Matthew Kent Olson was originally signed by A's scout Matt Ranson…graduated from Parkview High (GA) School in 2012…had his jersey retired by Parkview in 2019…was drafted 47th overall as compensation for the loss of free agent David DeJesus.
2021
Was named to his first American League All-Star team and batted .271 with 39 home runs and 111 RBI in 156 games in the best season of his career...Had career highs in batting, on-base percentage (.371), runs (101), hits (153), doubles (35), home runs, RBI, walks (88), extra base hits (74) and stolen bases (4)…Became the 15th player (27th time) in Oakland history to score 100 runs and the 18th (40th time) with 100 RBI…is one of eight players (13 times) to score and drive in at least 100 runs in the same season (last: Miguel Tejada in 2002)…His 39 home runs were third most in Athletics history by a left-handed hitter behind Reggie Jackson (47 in 1969) and Jason Giambi (43 in 2000...Now has 142 home runs in 575 career games, which is 10th most in Major League history by a player over his first 575 games...Ranked fourth in the American League in walks, fifth in OPS (.911) and extra base hits (74), tied for fifth in home runs and RBI, sixth in slugging (.540) and on-base percentage, eighth in total bases (305) and tied for ninth in runs...Finished eighth in AL MVP voting and received votes for as high as fourth (2)…Struck out 113 times in 673 plate appearances and his average of 5.96 plate appearances per strikeout was the best mark of his career and nearly doubled his average of 3.18 from 2020...Led the A’s in virtually every category including batting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, games, at bats (565), runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks and extra base hits...Ranked second in the AL in intentional walks (12) and third in sacrifice flies (11)…the sacrifice flies tied for fourth most in Athletics history and were the most since Brent Gates also had 11 in 1995…the intentional walks matched the most by an Athletic over the last 19 years and were the most since Nick Swisher had also 12 in 2007...Led AL first basemen with a .995 fielding percentage…also ranked first in games (152) and total chances (1235), second in putouts (1156), tied for second in assists (73), third in double plays (98) and tied for third in defensive runs saved (6)...Batted .271 (93-for-343) with an .877 OPS against right-handed pitchers compared to .270 (60-for-222) with a .962 OPS against left-handers…led the majors in home runs (22) and RBI (50) against left-handed pitchers and set an Oakland record in both categories…the only players with more home runs off a left-handed pitcher in the expansion era (1961-present) are Dick Allen (25 in 1966) and Cecil Fielder (25 in 1990)…his RBI off a left-hander were the most since Justin Morneau had 52 in 2008...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 22 home runs against left-handed pitchers matched Stan Musial, who had 22 in 1949, for the most in Major League history by a left-handed hitter...Ranked second in the AL in go-ahead RBI (31) and tied for third in go-ahead home runs (16)…Led Major League first basemen in RBI (111) and ranked second in home runs (39)…the RBI were third most in Oakland history by a first baseman and the most since Jason Giambi had 121 in 2000…the home runs tied for fourth and were the most since Mark McGwire had 47 in 1996.…now has 139 home runs as a first basemen over the last five years, which are the most among ML first baseman over that span...Hit .322 with 21 home runs, 52 RBI and a 1.103 OPS in 65 games during the day, .236 with 18 home runs, 59 RBI and a .778 OPS in 91 night games…led the majors in on-base percentage in day games (.438), ranked second in home runs and OPS and third in slugging (.665) and RBI…his 21 home runs during the day were the most by an Athletic since Mark McGwire had 22 in 1996...Hit 27 of his 39 home runs with the bases empty, which tied for the third most solo home runs in Oakland history behind McGwire (32 in 1987) and Reggie Jackson (28 in 1969)…Was 6-for-15 (.400) with the bases loaded…had a grand slam and 21 RBI...Batted .272 with a .912 OPS on the road, .270 with a .911 OPS at home...Hit .285 with 23 home runs and 57 RBI in 76 games against AL West teams, .258 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI in 80 games against all other teams…had a .200 average and one home run in interleague play...Batted .225 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI with two strikes…tied for second in the AL in two-strike home runs and tied for third in RBI...Tied for eighth in the AL with a career-high 17 grounded into double plays...Appeared in 152 games, all starts, at first base…now has 548 career games at first base, which is third most in Oakland history behind McGwire (1251) and Giambi (728)…also started four games at designated hitter (1-for-16, .063)…Started each of the A’s final 98 games batting third, which is the third longest such streak in Oakland history (117, Tejada from May 19-Sept. 26, 2002; 102, Giambi from April 21-Aug. 15, 2000)…made a team-leading 121 starts overall in the three spot and also hit fourth (28 starts), second (6) and fifth (1)…had 11 home runs and 26 RBI in 28 games hitting clean-up.
