Oakland A’s: Muller named Opening Day starter against Angels, Ohtani
“We’re excited about his future. Kyle, in our mind, is going to be in this rotation for a long time."
MESA, Ariz. — Kyle Muller entered spring training uncertain whether he would even make the Oakland A’s roster amid a crowded rotation competition.
Friday, the 25-year-old was named the A’s Opening Day starter, drawing the March 30 assignment opposite Angels and World Baseball Classic star Shohei Ohtani.
“It really means a lot,” Muller said Friday after making his final Cactus League appearance. “Coming into camp, I was just trying to get a spot on the team. And they told me a couple of days ago. Obviously, I’ve been thinking about it. It’s something everybody dreams of growing up. I couldn’t be happier.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay lauded Muller’s work ethic and the passion that he displayed throughout the spring, citing those qualities as main reasons why he named the 6-foot-7 left-hander to be on the mound when Oakland opens the season at the Coliseum. The second-year skipper said he called Muller into his office earlier this week to inform him of the decision.
“He’s a competitor, you can tell that,” Kotsay said. “His work ethic is great, and attitude and enthusiasm. When I told him he was going to be the Opening Day starter, the excitement and energy and just drive of the emotion was exactly what you want when you tell a guy, ‘Hey, you’re going to be an Opening Day starter.’ It was a good moment.”
There had been speculation the A’s might pick Japanese free agent addition Shintaro Fujinami to start the opener. The right-hander was Ohtani’s old high school rival and the pair matched up in the Cactus League last month.
Instead, A’s fans will get their first good look at one of the main pieces acquired by Oakland in the offseason trade that sent Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves.
Muller has yet to truly establish himself at the big-league level, having made 11 career starts in limited opportunities with his former team, but Muller was hopeful he’d have a spot in the rotation from the outset of camp.
“We’re excited about his future,” Kotsay said. “Kyle, in our mind, is going to be in this rotation for a long time. And he’s put his work in to get to this point. He’s obviously had some experience at the major-league level with the Braves. We’re excited about his future. We’re excited about his opportunity to go out and pitch on Opening Day.”
Muller is the only rookie slated to start on Opening Day this season. Among A’s Opening Day starters, only Sonny Gray (2014), Carlos Reyes (1996) and Vida Blue (1971) had fewer career starts than Muller upon getting the nod.
Ohtani, the two-way superstar, will be the Angels’ Opening Day starter for the second straight year.
It’s a dream scenario for Muller, who expressed excitement in the opportunity to carve his own path with the A’s amid a clubhouse that features an abundance of young, high-ceiling talent in search of a breakthrough at this point in their careers.
Muller shared a moment with his longtime friend, and likely battery mate, Shea Langeliers. The pair got their start in the Braves organization and are roommates now that they have been reunited with the A’s.
“Super pumped for him, one of the hardest-working guys around, one of the best guys around,” Langeliers said. “Obviously knowing him over there with the Braves, I know how hard he works and I know how much it means to him.”
Kotsay said he knew Muller was ready to make the jump in part because of something the lefty told reporters early in camp.
“He said he was done pitching in Triple-A and that he was going to pitch in the big leagues and not look back,” Kotsay said. “I think that in itself, that statement to me said everything. I’m here, I’m going to compete to be in the rotation and be on the mound and not let anything get in my way.”
Muller, Oakland’s No. 5 overall prospect, had arguably the best season of his professional career last year in the Braves organization, spending most of the season in Triple-A Gwinnett before being called up on three separate occasions toward the end of the year.
On Friday, Muller was tagged for four runs in a 30-pitch first inning, surrendering hits to six of the first seven White Sox batters he faced before collecting a pair of strikeouts to get out of the frame. He allowed just one hit and a walk over the next two frames, working a 1-2-3 third before giving up four more in the fourth. He struck on five in a 90-pitch appearance, his fourth start of the spring.
It was easily Muller’s worst outing of the spring, but he isn’t too worried about it heading into the season.
“There was some good, there was some bad,” Muller said of his start. “The first inning, I should’ve done a better job of adjusting quicker. I feel like every fastball I threw, they were all over it. Being able to realize that off the rip and being able to change the game plan, it’s kind of tricky in the first inning because you have your plan and you haven’t seen the full lineup yet. But after the first three guys all hitting heaters I got to make that adjustment.”
In 134.2 innings across 23 starts in the minors, Muller posted a 3.41 ERA and struck out a career-best 159 batters. He made three starts for the Braves late in the campaign, totalling 12.1 innings of work. Muller’s hope is to carry the success he had throughout most of last season into an integral role with the A’s, who still have yet to indicate how the rest of the rotation will be structured.
For now, Muller can relish in his monumental achievement. He’s waited a lifetime to see it through.
“It’s just an exciting experience to share with everybody,” Muller said. “You play baseball long enough, you see what Opening Day means and getting a chance to take the mound on day one is something I’m going to remember forever.”
— Esteury Ruiz, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Murphy trade, will make the A’s Opening Day roster, Kotsay announced. In 43 at-bats this spring, the 24-year-old outfielder has 14 hits (a .326 average) with one home run and 14 runs batted in. Ruiz, 24, led the minor leagues in stolen bases last season and has swiped a team-best six this spring. Kotsay noted that he is “still assessing” the outfield and deciding on final spots.
— Ken Waldichuk and James Kaprielian will start Sunday and Monday against the Giants, respectively. Kotsay said that he “will get further into the rotation” on Saturday. To this point, Kotsay hasn’t provided many details regarding Oakland’s plan with the starting rotation.