Shea Langeliers Is Still Not Getting the Recognition He Deserves

Most stories coming out on the Athletics have been focused on rookie sensation Nick Kurtz, and rightfully so. Kurtz has looked advanced beyond his years, and the raw power has been a magnet for eyes and headlines.

However, Kurtz is not the only A’s player putting up a fantastic season. Catcher Shea Langeliers has continued his year-over-year improvement, turning himself into one of, if not the, most underrated catcher in the league.

Even after he hit 29 home runs last season, and I pounded the table for Langeliers to get more recognition, he is still flying under the radar. I’m sure being in Sacramento is not helping his case, but the improvements both offensively and defensively are worthy of praise.

Stats updated prior to games on August 4.

Langeliers’ Offensive Improvements

The first two seasons of Langeliers’ career were promising, but he also trended towards being a player who either struck out or hit a home run without providing much value elsewhere. A 30% strikeout rate with 20-plus home runs was still good enough for a catcher, but Langeliers started to break out of that stereotype in 2024.

Last season, we saw a much-improved player in the second half. Langeliers cuts his strikeout rate down to 24% while still showing the same level of power. This season, that trend has continued, and then some:

Shea Langeliers by Season

What really jumps off the page is a nearly 10% drop in his strikeout rate and 6% drop in his whiff rate. This trend toward a more bat-to-ball, lower-whiff approach is something we have seen with a number of A’s this season. For Langeliers, he’s been able to buy in without sacrificing much power.

Although the exit velocities are down, his ISO of .245 is up from .226 last season. This is not a situation in which he’s hitting some cheap home runs, either. Of his 19 home runs, 10 have been 105 mph or higher off the bat.

Langeliers has not only taken advantage of mistake pitches, but he has earned more of them thanks to his willingness to not try to hit every pitch out of the park pull side.

Prior to this season, pitchers knew they could pitch him low and away in order to produce weak contact or have him swing through a breaking ball. This season, Langeliers has drastically improved in that part of the zone, eliminating a weakness.

The graphics on top show his whiff percentage and total hits by zone in 2024, while the bottom two show those same stats for 2025.

The bottom right of the zone, away pitches to the righty-batting Langeliers, has seen a 12% drop in his swing and miss, which has already led to more hits (11) from that part of the strike zone than he had all of last season.

Overall, his zone contact rate has jumped by four percentage points for the third straight season. He’s making more contact, and for a guy with as much power as Langeliers, more contact will lead to significantly more impact and production.

Sure, he’s not a complete hitter. There are still holes in his game, and chasing pitches outside of the zone will likely always be an issue. However, he has improved his whiff rate on breaking balls by 10% from last season.

I’m sure by now you are seeing the trend. Langeliers has not only made steps forward each year – he’s made strides. Considering how much he has improved at the plate in each of the last few seasons, what is stopping me from believing there’s an even higher level he can reach?

Langeliers’ Defensive Improvements

Though known for his defense as a prospect, Langeliers struggled with the glove through his first few seasons. I’m not a catching expert, but you could tell something was uncomfortable with his processing, which led to too many passed balls and blunders.

Framing was also an issue, but Langeliers has improved drastically in both areas. After being rated as the worst catcher by blocks above average (-26) last season, he’s improved to 26th out of 63 this season with +2 blocks above average.

His framing has improved from -6 catcher framing runs (per Baseball Savant) in 2024 to +1 this season, which places him in the top 20. I’m sure working with some better pitchers has helped, to an extent, but Langeliers deserves a ton of credit for putting in the work to get where he is now.

Oh yeah, he’s also top 10 in average pop time.

Yes, defensive metrics for catchers can be a bit wonky and difficult to follow, but simply watching him behind the plate tells the story. You see a player who’s more comfortable, moving better, and not afraid to call for the breaking ball in the dirt when his pitcher is ahead.

There’s still work to be done, but the defense that we were once promised is starting to show. Any player who makes this big of an improvement in one offseason certainly can continue that trend in the offseasons to come. I think we will continue to see Langeliers’ value go up.

Final Thoughts

I hate to be that guy, but if Langeliers were on a big market team, everyone would be talking about him. How many other catchers in the league are making such consistent improvements while still keeping a 25-plus home run pace? The list is short.

Anyone with a blend of power and strong defense behind the plate is going to have a long career. Players who put in the work each year to improve, like Langeliers has, will always find work in baseball, even after their playing days are over.

I understand that watching the A’s play is not high on the priority list for many, but that should change. They have built a legitimate core, and Langeliers is just as much a part of it as Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, and others.