Tyler Soderstrom picking up where he left off
Tyler Soderstrom has grabbed the attention of prospect hounds everywhere. The Oakland A’s first round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, Soderstrom impressed during his time in the A’s alternate camp as he worked on his defense behind the plate and started to acclimate to life as a professional ballplayer.
His impressive showing continued with the Stockton Ports. Soderstrom produced an excellent .306/.390/.568 batting line in his 254 plate appearances, hitting 12 homers and 20 doubles. However, his excellent debut was cut short due to injuries, leaving some to wonder how he would bounce back in 2022.
Tyler Soderstrom ready to ascend the ranks
Soderstrom is starting to put those questions to rest. He picked up right where he left off on Saturday, with a single and three run homer during a five inning intrasquad game. Even though this is essentially a glorified scrimmage, it is still good to see that Soderstrom is not feeling any ill effects.
He has not just been working with the bat. Soderstrom’s defense was considered questionable as he split time behind the plate in high school. He needed to work on his ability to call a game, handle pitches in the dirt, and quicken his delivery when throwing out baserunners. Progress has been made on those fronts, quieting speculation that he could move to another position.
The hope is that Soderstrom will improve enough defensively where he can move through the A’s system quickly. While he is never going to be a Gold Glove caliber presence behind the plate, he could be a serviceable enough catcher. That will especially be the case if his bat continues to impress as it has thus far.
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Tyler Soderstrom had an impressive showing during an intrasquad game on Saturday. The Oakland A’s top prospect is picking up where he left off.