2020
Was the only Athletic to appear in all 60 games and batted .195 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI…had the sixth lowest batting average in the majors but tied for 10th in RBI…seven of his 14 home runs put the A’s ahead and he tied for second in the majors in go-ahead home runs…tied for the lead in game-winning RBI (8) and tied for fourth in go-ahead RBI (11)… among players in the West divisions, he tied for fourth in RBI, tied for fifth in walks (34) and tied for ninth in home runs…had the third most strikeouts (77)…led the A’s in home runs, RBI, total bases (89) and strikeouts…is the first qualifier in Oakland history and the third in Athletics history to bat under .200 in a season…the other two are Monte Cross in 1904 (.189) and Joe Dugan in 1918 (.195)…his average of 3.18 plate appearances per strikeout was third lowest in Athletics history (Jack Cust, 3.04 in 2008 and 3.09 in 2007)…had the first triple of his career…batted .208 (11- for-53) against left-handed pitchers, .191 (30-for-157) against right-handers…hit .231 with nine home runs, 29 RBI and an .880 OPS in 32 games at home, .157 with five home runs, 13 RBI and a .576 OPS in 28 games on the road…hit nine of his 14 home runs with runners on base, which tied for fourth in the majors…had seven plate appearances with the bases loaded and had two grand slams, two walks and three strikeouts…was 2-for-5 (.400) with 10 RBI…tied for the most grand slams in the majors and tied for third in walks with the bases loaded…ranked third among Major League first basemen in home runs (14) and walks (34) and fourth in RBI (42)…has 100 home runs as a first baseman over the last four years, which is second most in the majors to Paul Goldschmidt (106)…batted .222 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI over innings 1-6, .123 with three home runs and seven RBI from the seventh inning on…hit .162 against American League West teams, .265 against the National League West…has a .217 career batting average against divisional foes, .275 against all other teams…batted .115 with two strikes…started 59 games at first base and committed just one error in 60 games overall at first for a .998 fielding percentage…the fielding percentage rounded to four decimal places was .9977, which was second highest in Athletics history to Vic Power of the 1957 Kansas City A’s (.9981)…his average of 0.865 assists per nine innings was second highest in Oakland history to Dave Revering in 1978 (0.872)…ranked second among ML first basemen in assists (48) and innings (499.1), tied for third in defensive runs saved (5), fourth in fielding percentage and sixth in total chances (442) and putouts (393)…was one of two first basemen to play in 60 games (Santana, CLE)…won the Fielding Bible Award for best defensive first baseman in the majors for the third consecutive season…made a team-leading 27 starts batting clean-up…also batted fifth 18 times, third 13 times and sixth once…went 5-for-50 (.100) with a double and four home runs from the three spot.
OAKLAND: Hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning on Opening Day, July 24 against Los Angeles (AL)…it was the third Opening Day walk-off grand slam in Major League history along with Jim Presley (Seattle, 1986) and Sixto Lezcano (Milwaukee, 1980)…it was the first Opening Day walk-off home run in Oakland history and the third Opening Day grand slam (Eric Fox, 1993; Terry Steinbach, 1994)…it was his fourth career game-ending RBI, his third walk-off home run and his second grand slam…it was the eighth walk-off grand slam in Oakland history, the first since Khris Davis on May 17, 2016…it came in his third consecutive Opening Day start at first base…joins Mark McGwire (8, 1988-95) as the only first basemen in Oakland history with more than two straight Opening Day starts…is 3-for-12 (.250) with two home runs, five RBI and two walk in his three openers…is the 10th player in Oakland history with two or more Opening Day home runs and his five RBI are tied for seventh most in Oakland history…walked a career-high tying three times Aug. 3 at Seattle (also Sept. 4 vs. San Diego)…was batting .139 with a home run, six RBI and 11 walks over his first 11 games through Aug. 4…then homered in back-to-back games on Aug. 5 and 6 against Texas, including his eighth career multi-homer game on the 5th…that began an 11-game stretch where he hit .222 with seven home runs and 10 RBI in 11 games…went 0-for-5 with a walk and four strikeouts Aug. 7 against Houston…it was the first four-strikeout game of his career…his second came on Sept. 13 at Texas…homered in three straight games Aug. 12-15…had three hits Aug. 16 at San Francisco, all singles…each of his previous seven hits dating back to Aug. 5 were home runs…that is the second time in Oakland history a player has had seven straight hits with each being a home run…the other time was also by Olson (Sept. 13-22, 2017)…also scored a career-high tying three runs in that game against the Giants and it was his first of two three-hit games (also Sept. 5 against San Diego)…was 6-for-44 (.136) with two home runs, six RBI and eight walks over a 13-game span from Aug. 17 to Sept. 4…batted .168 in 27 games in August but walked 16 times and hit nine home runs, which tied for sixth most in the majors…had his first career triple