Turlock native and Oakland Athletics top prospect Tyler Soderstrom is seeing continued success in the minor leagues this season, most recently being named to MLB’s Futures Game roster.
The former Turlock High School Bulldog was drafted by the A’s at No. 26 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft with the team’s first pick and has gone on to impress with the Stockton Ports, who compete in MiLB’s Low-A West league.
After a breakout performance, which saw Soderstrom hit .315 with eight home runs, 61 total bases and a .685 slugging percentage last month, the 19-year-old earned the Low-A West MiLB June Player of the Month Award. This season is his first with game experience after the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to last year’s minor league play.
Soderstrom was also named to the Futures Game roster as one of three catchers and will take the field on Sunday as the second-youngest player on the American League team. The Futures Game is held each season as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities and features top minor league prospects.
“He’s swung the bat well,” A’s director of player development Ed Sprague told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I think we’re seeing what we kind of expected. He’s using the whole field, he’s showing a little power. He chases a little bit from time to time but for the most part he’s a natural hitter and he’s proved that.”
A four-year varsity starter at THS, the 6-foot-2 Soderstrom broke out with a stellar junior season that saw him bat a .450 with four home runs, 27 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .565 as the Bulldogs claimed the Central California Athletic League Championship. The effort, along with impressive performances at showcase events throughout 2019, led to Soderstrom signing a letter of intent to play for UCLA while also putting him on the radar of MLB scouts.
Though his 2020 senior season was cut short due to the pandemic, Soderstrom’s .357 batting average over five games was enough to earn him the title of Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year.
Soderstrom joined a long list of former Bulldogs turned MLB players after being drafted by the A’s last year. More importantly, however, he stands alongside his father Steve Soderstrom — drafted sixth overall by the San Francisco Giants in 1993 out of Fresno State— as a first-round MLB selection.
The MLB Futures Game will air at 12 p.m. PT July 11 on MLB Network.
