In his third season in the majors, Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom has emerged as an unexpected power bat, leading all batters with eight home runs early into the 2025 season.
His latest performance included hitting two home runs — his seventh and eighth — during the Athletics’ 12-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
Soderstrom’s stats have drastically improved compared to his first two seasons in the majors, where he hit only 12 home runs and 33 RBI, while slashing just .204/.282/.354 in 106 games.
In 2025, he’s slashing .328/.403/.734 with eight home runs and 17 RBI, ranking third in slugging percentage (.734), fifth in OPS (1.137), and tied for sixth in RBI among all players.
Pitchers are yet to figure out how to cut down Soderstrom’s ability to crush home runs. His eight homers this season have come off six different pitch types: three off fastballs, and one each off a curveball, changeup, sweeper, slider and cutter.
The 23-year-old has also displayed impressive power on the long ball, with an average exit velocity of 107.25 mph. Seven of the eight have been hit with exit velocities exceeding 101 mph.
Wielding one of the hottest bats in the majors, Soderstrom has started his third season on an impressive tear.