Athletics Are Not Good, But Shea Langeliers Is Off To Historic 2026 Start
The Shea Langeliers-led Athletics fell again Wednesday to the Atlanta Braves, 5-1, to bring their record on the season to the inverse, 1-5. While there have been moments where the offense has assumed a role of competency, they have been marred by reality: of the six games played, the A’s have scored two runs or fewer in four of them. They are dead last in batting average (.177), and their 17 runs scored are tied for the fewest in the AL.
While the offense has been flummoxed and stymied so far, Catcher Shea Langeliers has been scorching. Langeliers currently leads his team in virtually every offensive category possible: five home runs, eight RBIs, .375 BA, .400 OBP, 1.400 OPS, and the list goes on. The five homers also so happen to lead all of Major League Baseball, while the 8 RBIs put him tied for second. Let’s delve more into how strong of a start he is having.
Why Langeliers Is The Only Reason To Watch Athletics Baseball
In the aforementioned 5-1 loss to the Braves, the A’s talented battery mate was the lone hitter to bring in a run via a dinger off Starting Pitcher Chris Sale. He also had two of the squad’s four hits. The affair is a microcosm of how poorly the Athletics‘ season has gone so far offensively. Shea has done everything while everybody else has little to nothing to show for their efforts.
Langeliers has had such a torrid start that he has completed a feat not even Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh did during his 60-HR season. That is, smashing five home runs in his first six games to start a season. Raleigh had one homer–fifth game–in his first six games played and didn’t reach five until his 16th of 2025. This isn’t to suggest that Shea will become the second primary catcher to reach the big 6-0 but to illustrate how electric he has been.
Diving deeper, Langeliers is the first player whose primary position is catcher to slug at least five home runs in a six-game span to begin a season since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1997. The only other catcher who fits in this category is Gabby Hartnett (6 HR) with the Chicago Cubs in 1925. Alomar Jr. finished with 21 home runs, while Hartnett posted a 24-HR campaign.
Langeliers also became the third primary catcher (Alomar Jr., Hartnett) ever to start his first six games with five home runs, eight RBI, 1.000 slugging percentage, and a 1.400 OPS. The criteria are arbitrary; however, considering what little the rest of his teammates have been able to do, Langeliers’ start should be more appreciated by those who love baseball.
Final Takeaway
The 2026 season is a little over a week old, and the Athletics are already in the bottom tier of teams in the league. Their offense has not gotten off to the start befitting the talent of the hitters they have in the arsenal. Shortstop Jacob Wilson? Batting .200 with an OPS of .520. Right Fielder Brent Rooker? .167 BA, .333 OPS. Left Fielder Tyler Soderstrom? .174 BA, .426 OPS. First Baseman Nick Kurtz? .059 BA, .297 OPS.
One other truth that has been learned through this first week is how integral Langeliers is to the Athletics offense. For this season and for when the franchise moves to Las Vegas in 2028. Langeliers continually carrying the A’s on the back of his 5-feet-11-inch frame should not be anticipated as the year progresses, but there’s a chance we are looking at back-to-back historically great seasons by catchers based on his start.
Crushing 60 long balls might be a stretch, but what might not be is Langeliers ending the year with his best offensive campaign of his career. Despite the Athletics’ shortcomings.
