Outfielder Brayan Buelvas started the year wearing Colombia’s gold, blue and red in the World Baseball Classic. If he continues to swing a hot bat for the Las Vegas Aviators, it may not be long before he’s in Athletics green and gold.
Since the start of July, Buelvas has been one of Las Vegas’ best hitters. He’s now second among current Aviators in home runs, with 10 — eight of which came last month. It took Buelvas a few weeks to adjust to Triple-A pitching, but now he’s feeling more comfortable when he steps in the batter’s box.
“I feel I’ve been improving a lot during the season,” Buelvas said. “I’m just trying to keep it simple, keep looking for my pitch, and execute when I get it.”
Though the Aviators (62-44) lost five of six games on the road to the Oklahoma City Comets last week, Buelvas continued to mash. In Tuesday’s 8-6 Las Vegas win, he got the Aviators on the board with a solo homer. Buelvas followed that up on Friday with two more long balls in the team’s 7-5 loss.
“He’s been really impressive with his growth, his development, his mindset about playing the game, and he’s really made a positive contribution,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “He’s done a great job of taking advantage of mistakes because of his commitment to controlling the strike zone.”
Riordan first saw Buelvas not long after he signed with the A’s out of Monteria, Colombia, in 2018. The following year, Buelvas starred in the rookie-level Arizona League. At just 17, he was named the team’s most valuable player, hitting .300 and stealing 12 bases.
Since then, Buelvas has steadily climbed his way up the Athletics’ minor league system and made an impression on the organization.
He started this year in Double-A Midland, advancing to Triple-A on May 15 after hitting .282 for the RockHounds.
Buelvas struggled upon arriving in Las Vegas, but has worked closely with hitting coach Brian McArn and assistant hitting coach Kevin Kouzmanoff to improve pitch selection and reduce swings outside the strike zone.
While the strikeouts are still something Buelvas is working on, he has started to make more contact. Buelvas batted just .203 for the Aviators in June, improving to .288 in July.
“I just expect him to get better and better as the season goes on,” Riordan said.
Much of the success Buelvas has enjoyed this year started with a learning experience while representing Colombia at the World Baseball Classic. Though he didn’t get a hit in seven plate appearances, he soaked up all the knowledge he could from the team’s big league veterans, like Jose Quintana, Julio Teheran and Gio Urshela.
He said the experience showed him what it takes to get to the majors.
“You’re at that level, competing with the best of the best,” Buelvas said. “If you can compete at that level, you feel pretty good. That’s pretty good for your confidence.”
Thomas looks to bounce back
The A’s optioned outfielder Colby Thomas to Las Vegas on Friday after he hit .202 in 55 games. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the organization still has high hopes for their third-round draft pick from 2022.
“Colby’s a young player, and he’s still got a ton ahead of him,” Kotsay said. “The goal is to get him consistent at-bats and go play every day in Vegas, and have an opportunity to get back here in September.”
Thomas had a platoon role with the A’s, primarily facing lefties. Riordan said that having more playing time should help him get back into a groove. Thomas started the season with the Aviators, hitting .309 with five home runs in 17 games before getting called up on April 22.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to play once a week when you’re a power guy because power guys usually have more timing and usually have more moves in their swing,” Riordan said. “This is a great opportunity for Colby to reset and get everyday at-bats.”
Nett’s control woes continue
Pitcher Braden Nett, the Athletics’ ninth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has struggled to find the strike zone this season while recovering from rotator cuff and hand injuries.
Nett started twice last week in Oklahoma City, walking six over 2⅓ innings in Tuesday’s 8-6 win and five over 1⅔ innings in Sunday’s 3-0 loss.
In April, he injured a ligament in his pitching hand, which Riordan said has affected Nett’s feel for the ball as he delivers. He spent some time in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League working on his control before returning to Las Vegas on July 7.
“The more he gets out on the bump in competition, the more that feel is going to come back, and he’s going to be in the zone more,” Riordan said. “Our expectation is for him to keep getting better with his fastball command every start, and it’s up to him to go out and prove it.”
