2 weeks Ago
The last three seasons for Athletics’ catcher Shea Langeliers have been a work in progress, but his performance in 2025 indicates he is trending upward . Up to this point Langeliers is batting .211 though 71 at bats.
That clip comes in at a 37-point improvement from this point last season. He has further raised his on-base percentage by 68-points compared to this time in 2024, now up to .300.
While the growth on an individual perspective speaks for itself, Langeliers ranks among some of the best catchers in all the major leagues. He is tied second in extra-base hits (8), third in home runs (5), and sixth in runs batted in (11). The power and gap-to-gap hitting is one of Langeliers’ most prolific traits that, this season, he has unlocked earlier than years past.
Langeliers continues to light up the batter's box against left-handed pitching, hitting at a .462 clip against southpaws. Against right-handers, though, it is a different story as he is batting just .
155. Despite his struggles against righties, Langeliers does poses a threat with runners in scoring position batting at a .375 average.
The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft holds the fourth highest OPS (.765) among qualified catchers, behind Cal Raleigh (SEA), Logan O-Hoppe (LAA), and Keibert Ruiz (WAS).
In addition to his hitting, Langeliers continues to produce in various ways for the Athletics. He has walked nine times this season–third most on the Athletics and sixth most among major league catchers. The A’s backstop walks at the 4th-highest rate of anyone at the position at 11.
3%, while striking out just 15% of the time–second lowest strikeout rate. Defensively, Langeliers is one of the premier catchers in the league. His arm strength ranks fifth among backstops, averaging 84.
1 mph on a throw according to Baseball Savant . Not to mention his pop time has him tied ninth at 0.59 seconds.
He does rank lower, though, when it comes catching runners on the basepaths. Langeliers has thrown out just one of 13 stolen base attempts, but the number is slightly skewed as the Milwaukee Brewers stole for nine bases– a single-game franchise record–against the Athletics on Sunday. Stolen bases are also typically more on the pitcher than the catcher.
There is no doubt that Langeliers has room for improvement, but his successes early this season indicate a progression..
