Former Toronto Blue Jays Farmhand Named A's Prospect Pitcher of the Year

Jason Burke | Oct 19, 2024

Mar 17, 2022; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays batting helmet lays on the ground during workouts at Toronto Blue Jays Player Development Complex. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

2024 was a year that saw a number of on-field positives for the A's both at the big-league level as well as in the farm system, and this week MLB Pipeline unveiled their top prospects for each team. On the pitching side, they went with right-hander Gunnar Hoglund.

Hoglund, 24, came to the A's in March of 2022 as a big part of the return in the Matt Chapman deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hoglund is also the only member of the return package that is still with the organization, with Zach Logue, Kirby Snead and Kevin Smith all having moved on after stints in Oakland. To that point, Matt Chapman is also now with the San Francisco Giants.

Pipeline provided their own reasoning for selecting Hoglund, "A first-rounder of the Blue Jays in 2021, Hoglund was acquired by the A’s in the Matt Chapman trade while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. He finally was healthy in 2023 and showed good results for the first time this year. He reached Triple-A and amassed 130 2/3 innings, finishing with a 3.44 ERA, .215 BAA and 1.07 WHIP."

While he reached Triple-A Las Vegas, he spent most of the season in Double-A Midland, where he posted a 2.84 ERA across 104 2/3 innings in 19 appearances (18 starts). His FIP in those outings was a little higher at 4.02.

With the Aviators, he managed 26 innings across five August starts, giving up 25 hits and 10 walks which led to a 1.35 WHIP and a 5.88 ERA (5.91 FIP).

The A's will presumably be adding him to the 40-man roster this winter given that Hoglund is Rule 5 eligible in December, but the only reason to leave him off at this point would be because they don't feel like another club would stash him in their bullpen for an entire year, thus leaving the A's to protect another player instead.

That is the tricky part of the Rule 5 Draft. Players can be nearing a shot at the big-league level, but determining how other teams view those players is a huge factor in whether or not a player gets protected in November.

If Hoglund survives the Rule 5 Draft and continues making progress with the A's in Triple-A, there is a good chance that he'll be part of the depth mix for the club at some point during the 2025 regular season.