Athletics assistant general manager Billy Owens has high expectations for Shea Langeliers, and rightly so.
Owens foresees a bright future ahead for Langeliers, one of the main pieces the A's received in the Matt Olson blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Braves in March.
"Langeliers, this kid is a beast," Owens told Melissa Lockard of The Athletic. "He's quick. He's nimble. He's powerful. He's got a rocket for an arm. He's got a good eye at the plate. He's got real power. He's a real two-way catcher. We're blessed."
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Owens added that the A's 24-year-old catcher has what it takes to be a force at the plate and behind it, much like his teammate Sean Murphy.
Murphy, 27, is a sweet-hitting catcher with a Gold Glove already on his resume. For Owens to say that Langeliers has the ability to match his counterpart says a lot about the A's rookie.
"Shea Langeliers has that type of pedigree," Langeliers said. "He's a monster."
Furthermore, Owens said that it's possible to have both Murphy and Langeliers on the same team going forward, citing the Washington Nationals' 2019 World Series-winning squad that featured a Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes tandem behind the dish.
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"They were both strong, pretty much No. 1 catchers and they played well together," Owens said. "So it can happen."
Along with being a "monster," Owens believes that Langeliers and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman can be the face of the position in the near future.
"Those guys are going to be premier catchers in Major League Baseball going forward," Owens concluded.
After being called up on Aug. 16, Langeliers has played in 23 games, slashing .214/.236/.417 with three home runs and 13 RBI.
Despite his numbers not being too eye-catching -- which is to be expected from a rookie --, Langeliers showed his potential against the Nationals on Aug. 21. He went 3-for-4 on the day, falling a home run short of a cycle.
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In all, it's clear that Owens and the rest of the A's front office have a lot of faith in Langeliers.
If he can continue to develop into a force behind the plate like Murphy, the A's have another young player they can build around.