Sept. 5 against San Diego…his streak of 388 consecutive games without a triple was seventh longest in Athletics history and the second longest career-opening streak to Ramon Hernandez (503)…hit .333 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 10 games from Sept. 5-12…belted his 100th career home run in the second game of the Sept. 8 doubleheader against Houston, a three-run shot off De Jong in the third inning…it came in his 399th game and he became the 11th player in Major League history to hit 100 home runs before his 400th career game (Joe DiMaggio, Joey Gallo, Bob Horner, Ryan Howard, Aaron Judge, Ralph Kiner, Chuck Klein, Eddie Mathews, Mark McGwire, Gary Sanchez)…is the second Athletic (McGwire did it in 393 games)…became the 19th player in Oakland history and the 28th in Athletics history with 100 career home runs…had a season-best six-game hitting streak from Sept. 8-12…went 7-for-21 (.333) with three home runs and 12 RBI during the streak…hit his second grand slam of the season and the third of his career on Sept. 11 at Texas…added an RBI single in the second inning for a career-high tying five RBI (third time, last: June 28, 2019 at Los AngelesAL)…snapped a 0-for-18 streak with a double in the sixth inning Sept. 16 at Colorado…the hitless streak matched his career high (May 29-June 5, 2019)…stole his first base of the season Sept. 19 against San Francisco, which was his first steal since April 24, 2018 at Texas…committed his only error of the season Sept. 22 at Los Angeles (NL), which snapped a 64-game errorless streak dating back to Sept. 16, 2019…that was the eighth longest errorless streak by a first baseman in Oakland history…batted .233 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 26 games in September…the RBI tied for sixth most in the majors…also struck out 36 times, which tied for second most in Oakland history in September (41, Cust in 2007)…now has 31 home runs and 84 RBI in 99 games in September over the last four years…the home runs and RBI are the most in the majors over that span…started all seven games at first base for the A’s during the postseason and went 3-for-23 (.130) with two home runs, three RBI and five walks…went 0-for-9 in three games against Chicago in the ALWCS and 3-for-14 (.214) with both of his home runs in the ALDS against Houston.
2019
Missed 34 games while on the injured list early in the season but still hit 36 home runs and drove in 91 runs while batting .267 in 127 games…had career highs in home runs, RBI and batting average and matched his high in extra base hits (62)…also won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove for American League first basemen… tied for seventh in the AL in home runs…was hit by a pitch 12 times, which tied for seventh in the AL and tied for ninth in Oakland history… ranked fifth in the AL in go-ahead RBI (26) and tied for eighth in go-ahead home runs (14)…among first basemen, his 36 home runs led the AL, ranked third in the majors and was seventh in Oakland history…joins Mark McGwire (eight times) and Jason Giambi (twice) as the only first basemen in Oakland history with 30 or more home runs…ranked second among AL first basemen in RBI (91)…the A's compiled a 15-19 (.442) record while he was on the 10-day IL from March 27 to May 6 following a right hamate excision…was reinstated May 7 and Oakland went 82-44 (.651) following his return…hit .288 (94-for-326) with 42 of his 51 walks and a .956 OPS against right-handed pitchers compared to .223 (35-for-157) with a .767 OPS against lefties…now has a .911 career OPS against righties, .729 against lefties…batted .300 with 23 of his 36 home runs and a 1.023 OPS on the road…slugged .644 on the road, which was the second-best mark in the majors and fifth-best in Oakland history…ranked third in the AL in road OPS, fourth in home runs and tied for eighth in RBI (53)…19 of his home runs came with runners on base, which tied for second in the AL…17 came with two strikes, which ranked fourth in the AL and was the most by an Athletic since Miguel Tejada had 18 in 2002…led Major League first basemen in defensive runs saved (13)…led AL first basemen total chances (1121), putouts (1023) and assists (90), ranked second in fielding percentage (.993), double plays (95) and games (127) and tied for second in games started (125) and errors (8)…the assists tied for seventh most in Oakland history by a first baseman and were the most since Mark McGwire had 101 in 1991…was a unanimous choice as best first baseman in the Fielding Bible Awards…won the award for the second consecutive season…made a teamleading 73 starts batting third…hit .358 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI in 37 games batting cleanup and is a .324 hitter with 19 home runs and 44 RBI in 51 career games in the four spot…had a .305 batting average leading off an inning…hit .241 against a pitcher the first time he saw him in a game, .307 after that…batted .315 with no outs, .262 with one out and .228 with two outs…his career numbers are .311, .233 and .221…had a .299 batting average and 29 of his 36 home runs in innings one through six and a .195 average from the seventh inning on…hit .447 in the sixth inning…tied for sixth in the AL in intentional walks (7) and bunt hits (5) and ranked eighth in pitches per plate appearance (4.17).
