After a stellar season in the minor leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Gunnar Hoglund was named the Oakland Athletics’ 2024 pitcher prospect of the year.
Hoglund was acquired by the Athletics in 2022 as part of the trade that sent all-star Matt Chapman to Toronto. However, Chapman just signed a six-year extension after spending the previous two seasons in San Francisco.
The Athletics Pitcher Prospect of the Year is Gunnar Hoglund, a former pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.
With Zach Logue, Kirby Snead, and Kevin Smith all playing elsewhere, Hoglund is the only player still with the Athletics after the historic deal that sent Chapman to Toronto.
As part of the return of the Matt Chapman trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, Hoglund, 24, joined the A’s in March 2022. After time in Oakland, Zach Logue, Kirby Snead, and Kevin Smith all moved on, leaving Hoglund as the only member of the return package still with the team. Matt Chapman is currently with the San Francisco Giants as well.
Hoglund has a strong possibility of making an appearance in the major leagues next season after having a fantastic season with time split between Triple-A and Double-A and putting up strong numbers in both leagues, earning him the Athletics’ top pitcher prospect in 2024.
With 130 2/3 innings pitched, a 3.44 ERA,.215 BAA, and 1.07 WHIP, he made it to Triple-A.
He spent the majority of the season in Double-A Midland, where he recorded a 2.84 ERA over 104 2/3 innings in 19 appearances (18 starts), despite making it to Triple-A Las Vegas. During those excursions, his FIP was slightly higher at 4.02. Burke
Since Chapman is now gone from Toronto and the experiment did not last long as he has been vocal that he was not happy in Toronto, the Blue Jays clearly lost this trade since they move Hoglund who seems to becoming a promising young pitcher.