MESA, Ariz. – Pitchers and catchers reported to Hohokam Stadium on Wednesday with high energy, ready to take on the spring.
The staff, comprised of returners like tenured right-hander Paul Blackburn and JP Sears, also features new faces from across the Bay, such as longtime big leaguers Alex Wood and Ross Stripling.
Stripling and Wood played together for the Dodgers and Giants and add experience to an otherwise younger and relatively inexperienced staff. Last season, with the Giants, Wood went 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA and Stripling went 0-5 with a 5.36 ERA, and both spent time in the bullpen. However, Oakland manager Mark Kotsay has faith in the new acquisitions and plans to rely on them in the starting rotation from the outset.
“I couldn’t be happier to have both of them,” Kotsay said on Wednesday. “They’re not only going to help us from a performance standpoint. They’re going to help us from a development standpoint in that locker room.”
Blackburn and Sears seem to be the other safe choices regarding a starting rotation. Kotsay said that going into games, his plan is to stick with Blackburn, Sears, Wood and Stripling, but that still leaves one spot open.
Options for Starter No. 5 could include Joe Boyle, who pitched 16 innings for the A’s last year carrying a 1.69 ERA, as well as Luis Medina, Freddy Tarnok, Adrián Martínez or Mitch Spence.
The bullpen looks to be made up of a handful of players including new acquisition Trevor Gott, who signed a 1-year, $1.5 million contract, top prospect Mason Miller and Lucas Erceg, among a couple of other names.
For some pitchers, it was their first day out with the A’s, and Kotsay is interested to see how they perform this spring, but in the short term “it’ll be fun to watch these next five days when the focus is just pitching,” he said.
That focus is primarily on throwing strikes. Kotsay said the biggest goal for the pitchers this spring is working on consistently controlling the strike zone. He referenced last April, saying the team struggled with control a bit and he’s hoping to improve on that this season.
As for the catchers, the starting role is all but Shea Langeliers’ to lose. Kotsay expressed confidence in Langeliers, entering his second year with the A’s, as his everyday catcher, even with top prospect Tyler Soderstrom awaiting his shot.
Langeliers, who played in 135 games last season with a .205 batting average and 22 homers, will have to adjust to a handful of new teammates and start to build relationships with new pitchers.
“Shea understands that better now, going into year two of a full season,” Kotsay said. “There’s a lot of new additions, and it takes time to build those relationships. I’m looking forward to watching them grow and learn these guys.”
Sonderstorm played 45 games in the majors last year and struggled offensively, batting .160 with three home runs and seven RBI. Kotsay still found some positives, though.
“I was overly impressed with how he handled himself behind the plate catching last year,” Kotsay said. “The group’s great and I’m excited to watch him.”
Though position players don’t have to show until Feb. 19, some, including Seth Brown and Zack Gelof, were at camp on Wednesday and drew praise from Kotsay for the early start.
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