Opening Day start may go to Montas
Spring training 2.0 is just a week old, so don’t etch this prediction in stone. But, try this on: Oakland A’s Opening Day starter Frankie Montas.
Montas busted into the Coliseum last week with a chip on his shoulder and a 100 mph fastball very readily in his arsenal despite the three-month hiatus. In Arizona, Montas found a cage to work with and an unassuming high school catcher to absorb his three-digit mph offerings as he mounted to some four-inning outings throughout his extended offseason.
“When I was in Arizona, I never stopped throwing,” he said.
The right-handed 27-yearold pitcher is practically game ready. Teammates he’s faced in live BP this summer can attest he’s already electric. But, more than anything, he’s hungry.
“Part of it stems from not being able to contribute for the second half last year,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It was his focus to find somewhere to (pitch), he was going to be ready coming into camp this year. He was ready in spring training and he was ready in spring training 2.0. He’s driven.”
One September start in Anaheim marks the only time Montas has been in a regular season game between now and June 21 of last season, when he was put on ice due to a PED suspension.
Montas’ hard work was displayed through videos he posted on social media during shelterin-place of him lifting weights and hitting home runs, even.
He made sure to post videos of him hitting 99 mph and 100 mph in the cage. Melvin and the coaching staff saw it all. Pitchers are expected to reach 65-70 pitches by the start of exhibition games. Montas is already there.
Montas has come a long way from the end of the 2018 season, when it was unclear whether or not his ceiling (90-plus mph fastball, spicy secondary offerings) would become a reality. Back then, his career path was unclear.
But some successful experimentation with his splitter in the 2019 offseason brought Montas’ ability and confidence together at last. Before his suspension that season — with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts — it looked like Montas could start the All-Star game.
Now, Montas doesn’t have to experiment much; it was his joy for finding what worked that helped him in the first place, and now he can settle in and mess more with timing. During the baseball shutdown, Montas experimented more with his slider — he has a loopier option and a shorter option.
“I’m the type of guy always trying to get better, learn something new,” he said. Even if the PED suspension is a knock against him, Montas’ lockdown work and All-Star caliber 2019 could be the perfect mix to target him for opening day honors. A.J. PUK’S BIG HAIRCUT AND BIG RETURN TO THE MOUND » The tall left-hander looked a little different when he hopped on Zoom, about 10 pounds lighter with one foot of hair completely buzzed off. Even some of his teammates didn’t recognize him.
“I told them I was from the (Jorge) Mateo trade,” he joked. “I had to get rid of it. It was too long.”
His manager would have liked the 25-year-old to keep his look. Not only did he have Hall of Famer Randy Johnson’s killer slider and 90-plus fastball, tall frame and left-handedness, but the long locks to match.