American League’s Shea Langeliers, right, steps on home plate after a solo home run during the fourth inning of the MLB All-Star Futures baseball game against the National League, Saturday, July 16, 2022, in Los Angeles. AP News photo

By Morris Phillips

LOS ANGELES–The A’s got shutout on Saturday afternoon in Houston, and top prospect Shane Langeliers homered with a smooth swing in the SiriusXM All-Stars Futures Game in Los Angeles.

It may be time to unite these two parties for the greater good.

Langeliers continues to be the name most frequently mentioned in the A’s haul of minor leaguers from their off-season purge. He’s tearing up the Pacific Coast League and on Saturday he was part of the AL’s power surge in the fourth inning of Saturday’s win. Langeliers caught hold of former minor league battery mate Jared Shuster’s off-speed pitch and sent it nearly 400 feet into the left field bleachers. That was third home run for the AL, all in the first four innings.

“I know how good he is,” Langeliers said of Shuster. “He made my job really easy catching last year.”

Jasson Dominguez got the power display started by victimizing Kyle Harrison of the Giants’ farm system with a 415-foot blast in the third. That gave the AL a 3-0 advantage and spoiled the story of Harrison’s ascent from obscure draft pick to prize jewel of the Giants’ farm system.

The National League squad answered with a three-run third inning, but were shut down from there until they scored a fourth run in the ninth inning. The National League finished 1 of 5 with a runner in scoring position and left five runners on base. Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks system attempted to steal third base on Langeliers and was thrown out, dashing a potential rally.

“Throwing the runner out, for sure,” Langeliers said when asked which feat was more satisfying.

The teams played seven innings and involved a combined 49 players which meant frequent positional changes, and a breakneck pace. But the incredible numbers from the pitchers on the radar gun and the power displays from the prospects were worth all the confusion.