Hard Work Pays Off For Athletics’ Gunnar Hoglund In Fourth Pro Season
Sometimes patience is required, both for players and organizations.
Righthander Gunnar Hoglund has endured a rugged development path following Tommy John surgery he had in May 2021 as a Mississippi junior.
After several setbacks, Hoglund is flashing the stuff that got him noticed in the first place.
The 24-year-old started the season with a 2.84 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 104.2 innings for Double-A Midland. The Athletics then promoted him to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he performed solidly in a hostile pitching environment.
“You’d want this kid in a foxhole with you,” A’s pitching coordinator Gil Patterson said. “An ERA under three in the Texas League? That’s pretty darned good.”
The Pirates drafted Hoglund 36th overall in 2018, but he chose Ole Miss instead. He put up impressive numbers in the Southeastern Conference until Covid ended his sophomore season after four starts. As a junior, he put up a 2.87 ERA before TJ ended his season.
Hoglund was lined up as a potential top 10 overall pick in 2021 before surgery. The Blue Jays drafted him 19th overall, then dealt him to Oakland a year later in the Matt Chapman trade.
He made just three appearances in 2022, then had a tough season in 2023, when he ran up a 6.20 ERA.
“The arm strength wasn’t there,” Patterson said. “He was throwing 89-90 (mph).”
Hoglund concentrated on improving his control and learned to hit corners.
He continued the hard work, then changed his delivery slightly during the offseason. When he reported to camp this year, his fastball had started to return. He now averages 93 mph and has hit 95.
That complements a gyro slider, sweeper and changeup that Patterson said is above-average at times. His command makes his pitch mix effective.
“I think the biggest thing for me was just being able to get healthy last season and getting back into game action again,” Hoglund said. “That allowed me to go into the offseason healthy and work on things that I knew I could improve on and get better at.
“This year it has all kind of come together for me, so I’m glad all the hard work has paid off.”
A’s ACORNS
— Perhaps the Athletics’ most-improved pitcher this year is 26-year-old righthander Blake Beers, a 19th-round pick in 2021 out of Michigan. He averages 94-95 mph and has a dive-bombing sinker, plus a changeup and improved sweeper.
— Double-A Midland outfielder Denzel Clarke was named Texas League player of the month for July. He batted .371/.436/.671 with three home runs in 19 games for the month.