Was on the A's Opening Day roster and started each of the first two games before injuring his hand on a foul tip in his final at bat on March 21 against Seattle in Tokyo…underwent surgery on March 22 at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif…the surgery was performed by Dr. Steven Shin and involved a right hamate excision to Olson's right hand…was placed on the 10-day injured list March 27, retroactive to March 25, ending his consecutive games played streak at 164…started at first base in the A's Opener on March 20 to become the first Athletic to start back-to-back openers at first base since Daric Barton in 2010-11…began a rehab assignment with Las Vegas May 2 and went 4-for-22 (.182) with a home run, two RBI, three runs, a walk and three strikeouts in five games with the Aviators, including three at first base and two at designated hitter…was reinstated from the IL May 7 and hit .200 with seven home runs and 12 RBI over his first 25 games following his return…committed his first error of the season May 29, snapping a 75-game errorless streak dating back to Aug. 1, 2018…it was the fourth-longest errorless in Oakland history by a first baseman…hit .301 with 13 home runs and 29 RBI over a 38-game span from June 5 to July 19…had his first multi-homer game of the season June 28 at Los Angeles (AL) and matched his career-high with five RBI…also had two-homer games on Aug. 15 vs. Houston and Sept. 10 at Houston…now has seven career multi-homer games…had a career-high 16-game hitting streak from June 30 to July 21, which tied for fifth longest in Oakland history by a first baseman…went 19-for-64 (.297) with four home runs and nine RBI during the streak…collected seven doubles, nine home runs and 20 RBI in 28 games in June…tied for second in the AL in June extra base hits (16) and tied for third in home runs (9)…now has 22 home runs and 51 RBI in 68 career games in June…hit his second career walk-off home run July 30 against Milwaukee… it was his third career game-ending RBI…had a 10-game hitting streak from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7 (16-for-41, .390)…collected an extra base hit in a career-high six consecutive games from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 (five doubles, two home runs)…reached base safely five times twice over a sevengame span, going 3-for-4 with two walks at New York on Aug. 31 and 4-for-4 with a walk Sept. 7 against Detroit…the four-hit game was the second of his career…drove in a run in a career-high tying five consecutive games from Sept. 10-14 and had five home runs and 10 RBI over that span…homered in three straight games from Sept. 12-14…it was the fifth time in his career he homered in at least three straight games…hit .263 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 25 games in September…the RBI were his most ever in a month…tied for third in the AL in RBI and tied for fourth in home runs…now has 27 home runs and 64 RBI in 73 games in September over the last three years…the home runs are the most in the majors over that span and the RBI rank second (J.D. Martinez, 65)…started at first base in the AL Wild Card Game against Tampa Bay on Oct. 2 and went 1-for-3 with a walk.
2018
Played in all 162 games and batted .247 with 29 home runs and 84 RBI in his first full season in the majors…also won the American League Gold Glove Award for first basemen after leading Major League first basemen in games (162), total chances (1494), putouts (1403) and defensive runs saved (14)…joins Mark McGwire (1990) as the only A's first basemen to win a Gold Glove… hit all 29 of his home runs as a first baseman, which led AL first basemen, ranked third in the majors and was the most by an A's first baseman since Jason Giambi had 32 in 2001…led AL first basemen and ranked fourth in the majors in RBI (83)…was named to the Sporting News AL AllStar Team…walked 70 times to fuel a .335 on-base percentage…his 162 games played marked the 13th time in Oakland history a player appeared in every game in a season, the first since Miguel Tejada in 2003…was the only player in the AL to appear in every game and one of five in the majors (Freeman, ATL; Galvis, SD; Markakis, ATL, Turner, WAS)…struck out 163 times, which tied for eighth most in the AL and is ninth most in Athletics history…hit .251 (47-for-187) against left-handed pitchers compared to .244 (96-for-393) against right-handers…hit 25 of his 29 home runs against righties and had an .830 OPS against righties, .701 against lefties…has an .885 career OPS and 45 of his 53 home runs against righties, .703 