Oakland A’s takeaways: What’s up with A.J. Puk? Plus, why the A’s are ecstatic to have fans back at the Coliseum
PEORIA, Ariz. — The A’s traveled to Peoria to face the Seattle Mariners, an American League West rival. But the A’s bus wasn’t carrying too many regulars and the Mariners sent out a majority of their A squad to face Daulton Jefferies. A rolled inning and costly error led to a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon. It happened to be the Mariners’ fourth tie in six games — the A’s first of spring. Here are some takeaways.
Fans in the stands in Oakland
News hit Friday afternoon that California would allow its counties to loosen restrictions on outdoor gatherings at large venues. Not soon after, the A’s announced they’re planning to let fans into the Coliseum at the permitted 20% capacity (if Alameda hits the red tier). Manager Bob Melvin was open all of last year about how eerie games were without fans. It impacted the team’s in-game energy. Without any crowd noise mitigating the ambient sound, teams could each each other chirping more, prompting more tension between benches.
This A’s are pleased with this news.
“It’s fantastic,” Melvin said Saturday morning. “Last year, we understood what we were going through and why. But to have to go through another year like that…the fans are our inspiration. When you have a 162-game season, when you’re playing every day it makes it easy to get up for these games. Felt like last year at times, you’d get excited for the games and you’d go out there and it’s a letdown again because there’s no fans in the stands. So this is terrific news.”
Matt Olson added:
“I was pretty shocked and happy that we’re going to have people in the stands on opening day. I don’t know if it was just me or what, but I kind of mentally counted that out…Obviously be safe about it and everything but being able to have a little energy in the Coliseum is going to be nice.”
Tony Kemp is making a statement
Second base and left field could be platooned given pitching match up in the regular season. Kemp can play both positions — and given his at bats so far this spring, he might be playing into more time. Kemp was one of a handful of regulars that traveled to Peoria on Saturday and took full advantage. He got hold of two pitches: the first was a deep fly out, the second slipped over the right-center field fence for a solo home run.
That was Kemp’s third hit of spring, which includes a double and two walks. He singled and stole second base in his first spring game — mind you, he’s also in contention for the leadoff spot. As are Ramón Laureano, Mark Canha and Elvis Andrus. That spot may be more flexible than it was when Marcus Semien claimed the leadoff spot.
Daulton Jefferies works two solid innings
Jefferies opened up the Cactus League with a pristine showing against the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. And not their non-roster invites, he struck out Mookie Betts and got Corey Seager and Austin Barnes out in a clean inning.
Jefferies followed that up with two clean innings against the Mariners with three strikeouts, including two against Evan White. His two strikeouts in the first inning came off his slider, an important pitch to add to his fastball and changeup. He came up with the grip a while a go, he said, but went away from it until pitching coach Scott Emerson told him to bring it back.
“It felt great. I think I’ve gone past the beginning phase of it where I’m getting more confident in throwing it now. And throw it it in early ball counts and late ball counts. Got a couple strikeouts on it. It did nothing but boost my confidence with that pitch. It’s going to be a great pitch for me because the rest of my pitches are so hard. So it’s nice to have a change of speed.”
A.J. Puk update: No news is good news
Puk threw an inning at the A’s complex in Mesa on Friday and all signs indicate he had no trouble bouncing back Saturday morning. Manager Bob Melvin said Puk’s name wasn’t on the trainer’s list Saturday morning, at least.
This will be a pivotal spring for Puk, who is 25 and still vying for a starting role and regular time with the big league squad after battling injuries throughout most of his career with Oakland. Can the A’s top prospect start to find solid ground? He’s not running out of time, per se, but the A’s would like to see someone with that skill set fulfill his potential.
Puk had surgery on his throwing shoulder in September, and Melvin said reports Friday indicated he looked easy and breezy pitching against his teammates. Confidence has been key for Puk, who’s looked more at east throughout camp this season than in years past, according to Melvin.
J.B. Wendelken makes spring debut
Wendelken made his first Cactus League appearance this spring, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout to Evan White. He reached 94 mph on his fastball, looking like his typical self.
This spring, though, Wendelken didn’t enter the game eager to impress enough to earn a spot. He had a stellar 2020 campaign, posting a 1.50 ERA in 25 innings. Melvin wasn’t afraid to use him in almost a Yusmeiro Petit-like role, meaning he was good to go in any-leverage situation.