tossed a scoreless fourth inning.