against lefties…20 of his 29 home runs were solo shots…14 came in day games, which tied for seventh in the AL…batted .222 over innings 1-6, .301 from the seventh inning on…is a .229 (123-for-538) career hitter in innings 1-6, .282 (71-for-252) from the seventh inning on…hit .310 with 14 home runs with no outs, .230 with nine home runs with one out and .211 with six home runs with two outs…his career splits are .308, .216 and .216…batted .211 with seven home runs and 32 RBI in 76 games against AL West teams, .277 with 22 home runs and 52 RBI in 86 games against everyone else…topped AL first basemen in games started (152), assists (84), double plays (115) and innings (1403.1)… tied for the fourth most errors in the AL (7) but ranked third in fielding (.995)…is one of four first basemen in AL history to play in 162 games in a season along with Norm Siebern (KC, 1962), Bill Buckner (BOS, 1985) and Carlos Delgado (TOR, 2000)…is one of 19 ML first basemen to do it…is the fourth player in Athletics history to play every game at first base (Norm Siebern, 1962; Dick Siebert, 1940; Stuffy McInnis, 1912)…his 152 starts were second most to the Oakland record of 155 set by Daric Barton in 2010…played all but 62.1 innings at first base…set an Oakland record for total chances by a first baseman (1494), breaking Daric Barton's record of 1492 in 2010, and had 1403 putouts, which fell one short of Barton's 1404…had the most total chances by an AL first baseman since Mark Teixeira had 1572 for Texas in 2006…batted fifth 114 times, which was sixth most in Oakland history and the most since Sal Bando had 128 in 1976…went 1-for-5 (.200) with a RBI as a pinch hitter…ranked second in the AL pitches per plate appearance (4.31).
OAKLAND: Was the A's Opening Day starter at first base on March 29 against Los Angeles (AL) and became the second player in Oakland history and the fifth in Athletics history to make on Opening Day start on their birthday (Ray Fosse, 1974; Pete Suder, 1952; Charlie Pick, 1916; Ossee Schreckengost, 1907)…went 1-for-5 with a home run to become the fourth Major Leaguer dating back to 1908 to hit an Opening Day home run on his birthday…joins Jeff Mathis (2011), Ian Stewart (2010) and Scott Rolen (2000)…was the A's seventh different Opening Day starter at first base in the last seven years (Alonso, Canha, Davis, Barton, Moss, Allen)…stole the first base of his career April 3 against Texas…went 3-for-4 as a substitute on April 11 at Los Angeles (NL) to tie an Oakland record for most hits in a game by a non-starter…it was the 10th three-hit game by a substitute, the first since Rajai Davis on Aug. 22, 2008…went 4-for-6 with two doubles, two walks and his first career walk-off RBI, a single in the bottom of the 14th inning of the A's 12-11 win over Chicago (AL)…it was his first career four-hit game…had just three career doubles in 88 games entering the day…was batting .284 over his first 24 games through April 24…then hit .132 over his next 16 games to fall to .227 on May 13…hit .306 with nine home runs and 18 RBI over a 23-game stretch from May 14 to June 7…that included a career-high seven-game hitting streak from May 31 to June 7…went 11-for-27 (.407) with five home runs and 12 RBI during the streak… had his first of two two-homer games June 1 at Kansas City (also July 22 vs. San Francisco)… added a career-high five RBI against the Royals…batted .190 over a 43-game stretch from June 8 to July 28…had a career-high 0-for-15 streak from June 9 to 14…matched it July 25 to 28…had nine home runs and 22 RBI in 27 games in June after combining for nine home runs and 21 RBI over his first 57 games…tied for third in the American League in home runs in June and ranked fifth in RBI…the RBI matched the best single-month total of his career (Sept., 2017) and the home runs were second best (13 in Sept., 2017)…hit .314 over an 18-game stretch from July 29 to Aug. 19…capped that stretch by matching his career-high with a seven-game hitting streak from Aug. 12 to 19…went 11-for-30 (.367) with five doubles and four multiple hit games during the hitting streak…hit his first career walk-off home run Aug. 17 against Houston…had 11 doubles in August, which tied for third in the AL…then batted .282 with five home runs, 19 RBI and 16 walks (.396 on-base percentage) in September…the batting average was the best single-month mark of the season…had five home runs and 16 RBI over a 17-game span from Sept. 8-26…hit his first career grand slam Sept. 26 at Seattle…went 0-for-2 with two walks in a start at first base in the Wild Card game at New York Oct 3.
