Oakland A’s: Muller set to make rotation pitch, Fujinami’s spring debut will be vs. Ohtani
MESA, Arizona — As the A’s rotation takes shape this spring, a number of young, largely-unproven pitchers are vying for an opportunity to log valuable major-league innings this season as well as a chance to establish themselves in the big leagues.
Kyle Muller is no exception.
The 25-year-old left-hander was one of the top players the A’s received in the winter trade that sent catcher Sean Murphy to the Braves. He’s drawn a lot of praise since camp opened and is expected to compete for a spot in the rotation. The former No. 1 overall pitching prospect in the Atlanta farm system spent parts of the past two seasons with the Braves, but despite success in the minors wasn’t able to establish himself in the big leagues.
“All I have wanted this entire time is an opportunity to get comfortable and pitch every five days in the major leagues and see how I stack up against the best in the world,” Muller said Thursday. “I feel like that chance is strong here and I just have to go prove myself.”
First look at Kyle Muller (6-7, 250) in the kelly green
Mark Kotsay said a couple days ago, "Pretty impressive. Kinda Mulder-Bumgarner mix." pic.twitter.com/onStstZ5Yk
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) February 19, 2023
Muller was part of a three-team deal that included veteran catcher Manny Piña, as well as fellow top prospects Esteury Ruiz, Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas heading to Oakland. The trade reunited Muller with his close friend, Shea Langeliers, another product of the Braves minor league system who arrived in Oakland last season as part of the Matt Olson trade.
Despite having to make the unexpected transition over the winter, Muller said he instantly embraced the opportunity for a fresh start with the A’s.
“I had pretty much grown up there,” Muller said of his time with Atlanta. “I was there since I was 18 to 25. Having everything kind of flip like that in a minute-and-a-half phone call, it was kind of wild. But immediately after I got the phone call (about the trade) I was so excited. I texted Shea immediately and I called my parents and told them.”
The 6-foot-7 lefty logged 49 big-league innings with the Braves over the last two seasons, though his stints in Atlanta were brief. In 12 appearances, 11 of them as a starter, he’s 3-5 with a 5.14 ERA.
Muller spent most of his time the past two seasons at Triple-A , where he produced his best results since he was a second-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. He posted a 3.39 earned run average across 79.2 innings in 2021, then followed that with a 3.41 ERA in 134.2 innings last season. Muller collected 252 strikeouts between those two seasons in Triple-A.
Muller says last season was a personal breakthrough.
“I was probably the most complete person, player, and pitcher that I’ve ever been,” he said. “I really figured out what clicks for me and where I need to be in terms of pitch usage, tunneling and mentality on the mound, knowing where my mechanics are where they need to be. Every year before that I’ve changed my delivery, but I got to a consistent point in my delivery where I can just repeat it and focus on repeating it.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay would like nothing better than to see the towering left-hander build off his breakthrough 20222 and secure one of the five rotation spots by the end of camp.
“He had success at the Triple-A level for a long period of time,” Kotsay said. “Now it’s time for him to go out and really capture this opportunity that he has to make this rotation and be an impact starter for us.”
Kyle Muller
Control
TWO breaking pitches with SwK (15%+)
Deadly slider vLHH: .167 SLG & .151 wOBA
Hittable 4-seam: .293 BA & .327 wOBA
Attack the zone with the stuff > command
Leans on the 4-seam + slider when behind
Curve ranked No. 336 out of 339 in Zone% pic.twitter.com/vDwHg5cDTn— Corbin (@corbin_young21) February 20, 2023
Fujinami to make Cactus League debut against old rival Ohtani
Kotsay announced that rookie Japanese right-handed pitcher Shintaro Fujinami will make his first appearance of the spring on Tuesday against the Angels.
But his highly anticipated debut is perhaps even more significant because it will come against his former high school rival, Shohei Ohtani. The Angels announced their pitching plans earlier in the week.
“That’s Fuji’s day, it just happens to coincide with the day that Ohtani is pitching,” Kotsay said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of excitement about these two. I know it’s been a long time since they have been on the same field together. Outside of it being spring training, it should be exciting.”
Ken Waldichuk, Paul Blackburn, Shintaro Fujinami and Hogan Harris throwing bullpens. pic.twitter.com/Ltza0nN33W
— Cole Bradley (@colebradley01) February 23, 2023
Fujinami, who signed a one-year contract with the A’s in January, was a first-round pick in the 2012 NPB Draft along with Ohtani, who he faced in high school at the National High School Baseball Championship of Japan.
The two were often compared as prospects during their high school years, but took starkly different routes to MLB.
Following his first live batting practice session of A’s camp, Fujinami expressed his excitement in not only getting to face his Japanese compatriot in his debut, but to get on the mound in general.
“Obviously it’s going to be my first game in spring, I might get nervous a little bit, but I look forward to it,” Fujinami said through Japanese interpreter Issei Yamada.
“I think it’s a rare matchup. I’m pretty sure Japanese fans are looking forward to it. I look forward to pitching against [Ohtani] too.”
Newcomers looking to prove themselves during camp
The A’s begin Cactus League play on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a date that many of the A’s newcomers in particular are excited for.
It marks a lot more the start of a new season, but an entirely new chance with their new ballclub. The A’s have plenty of players who fit that mold this spring, which perhaps makes it easier for those who are still unfamiliar with their new surroundings to get acclimated.
“It’s good to have a bunch of young guys around who you can relate to and bond with a little bit and spend some time with,” said outfielder JJ Bleday, who was acquired in a trade with the Marlins just over two weeks ago. “Kind of get yourself away from baseball and have that camaraderie aspect to it.”
Many of those newcomers, like Bleday, haven’t even logged a full year of big league service time to this point in their careers, and yet are in a position to compete for starting roles this spring.
Those who are more seasoned, albeit not by much, see it as a chance to lend some important advice to their younger teammates who are in a position that they themselves were in not too long ago.
“I kind of feel like the older guy in this clubhouse in a sense,” said Tyler Wade, a 28-year-old utility man who has spent time with the Yankees and Angels since 2017. “I’ve been with New York for a while, so just bringing the characteristics of that, what I have learned over there, bringing it over here and showing the younger guys how it should be done.”
Kotsay recognized how much that dynamic can benefit the A’s long term, using a certain past trio as an example of what the current crop could potentially aspire to.
“With young guys, yes, I think it’s more comfortable for them to be surrounded by peers of the same age or experience level,” Kotsay said. “If you can find a few guys that can come through the system together, if you think back to [Mark] Mulder, [Tim] Hudson, [Barry] Zito, young guys, there is something about a group of guys coming in together and feeding off one another to be the best or to be the ace. We have some names and some guys that you could see assimilating to each other and taking the situation they’re in and rising in that way. That would be great.”