​Thursday marks the final day for fan voting to determine the All-Star Game starters at each position, with A’s catcher Shea Langeliers as the sole A’s representative. In Wednesday’s update, Langeliers held a substantial lead over Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, at about 65% to 35%, though actual voting tallies aren’t released yet. Following last night’s 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which Langeliers hit his 20th home run for the fourth straight season—the only players to accomplish that in the last two decades are Langeliers and Khris Davis—teammate Lawrence Butler asked how he manages to hit 20 homers in four straight seasons. Langeliers joked, “Swing at strikes,” and Butler quipped that Langeliers should teach him how.
That power puts Langeliers in line for his first All-Star nod, but he isn’t interested in participating in the Home Run Derby. When asked about the Derby, Langeliers simply replied, “no.” He did say he’d love for his teammate Nick Kurtz to participate, though. “Me personally, I would love for him to do it. It’s not my decision. I think it would be one of the cooler things to watch,” Langeliers said. The game is in Philadelphia, roughly an hour and a half from Kurtz’s hometown of Lancaster, PA. Despite fans and teammates urging him to hit some dingers for entertainment, Kurtz isn’t keen on the Derby this year. Sean Campbell of the Sacramento Bee quotes Kurtz saying, “It’s definitely a bucket-list thing I’d want to do eventually in my career. I’m young, so I can hopefully have a lot of time,” adding that rest days and taking off full-effort swings can be beneficial given the demanding schedule.
This discussion ties into Brittany Ghiroli’s Athletic report about the minor leagues’ roster restrictions and their impact on development, as top prospects can be shielded from playing every day to adjust to tweaks. The piece notes that minor league teams play six-game series with Mondays off for travel, and, upon reaching the majors, players must learn to handle ongoing tweaks and heavy travel. A’s manager Mark Kotsay echoed this sentiment in Wednesday’s pregame availability, praising the piece for its accuracy and its relevance to broader player development and workload considerations.