2017
The 23-year-old rookie batted .259 with 24 home runs and 45 RBI in 59 games over six stints with the A's…added 22 walks for a .352 on-base percentage…slugged .651 and had a 1.003 OPS… the slugging percentage was fourth highest in Oakland history among players with 200 or more plate appearances and the OPS was ninth best…tied for third among American League rookies in home runs and ranked eighth in RBI…his 24 home runs were third most in Athletics history by a rookie and the most since Mark McGwire set the record with 49 in 1987…they were the most by an Athletic 23 years old or younger since Eric Chavez hit 32 as a 23-year old in 2001…added 23 home runs with Nashville and is the first player to hit 20 home runs in both the majors and the minors since Giancarlo Stanton in 2010 (22 with Florida, 21 with Jacksonville)…averaged 7.88 at bats per home run, which was fourth fewest in ML history among players with a minimum of 200 plate appearances…had more home runs (24) than singles (23)…the home runs were second most in Athletics history (McGwire, 39 homers and 35 singles in 1995) and eighth most in ML history among players with more home runs than singles…49.0% of his hits were home runs, which is the second highest percentage in ML history among players with 200 or more plate appearances (McGwire, STL, 51.8% in 2001)…had just two doubles, which are the fewest in ML history by a player with 20 or more home runs (previous: 4 by Wes Covington, 1957 and Mark McGwire, 2001)…has 24 home runs in 70 career games, which are third most by a Major Leaguer over his first 70 games since at least 1913…had five separate stints over the first four months of the season and hit .196 with four home runs and nine RBI in 18 games…following the Yonder Alonso trade, he was recalled for a sixth time Aug. 8 and batted .283 with 20 home runs and 36 RBI in 41 games before a hamstring strain on Sept. 24 ended his season with a week remaining… the 20 home runs were the most in the AL and tied for second most in the majors over that span (Aug. 8-Sept. 24)…hit 20 home runs after the All-Star Break, which tied for fifth in the AL…it was second most among ML rookies (Judge, NYY 22)…hit .280 (40-for-143) with 20 of his 24 home runs against right-handed pitching, .196 (9-for-46) against left-handers…slugged .713 against righties, .457 against lefties…batted .318 during the day, .208 at night…hit .290 at home, .229 on the road…batted .217 with runners in scoring position, including .163 with RISP and two outs… was 0-for-7 with a walk with the bases loaded…started 38 games at first base (including each of his 36 starts during his final stint) and 10 in right field…committed two errors, both at first base for a .995 fielding percentage…had three assists in 12 games as an outfielder…the A's had a 26-22 (.542) record with him in the starting lineup, 49-65 (.430) without.
OAKLAND: Was recalled for the first time April 21 and went 0-for-3 in a start in right field against Seattle April 23 before he was optioned to Nashville April 27…also appeared in just one game during his second stint from June 3-4, delivering a pinch hit bases loaded walk in the ninth inning on the 4th against Washington…went 0-for-6 with a walk in four games during his third stint from June 10-13…recalled for a fourth time June 22 and hit .225 with four home runs and eight RBI in 10 games…hit his first Major League home run June 24 at Chicago (AL), a two-run shot off James Shields in the first inning…added another two-run homer in the seventh inning for his first career multi-homer game…had four RBI, which is a career high…went 1-for-2 in two games during his fifth stint from July 21-23…was recalled for good Aug. 8 and hit .283 with 20 home runs and 36 RBI over his final 41 games…homered in three straight games for the first time in his career Aug. 11-13…did it again Aug. 27-30 and Sept. 3-5…also homered in five consecutive games from Sept. 15-19 to tie the ML rookie record for consecutive games with a home run…was the first Oakland player to do it and the second Athletic (George Alusik, Aug. 7-11, 1962)…homered in each of his final nine series from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24…is the only rookie in Major League history with 15 home runs over a 21-game stretch (Aug. 27-Sept. 19) and 16 home runs over a 23-game span (Aug. 27-Sept. 22)…his 15 home runs over 21 games are the most by any player in Oakland history…matched bests by Reggie Jackson in 1969 with 13 home runs over 18 games from Sept. 3-22 and 16 home runs over 23 games from Aug. 27-Sept. 22…had his first career three-hit game Aug. 27 against Texas…hit .305 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in 19 games in August…led AL rookies and tied for second among ML rookies in August home runs…then hit 266 with 13 home runs and 22 RBI in 22 games in September…the home runs were second most in ML history by a rookie in the month of September to Aaron Judge, who had 15 in 2017…they tied for second most by a rookie in any month over the last 30 seasons (Bellinger, LAD 13 in June 2017)…they tied for the most by any Athletics player in September (Jason Giambi, 2000)…ranked second in the AL in home runs in September and tied for eighth in RBI, despite missing the final week of the season…had his second career two-homer game Sept. 4 against Los Angeles (AL)…homered nine times over a 12-game stretch from Sept. 9 (Game 2)-22…was hit by a pitch in three consecutive games from Sept. 10-13, matching the longest such streak by an Athletic over the last 41 years (third time, last: Olmedo Saenz, May 4-6, 2001)…strained his hamstring Sept. 24 against Texas and missed the final seven games of the season.
