WEST SACRAMENTO -- You may not have noticed it due to the historic nature of Nick Kurtz’s recent stretch, but Shea Langeliers is swinging one of the hottest bats in baseball over the past couple of weeks.
Langeliers has been on a tear since returning from the All-Star break on July 18, slashing .407/.438/.864 in 15 games. His 1.302 OPS in that time ranks second behind Kurtz, whose remarkable 1.603 mark was boosted on the strength of his six-hit, four-homer game last week in Houston.
Together, Langeliers and Kurtz have formed quite the dynamic duo in the middle of the Athletics lineup. Both collected a pair of hits on Saturday night and keyed a rally in the third inning, when Kurtz’s single was followed up by a double from Langeliers two batters later to set up a two-run double by Tyler Soderstrom that put the A’s ahead by a run in an eventual 7-2 loss to the D-backs at Sutter Health Park.
Langeliers has established himself as one of the better power-hitting catchers in the game. His next home run will put him at 20 on the year, joining Cal Raleigh, Mike Piazza, Earl Williams and Rudy York as only the fifth catcher to hit at least 20 home runs three times in their first four Major League seasons.
This year, however, Langeliers is showing to be more of a complete hitter. Never batting higher than .224 in a season thus far in his career, the 27-year-old backstop is now hitting .262 with an .824 OPS following Saturday’s 2-for-4 effort.
“He’s staying on everything,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He seems to be recognizing the breaking ball really well. He’s on the fastball. He’s seeing it really good.”
Kotsay noted the burst of production Langeliers exhibited upon returning from his first career stint on the injured list, hitting a pair of home runs and two doubles in his first three games back from June 30-July 4. Then came a bit of a lull as he went 2-for-24 over the final seven games before the All-Star break.
Since the break, Langeliers has actually outhomered Kurtz (7-6) over that period and is tied for most home runs in the Majors.
“He’s come out of that stretch and is starting to swing the bat really well,” Kotsay said. “The results are there as well.”
Langeliers was one of the few hitters to see the ball well of Arizona starter Zac Gallen, who limited the A’s to two runs across six innings. Both of his hits came off the former All-Star right-hander, first golfing an 0-2 knuckle-curve below the zone into left field for a single before later smoking a first-pitch knuckle-curve left over the middle of the zone for a screaming double down the left-field line at an exit velocity of 106.1 mph.
Asked about what has contributed to the hot stretch, Langeliers said he has not changed anything in terms of his approach.
“Nothing specific,” Langeliers said. “I’m just trying to keep it as simple as possible. Dial in the approach for that day and be aggressive to that zone. Keep building the confidence and keep the momentum.”
There was palpable concern in the A’s dugout in the seventh when Langeliers and Kurtz collided with each other while trying to track down a foul ball near the plate. Considering their massive success as of late, losing either would be a devastating blow. Luckily, both avoided serious injury and remained in the game.
“On those ones around the plate, I’m not going to say anything,” Langeliers said. “If I hear anybody call it, I’ll just run out. I just heard him really late. Stuff like that is going to happen. Kind of a scary moment, but thank God we’re both OK.”
Langeliers was also on the receiving end of the A’s debut of Eduarniel Nuñez, now rated as the club’s No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline, who was acquired at the Trade Deadline from San Diego as part of the return for Mason Miller and JP Sears. A solo home run allowed to Corbin Carroll was the only real mistake by Nuñez, who showed off a power fastball that maxed out at 99.1 mph and a sharp slider that generated three whiffs in his 1 2/3 innings of relief.
“The stuff is really good,” Langeliers said of Nuñez. “The more we work together, the smoother things will go. … Get the first one out of the way, and now we go.”