Anticipating a crowded leaderboard for the Athletics' home run crown originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Last season, home runs became a common occurrence for the Athletics. They had no trouble barreling up baseballs and putting them well over the fences.
They finished the 2025 regular season with 219 homers, which ranked them seventh across MLB. Of the six teams ahead of them last season, four of them went on to become postseason clubs.
So, with a returning core, fans should feel good about where their club stands. They could be in store for another big year offensively.
MORE: MLB analyst puts the spotlight on the Athletics' young arm to step up
Anticipating a crowded leaderboard for the Athletics' home run crown
Last year, the A's had five different players with 20 or more home runs. Lawrence Butler had 21, Tyler Soderstrom had 25, Brent Rooker had 30, Shea Langeliers had 31, and Nick Kurtz led the team with 36.
Kurtz did not make his debut until late April, so those numbers from him could have been even bigger if he made the Opening Day roster.
Kurtz would go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award and is looking to carry that momentum into the 2026 season. However, it may be tough for him to lead the club in homers again, per Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.
"It took just 117 games for Nick Kurtz to launch 36 home runs en route to AL Rookie of the Year honors last season, and with elite batted-ball metrics across the board, that dizzying pace could be sustainable across a full 162-game slate. Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker also reached 30 homers in 2025, so expect a compelling in-house leaderboard."
It could be a three-man race between Kurtz, Rooker, and Langeliers this year. And if all three can keep the pressure on one another to keep up, the A's might surprise plenty if they can get more consistent on the pitching side of things.
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