NASHVILLE: Was named the A's Organization Hitter of the Year after batting .272 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 79 games with Nashville…added 45 walks for a .367 on-base percentage… slugged a minor league career high .568…was tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast League in home runs at the time of his final promotion to Oakland on Aug. 8…hit .293 (68-for-232) with 19 of his 23 home runs against right-handed pitchers, .194 (12-for-62) against left-handers…had a .995 OPS against righties, .707 against lefties…batted .344 on the road, .215 at home…had a .442 onbase percentage on the road and reached base safely in all 34 of his road games, which was the longest such streak in the PCL…had a .333 batting average and .403 on-base percentage when leading off an inning…hit .162 with RISP and two outs…appeared in 73 games at first base, six at designated hitter and one at third base…made two errors at first base for a .997 fielding percentage…saw most of his playing time batting third (47 games)…was hitting .216 in 14 games at the time of his first promotion to Oakland April 21…returned to Nashville April 28 and had his first of two four-hit games the next day against New Orleans (also May 21 at Sacramento)…slugged his first two-homer game of the season May 13 against Albuquerque…had a season-best 10-game hitting streak from May 15 to 25…went 17-for-45 (.378) with six doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI during the streak…had an extra base hit in each of the first nine games during the streak… struck out a season-high four times May 26 against Omaha…finished the month of May with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 29 games…then had his second two-homer game with the Sounds
2016
Made his Major League debut with Oakland as a September call-up and went 2-for-21 (.095) in 11 games…added seven walks for a .321 on-base percentage…went 2-for-18 (.111) against right-handed pitchers, 0-for-3 against lefties…appeared in five games (four starts) in right field and four games (two starts) at first base…did not commit an error…also went 0-for-4 as a pinch hitter…was selected from Triple-A Nashville Sept. 12 following the conclusion of the Sounds season…made his debut that day at Kansas City and walked as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning…become the first player drafted by the A's out of high school to reach the majors with Oakland since Trevor Cahill (2nd round in 2006, debut in 2009) and the first non-pitcher since Eric Chavez (1st round 1996, debut in 1998)…went 0-for-3 with two walks in his first start (first base) Sept. 15 against the Royals…singled off Nick Martinez in the third inning Sept. 25 against Texas for his first Major League hit…his first extra base hit was a double in his final game on Oct. 2 at Seattle.
2015
Made his Double-A debut with Midland and spent the entire season with the RockHounds, batting .249 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI in 133 games…added 105 walks for a .388 on-base percentage…ranked second in all of minor league baseball in walks to teammate Colin Walsh (124)…had career highs in doubles (37), stolen bases (5), hit by pitches (6) and sacrifice flies (8)…tied for the Texas League lead in intentional walks (6), ranked second in walks, tied for second in extra base hits (54) and strikeouts (139), third in doubles, RBI and on-base percentage, fourth in runs (82), tied for fourth in home runs, fifth in games and tied for ninth in hit by pitches…ranked second in the A's farm system in walks and on-base percentage, tied for second in extra base hits, third in doubles, tied for third in RBI, fourth in runs and home runs, eighth in slugging percentage (.438) and ninth in total bases (204)…named to the Texas League Midseason All-Star Team and the All-Star Futures Game…hit .260 against right-handed pitching compared to .219 against left-handers…had a .217 batting average during the first half, .281 in the second half…hit .282 with runners in scoring position but that marked dropped to .167 with RISP and two outs…belted 11 of his 17 home runs with runners on base…appeared in 62 games at first base, 59 in right field and two at third base…made three errors as a first baseman (.995 fielding percentage) and four as an outfielder (.974)…also had 11 outfield assists, which tied for fourth in the TL…saw hit most action with 44 games hitting cleanup and 43 batting sixth…reached base safely via hit or walk in 116 of his 133 games…got off to a fast start as he hit .276 with six home runs, 16 RBI and 18 walks (.442 on-base percentage) over his first 18 games through April 28… reached base safely in 21 consecutive games from April 20 to May 12…hit .240 with a .404 onbase percentage during the streak…singled and walked a season-high four times in five plate appearance June 14 against Frisco…started at designated hitter for the South All-Stars in the Texas League All-Star Game at Corpus Christi June 30 and went 0-for-4…went 1-for-2 for the United States team in the All-Star Futures Game at Cincinnati July 12…had his only two homer game of the season and collected a season-high five RBI July 27 at Frisco…reached base safely in each of his final 20 regular season games beginning Aug. 15…hit .309 with a .453 on-base percentage over that span…that included a season-high and season-ending 10-game hitting streak beginning Aug. 28 (14-for-32, .438)…batted .185 with a home run and four RBI in seven postseason games for the Texas League Champion RockHounds…was rated as the A's sixth best prospect by Baseball America following the season.
