Petit delivers on and off mound for the A’s
The reliever has pitched in more games than anyone else since 2018, and he's a mentor
MESA, ARiZ. >> Yusmeiro Petit has appeared in more major league games than any other pitcher and thrown more innings than any reliever since he joined the Oakland A’s prior to the 2018 season.
But to manager Bob Melvin and the rest of the A’s organization, Petit is so much more than a sterling example of consistency and reliability who has pitched in 180 games over the past three seasons. He’s a mentor, an 89-mile-per-hour fastball-throwing extension of the coaching staff whose influence has been widespread throughout the Oakland clubhouse. It made resigning 36-year-old Petit for $2.5 million over the offseason an easy decision.
“When we signed him,
guys were elated not only for his performance but because of his character and what he means to our team,” Melvin said. “We’ve had a pretty tight-knit group over the years here and we’ve lost a couple of guys that were key guys for us and we brought some guys in that we feel like are going to be key guys as well. He’s been a mainstay.”
Petit not only has produced a 14-7 record, 2.78 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in Green and Gold, but has been an instrumental part of the A’s player development efforts, especially with young players new to the Major League roster. Petit has learned the ins and outs of the organization since he arrived as a free agent following stints with the Marlins, Diamondbacks, Giants, Nationals and Angels.
Melvin said the righthanded reliever, entering his 14th major league season, has become a master of routine and someone capable of offering players advice when they may not be at their best.
It’s what led Petit to get involved in the Major League upbringing of A’s phenom left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo last year.
“He taught me how to be mature,” Luzardo said recently. “He taught me how to handle business like a big leaguer. Last year we had a lot of conversations when I was struggling at times just about my body and my delivery. Little things that just like finetuning mechanics.”
Petit’s mentorship of Luzardo is not an isolated incident. Starting pitchers, relievers and even some hitters have spoken highly of Petit’s advice and willingness to share it. Melvin has come to expect that.
“He’s an easy guy to go to,” Melvin said. “He knows how things go here. He can sense when I guy is struggling with a routine. We’ve been to the postseason the last three years and he’s an easy guy to talk to to get a feel for how things go here and what we expect.”
Petit prides himself on the fact that his teammates and coaches consider him to be as affable off the field as he is talented on it. It’s something Petit believes will be of particular importance for the A’s this year, just a few months removed from a 60-game season.
“I want to show the young kids how to work every day for being ready all season long,” Petit said. “You have 162 games and you have to prepare for that. Everybody sees me and everybody is watching me working every day. I have three years here and I want to show how to be ready.”
When it comes to preparation, A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said there are few better at it than Petit, a quality that makes him distinctly well-suited to teach younger players about it.
“Yus is one of the bestprepared pitchers I’ve ever seen,” he said. “If tells me ‘I feel OK,’ we should probably shy away from him. This is what Yus does all the time. He gives you the thumbs-up sign and there’s times where I got to tell him, ‘Hey, I’ve used you too much and you’re down today.’ This guy wants the baseball every day.”
There’s also no ignoring Petit’s impact on the mound in his three years with Oakland. Since he joined the organization in 2018, Petit owns a 2.73 ERA in 197.2 innings. As a 34-year-old in 2019, he led MLB in appearances (80). In 2020, his 1.66 ERA ranked second among major league pitchers who appeared in at least 25 games. It’s somewhat remarkable, too, given Petit’s age. Despite creeping into his late 30s, the righty’s ERA has stayed at or below 3.00 for three consecutive seasons. Emerson is hardly surprised by it.
“He’s like the rock in that bullpen,” Emerson said. “He brings us many different roles, he’s versatile with what he can do. Whether it’s middle relief, long guy, set up, come in and get the inning over with, he’s just an amazing guy that can fill a lot of gaps. I’m just so lucky — and we are so lucky — to have him on the team.”
Petit has never been an All-Star in his 13-year career, despite owning the sixth-best ERA among relief pitchers who have appeared in at least 140 games since 2018. Is it an oversight? Maybe. Though it seems like numbers and All-Star appearances are far secondary when it comes to the Petit’s value in Oakland.
“A lot of people talk about me,” Petit said. “I don’t talk about talent or what I did last year. I know my numbers, I know my career but my main goal is just to be the same. I want to help young people here and make sure they’re working hard every day to help the team.”