BA Grade: 55/High

Track Record: The Athletics closed the 2010s with multiple misfires at the top of the draft, but going over slot to draft Soderstrom No. 26 overall in 2020 looks like quite a reversal of fortune. Oakland had plenty of familiarity with Soderstrom, the son of 1993 Giants first-rounder Steve Soderstrom. He grew up less than two hours from Oakland in Turlock, Calif., and played for the Athletics' Area Code team. It didn't take Soderstrom long to impress A's brass once he turned pro, either. Soderstrom was one of the most impressive hitters at Oakland's alternate training site in 2020 despite being just 18 years old. He carried that momentum into 2021, impressing in spring training and crushing Low-A West pitching. His 145 wRC+ with Stockton was tied for fifth-best among all hitters with 200 or more plate appearances. An oblique injury prematurely ended Soderstrom's season in late July, and a flareup of the same injury kept Soderstrom from participating in the Arizona Fall League after the season.

Scouting Report: The chorus of praise surrounding Soderstrom only grew louder in 2021. The 19-year-old posted some of the best average exit velocities of any hitter in Oakland's system, consistently beating Low-A pitching with a swing and approach some scouts believe could handle big league pitching right now. Soderstrom's picturesque lefty swing stays in the strike zone for a long time and he's adept at backspinning the baseball, showing plus raw power to all fields. Soderstrom doesn't fear long at-bats and shows advanced strike-zone recognition, especially with breaking balls, for his age. There's the occasional overaggressive swing decisions that come with youth, but scouts feel comfortable projecting all those ingredients will add up to a middle-of-the-order big league bat. Which position Soderstrom ultimately plays when he arrives in the majors remains an open question. Soderstrom never caught full-time as a high schooler and was understandably quite raw in his initial professional foray into catching. While he's far from a finished product, opposing evaluators were encouraged by the gains Soderstrom made in just a year. He shows a surprising amount of lateral agility despite his bigger, strength-based frame, and his arm flashes above-average at times. Many believe Soderstrom's blocking and receiving will continue to develop with more in-game reps and he's shown the necessary willingness to work at it. Soderstrom has shown enough athletic ability to suggest he could handle a corner if Oakland eventually moves him off catcher, potentially in either left field or at first base.

The Future: Soderstrom's bat is special. He projects to be a potential .300 hitter with 25 or more homers at his peak, and could compete against upper-level pitching in 2022. That will lead to an interesting debate for the A's. His bat will most likely be ready for the majors long before his glove if he sticks at catcher. The A's will have to decide if they have the appetite to wait on his defense to develop behind the plate or move him to another position where he could reach the majors more quickly.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 60. Speed: 40. Fielding: 40. Arm: 55.

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