2014
Was named to the California League Postseason All-Star Team after batting .262 with 37 home runs and 98 RBI in 138 games…added 117 walks for a .404 on-base percentage…the walks were the most in all of the minor leagues and the home runs were third best behind Kris Bryant (43) and Joey Gallo (42)…also ranked third in the minors in runs (111), fifth in total bases (278) and tied for sixth in extra base hits (69)…was named to the Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team…led the Cal League in home runs, runs, walks, extra base hits and total bases, tied for the lead in games, ranked third in RBI and on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage (.543), tied for sixth in strikeouts (137) and 10th in doubles (31)…topped the A's farm system in home runs, RBI, runs, walks, extra base hits, total bases and slugging percentage, ranked second in on-base percentage, fifth in doubles and sixth in hits (134)…his 37 home runs were third best by an A's farmhand since the club moved to Oakland in 1968 (39, Adam Piatt in 1999 and Chris Carter in 2008)…hit .288 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in 70 games after the All-Star Break… batted .265 with 30 of his 37 home runs against right-handed pitching compared to .252 against left-handers…had a .318 batting average and .421 on-base percentage when leading off an inning…appeared in 107 games at first base, eight in right field and one in left field…led CL first basemen in fielding percentage (.993)…reached base safely in 21 consecutive games from May 8 to 29…hit .296 with a .436 on-base percentage during the streak…had his first of four two-homer games May 13 against San Jose…had three two-homer games over a nine-game stretch from June 19 to 27…was 14-for-36 (.389) with 14 runs, three doubles, eight home runs and 15 RBI over that span…went 5-for-6 with a double, two home runs and five RBI June 19 against Bakersfield… one of the home runs was a grand slam…added two more two-homer games in June on the 22nd against Bakersfield and the 26th at Bakersfield…hit 10 home runs in June, which tied for second most in the minors…went 3-for-7 (.429) with two doubles, two walks and a RBI in two postseason games for Stockton…then played for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League following the season and hit .257 with a .435 on-base percentage, four home runs and eight RBI in 11 games…was named to the AFL Top Prospects Team at first base and played in the AFL Fall Stars Game…was rated by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the A's farm system.
2013
Spent the entire season at Single-A Beloit where he hit .225 with 23 home runs and 93 RBI in 134 games…added 72 walks for a .326 on-base percentage…ranked second in the Midwest League in home runs and RBI, third in extra base hits (55), fifth in walks and tied for 10th in doubles (32)…also tied for the league lead in games and ranked second in strikeouts (148)…was named to ML Midseason All-Star Team…ranked second in the A's farm system in home runs, RBI and extra base hits, tied for fourth in doubles, seventh in walks and ninth in total bases (209)… hit .241 against right-handed pitching compared to .180 against left-handers…hit .373 with runners in scoring position and two outs…appeared in 127 games at first base and was named the best defensive first baseman in the ML by Baseball America…led league first baseman in games, total chances (1220), putouts (1109) and assists (102) and tied for the lead in double plays (97)… committed nine errors for a .993 fielding percentage…batted .429 with four home runs and 16 RBI over a 16-game stretch from April 25 to May 10…had his first of two two-homer games Aug. 11 at Burlington…was named Midwest League Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 19-25 after going 11-for-29 (.379) with eight runs scored, five doubles, five home runs, 12 RBI and four multiple hit games in seven games…had his second two-homer game of the season Aug. 21 at Kane County…tied for second in all of minor league baseball with 10 home runs in August…added 30 RBI in 28 games…went 1-for-16 (.063) with a double, RBI and four walks in five postseason games for the Snappers.
2012
Batted .282 with nine home runs and 45 RBI in 50 games with the A's affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League and Short Season Single-A Vermont…ranked second in the Arizona League in home runs (8) and fourth in doubles (16) and RBI…hit .283 with eight of his nine home runs and 36 of his 45 RBI against right-handed pitching compared to .278 against left-handers…appeared in 40 games at first base and one at catcher…went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and four runs scored in his professional debut June 24 at the Indians…had a season-best 10- game hitting streak from Aug. 12 to 25…went 14-for-39 (.359) with three home runs and 12 RBI during the streak…homered in his first game with Vermont Sept. 2 against Tri-City…was named the A's No. 10 prospect by Baseball America following the season.
