The Athletics’ path to a big 2027 starts in the outfield, where the ceiling looks loud and the production could end up driving everything.
That group already carried a lot of the offense in the second half of the season. Lawrence Butler caught fire, Henry Bolte blew past expectations, and by the time 2027 is over, the A’s could be looking at a top-five outfield and a playoff berth.
Bolte is the easiest place to start because 2026 already gave him a real breakthrough. He hit .277 with a .764 OPS, added 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases, and finished the year with a second half that looked nothing like a rookie learning on the job.
Eight of those homers came after the break, and he drove in 22 of his 38 RBIs in that same stretch. In other words, the kid didn’t just flash - he sustained it.
The projection for Bolte points even higher. A .290 average is on the table, along with an OPS north of .800.
The power could climb into the 18-to-24 home run range, and the RBI total could land around 70. The speed stays part of the package too, with 30-plus stolen bases a realistic target.
The clean version of that line: .290/.375/.460, with 70 RBIs, 20 HR, 20 SB.
But Butler may be the swing piece. His season was split in two almost like different players wearing the same uniform.
Before the break, he hit .196 with a .592 OPS and only five home runs. After the break, he turned into a force, batting .280 with a team-leading .853 OPS, plus team-leading totals of 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
The expectation is that Butler shows up hot right away next year instead of waiting for the turnaround. The projection calls for a .260 average, an .800 OPS, 22 home runs and 75 RBIs.
There’s also room for his running game to tick up, with stolen bases rising from 10 in 2026 to at least 20 in 2027. The full line: .260/.350/.450, with 75 RBIs, 22 home runs, and 19 stolen bases.
Then there’s Tyler Soderstrom, who might wind up with the best season of the bunch, not just among Athletics outfielders but on the whole roster. He played only 109 games in 2026 and still posted a .245 average with a strong .810 OPS. He also put up 19 home runs and 56 RBIs, which makes it easy to see why the expectation is so much bigger for 2027.
If everything breaks right, Soderstrom could hit .270 with an .870 OPS, while launching 28 home runs and driving in 90 runs. If that happens, the Athletics won’t just have a dangerous outfield. They’ll have one of the most loaded lineups in baseball, with threats stacked all the way through.
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The larger issue remains the same for a club trying to turn promising pieces into something more reliable: the pitching has to come along, especially in the rotation. JT Ginns emergence as the staffs most dependable starter and Elvis Alvarados flashes of power alongside some volatility both point to upside, but the Athletics still need more than encouraging signs if they want to close the gap in 2027. [Read more 🡒]