Gelof, Rooker power A's mile-high offense at Coors

DENVER -- The glowing scouting reports that accompanied Zack Gelof upon his arrival to the big leagues earlier this month raved about his phenomenal athleticism. Those qualities were in full effect on Saturday night.

First came the power, which Gelof displayed by launching his third career home run -- a 406-foot solo shot to right field -- in the top of the second inning, marking his second consecutive game with a homer. Then came Gelof’s speed, which he used to ignite a four-run sixth by leading off with a single and proceeding to steal second and third base in the span of just a few pitches.

At the time of Gelof’s single in the sixth, he found himself in elite company as one of three players in MLB since his debut on July 14 to have at least three home runs, five steals and a .540 slugging percentage. The other two players? A strong National League Rookie of the Year candidate in Corbin Carroll of the D-backs and likely NL MVP front-runner Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves.

By the end of Oakland’s 11-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field, Gelof’s slugging percentage had dropped down to .529. Still, his all-around performance was yet another exhibition of the impact that the A’s No. 3 prospect is capable of producing on any given night.

“Zack’s night was one that we’ve heard a lot about through the Minor Leagues from our development staff,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “For a young hitter to take a 2-0 fastball and hit it to the opposite field for a home run, that’s impressive. It shows the plate discipline, and I think that’s where his power is. He’s got some speed, and he showed his power.”

One never knows how a player is going to respond to his first taste of the big leagues, even a prospect as highly touted as Gelof. So far, he appears to be unfazed by the bright lights. He has collected at least one hit in nine of his first 13 games. Of his 12 total hits, eight have gone for extra bases.

Baserunning also seems to be an underrated aspect of his game, even having accumulated 20 stolen bases in 69 games at Triple-A Las Vegas this season. Entering Saturday’s contest, Gelof ranked in the 97th percentile of all Major League players in sprint speed. That characteristic translates to his defense at second base, where he continues to demonstrate natural instincts despite having been drafted as a third baseman.

“He’s a really, really good player,” A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker said of Gelof. “I’ve been impressed with him offensively. He’s got a ton of power to right-center, which is a really good attribute to have. Couple that with the speed he’s shown and how he’s played good defense at second base, and he’s got a good attitude and has handled himself the right way. He’s impressed a lot of people, for sure.”

While Gelof electrified, Rooker provided the loudest jolt of the night by crushing the longest home run by an A’s player this season. A few minutes after Gelof’s homer in the second, Oakland’s All-Star turned on a first-pitch fastball from Chris Flexen and sent a 462-foot blast halfway up the seats in left-center.

“I knew that was gone when I hit it,” Rooker said. “I saw [Flexen] in my first at-bat and got a walk. I just saw that fastball in the middle of the zone and put a good swing on it.”

Rooker’s moonshot is tied for ninth longest by an A’s hitter in the Statcast era (since 2015) and the longest since Dérmis Garcia’s 467-foot homer last season on Aug. 31 at Nationals Park. It was Rooker's first 17th homer of the season and first since returning from the All-Star break.

“I think there was some frustration in that swing as well,” Kotsay said. “He’s been battling a little bit. To see him have a great night like this, it shows that what he did for a month and a half is still there.”

Coors Field is known to be a hitters’ paradise, and the A’s have fully taken advantage. Through the first two games of this series against the Rockies, they’ve collected 19 runs and 27 hits.

“Coming into Colorado, we know how the ball flies, but not trying to do too much,” Rooker said. “Just stay within the approach to have quality at-bats and pass it onto the next guy. That has shown with the hits and the runs we’ve put up the last two days.”