The hits came early, often and with considerable sizzle for Triple-A Las Vegas during a 22-run deluge Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake City.
The most prolific afternoon belonged to No. 3 Athletics prospect Zack Gelof, who reached base in all six of his plate appearances and amassed his first multihomer game of the season as the Aviators eclipsed the 20-run plateau for the first time since 2011.
Gelof’s day began quietly enough with two walks and a pair of singles through his first four trips to the dish, which helped the Aviators’ offense compile a commanding lead en route to a 22-10 win over Salt Lake at Smith’s Ballpark. The 2021 second-round pick turned things up a notch in his final two plate appearances, taking advantage of being ahead in the count by walloping two homers to left, both exceeding 100 mph off the bat.
In total, Gelof’s propensity for reaching base spurred him to a career-high five runs scored and teammate Jonah Bride -- hitting behind Gelof in the order -- to a career-high six RBIs.
The power surge breaks a 15-game homerless spell for Gelof, who was still able to impact the lineup with seven doubles and seven steals in that span. Early-season power doldrums haven’t impeded Gelof the past two years, as he hit .320 in the season’s first month in 2022, before delivering a .431 on-base percentage this April. The infielder also started hot with the bat during last year’s Arizona Fall League, where he batted .300 over his first 10 games.
Gelof, 23, has positioned himself for his first callup to The Show on the back of a .298/.413/.520 start to the year for Las Vegas. He also added his 12th steal of the season Wednesday, putting him already just one off his career mark established in 2021.
Despite an underwhelming stint with Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic, the former Top 100 prospect further cemented himself on the organizational map during Cactus League play with the A’s, when he delivered a .320 average and .414 on-base percentage.
“It’s tough to not look ahead and look at the big leagues,” Gelof said back in February. “When I get an opportunity, I know I’m supposed to be there and stay up for a long while.”