Henry Bolte: Athletics 2025 Minor League Player Of The Year
Henry Bolte grew up in Northern California rooting for the Athletics, so it was meaningful to the Palo Alto High product when his hometown team drafted him in the second round in 2022.
Bolte’s athletic ability and raw power made him stand out, complementing his speed and defensive ability in center field.
“He gets a little streaky, but when you draft guys like that, you’re betting on the ceiling,” A’s farm director Ed Sprague said last offseason. “You’re never sure where the floor is going to land, and the ceiling is as high as it gets in terms of his athleticism and all his tools that he comes with.”
Bolte has steadily advanced through the ranks and reached Triple-A Las Vegas in late July. In 114 games this season counting 80 with Double-A Midland, he batted .284/.385/.427 with nine home runs and 44 stolen bases.
Bolte entered the 2025 season with the development goal of sharpening the minutiae of a better hitting position that offered more adjustability and the ability to make more contact.
He got off to a strong start at Triple-A, posting a .838 OPS in 34 games, before having wrist surgery to end his season.
A’s minor league hitting coordinator Jim Eppard complimented Bolte and how the 22-year-old approached this season.
“He’s a high school kid who was playing high school baseball three years ago. So for him to already have hit Double-A and now on his way to Triple-A and playing there, I think we have a great player in the making,” Eppard said in an interview with “A’s Cast” in July.
Bolte looked strong in his at-bats and batting practice sessions this season. While his power output dipped year-over-year, his batting consistency improved. He hit .284 and maintained a strong walk rate of nearly 12% while reducing his strikeout rate by nearly five percentage points.
A’s Acorns
— After striking out on first-round picks Austin Beck, Kyler Murray and Logan Davidson from 2017 to 2019, the Athletics’ scouting department has been on a winning streak. The five-round 2020 draft yielded Tyler Soderstrom. Future big leaguers Max Muncy, Zack Gelof, Mason Miller and Denzel Clarke followed in 2021. Henry Bolte and Colby Thomas were drafted in 2022. The A’s drafted instant big leaguers in the first round in both 2023 and 2024, taking Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz.
