Zack

Gelof

Gelof took Spencer Arrighetti deep for a solo homer to lead off the second inning. He added a base hit in the fourth, then later started the 12th as the runner on second before scoring on a bunt to put the A’s ahead. The 24-year-old second baseman is hitting .211/.273/.376 with 17 homers, 56 runs scored, 45 RBI, and 23 steals across 481 plate appearances.

Gelof drove in the only run for the A’s in the blowout loss. The 24-year-old also was able to pick up his 22nd steal, and he added a walk on top of two hits. There have been real flashes for Gelof in 2024, but just not sustained ones as seen in his .209/.272/.369 slash.

Gelof still hasn’t gotten hot offensively at any point, but he has been a little better than usual in recent weeks and he’s now 8-for-8 stealing bases since the beginning of August. Still, even on a good day, he struck out twice. Although he’s played in just 113 of Oakland’s 137 games, he tops all American Leaguers with 156 strikeouts this year.

The contact issues persist, but Gelof continues to flash an impressive power/speed combination at the highest level as he’s up to 16 homers and 19 stolen bases in just 109 games this season. He’s going to need to cut back on the strikeouts and make some gains in the batting average department if he’s ever going to make the leap to full-fledged fantasy superstardom, but the foundation is there for him to be an impactful fantasy contributor for years to come.

One of Gelof’s better games lately. If the 24-year-old hadn’t so impressive as a rookie last season, he’d almost certainly be back in the minors by now. He’s batting .189/.255/.351 in 355 plate appearances. He has more than twice as many strikeouts (127) as hits (61).

Down big early, the A’s chipped away until Gelof’s ninth inning homer cut a lead that was once nine runs to just three. He needed a game like this too as it’s been a brutal season for Gelof. The home run was nice to see, as were the two balls in play hit harder than 106 MPH.

Gelof took Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt deep to right-center field in the fifth inning for his ninth round-tripper of the season. The 24-year-old got off to an excruciatingly-slow start this season at the dish, but has come alive a little bit over the last few weeks, batting .259 with four homers and two steals in his last 15 games.

Gelof also scored two runs and drew a walk for a big fantasy night for the second-year 24-year-old. One of the hits was a triple — his second of the season — and his steal gives him nine of the season. it’s nice to see some success for Gelof as a reminder that there’s some long-term potential in his bat, as a .205/.259/.352 slash doesn’t exactly scream fantasy upside.

Gelof’s home run was his eighth of the season and his third consecutive game with a home run. He’s still just hitting .202 on the season, but the power is starting to show up. Gelof hit 14 home runs in 69 games last year and could be a decent power source in the middle infield going forward.

Gelof’s only hit of the day left the yard as he took Dan Altavilla deep for a solo shot in the eighth inning to extend the Oakland lead. It was Geldof’s second homer in as many days. The 24-year-old second baseman is hitting .196/.250/.348 with seven homers, 21 runs scored, 19 RBI, and eight steals across 222 plate appearances.