OAKLAND -- When Shea Langeliers joined the A’s as the headlining prospect in a package of players received from the Braves in exchange for Matt Olson back in March 2022, scouting reports touted his massive power in addition to possessing arguably the best arm of any catcher in the Minors.

After trading Sean Murphy to the Braves over the winter and handing Langeliers the reins to the starting catcher job in what is his first full campaign as a big leaguer, the A’s entered 2023 with obvious high expectations for the 25-year-old.

Langeliers has not matched those projections in what has been an inconsistent campaign, but the past two nights have offered a glimpse at why the A’s remain high on his bat. Following up on the longest home run of his Major League career on Monday, Langeliers homered for a second straight game in Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Royals at the Coliseum.

“My confidence right now, I’m feeling good just keeping it as simple as, ‘Get a good pitch to hit and swing at it,’” said Langeliers, whose solo shot on Monday traveled a projected 456 feet, per Statcast. “Every pitcher is going to make nasty pitches and I’m going to swing at balls every now and again, but keeping it that simple keeps my mind free and lets me do what I want to do.”

Langeliers’ solo shot on Tuesday came in the second inning on an 0-1 slider from Kansas City left-hander Angel Zerpa that he sent well up the left-field seats a projected 412 feet for his 13th homer on the year. Crushed at an exit velocity of 113.4 mph off the bat, the blast marked the hardest-hit ball of Langeliers’ Major League career.

“We all know the power, and the hit tool is there,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He hit throughout the Minor Leagues. The bat was really talked about during the trade, and that was not to take anything away from his throwing, which we saw again tonight. But this isn’t easy at this level to come up here and have immediate success.”

Kotsay compared the inconsistent nature of Langeliers’ first full big league season to Murphy, who in 2021 hit .216 with a .710 OPS, 17 home runs and 59 RBIs in 119 games with the A's. This season with the Braves, Murphy earned his first career All-Star selection and has emerged as a power bat in the middle of Atlanta’s starting lineup.

Following Tuesday’s win, Langeliers is batting .206 with a .644 OPS through 105 games. That's significantly lower than the consistent, elite power he showed and the .807 OPS he posted over parts of three Minor League seasons spanning 243 games from 2019-22 that led to him earning his “Bangeliers” nickname.

Over his last eight games, however, Langeliers does appear to be finding a bit of a groove at the plate, batting .286 (8-for-28) with a pair of homers and a double.

“We saw it with Sean Murphy in his first full season, and I think we’re seeing it with Shea as well,” Kotsay said. “Going towards the end of the season with him progressing and turning things around is a great sign.”

Assessing his performance at the plate to this point in the season, Langeliers said has been frustrated with the sporadic power he’s shown -- Tuesday marked the first time he has homered in back-to-back games this season. With only 36 games left, he is hopeful that the past two games can lead to an extended stretch of offensive success.

“I’d love to be better than where I am right now,” Langeliers said. “I’ve struggled. I feel like I haven’t really hit that hot streak yet that I know I’m capable of hitting. Right now, it’s learning from what I’ve gone through and constantly making adjustments. Come to the field prepared with scouting reports and just keep building confidence. Trust my preparation and go out there and do what I know I can do.”