Laureano is doing it all for Oakland with bat and glove
part of the Sonny Gray trade in July 2017, had projected Fowler as their center fielder. But Laureano’s all-around excellence since coming up Aug. 3 probably has nudged Fowler into a corner-outfield role in the future.
Laureano’s defensive work, especially his arm, made one talent evaluator draw comparisons with a young Dwayne Murphy. Add Laureano’s .295 batting average and five home runs — plus, he’s 7-for-7 on stolen-base attempts — and it’s easy to see why he’s now firmly in the everyday lineup.
“I’m not sure we realized how immediate an impact Laureano would have,” Beane said. “When he came up, obviously we liked him — we’d traded for him — but what was really great was that Ramón immediately came up and he was unafraid, no fear. Combine the game he has with no fear, and that’s really something different.”
Laureano, 24, came into his first spring with a new organization ready to prove himself after a down season last year in the Astros’ system. He hit .227 at Double-A Corpus Christi, but Beane didn’t waver in his interest and the A’s — who had been turned down when previously inquiring about Laureano — were able to pry him away with minor-league starter Brandon Bailey.
Laureano realized he might have a better shot to make the big leagues with Oakland at some point than he would with the defending champion Astros, who are stacked with young outfielders. He was especially happy to learn his new team had placed him on the 40-man roster.
“It gave me a little vote of confidence,” Laureano said this week on The Chronicle’s A’s Plus podcast. “They set the bar pretty high on me, that’s what I think.”
After his rough 2017, Laureano adjusted his batting stance during the offseason and dedicated himself to making his approach the same in every at-bat.
“I had to change my game a little bit,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did, and it’s paying off so far — but it doesn’t pay off until that ring comes.”
Other A’s outfielders — especially Matt Joyce, who has turned into Laureano’s main mentor — befriended him and helped him as soon as he arrived at spring camp. “I have a bunch of guys, but the guy in particular is Matt Joyce, in every aspect,” Laureano said. “Hitting, defense, attitude in the clubhouse, how I should be. Don’t get too ahead of myself, just keep myself level.”
Laureano also spends a lot of time watching the other team’s top outfielders, trying to pick up anything possible. “I admire a bunch of center fielders, watching how they go about tracking balls, how they use the wall,” Laureano said, mentioning Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays and Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. “I literally learn from everybody. I heard an interview with Mike Trout about taking better reads, getting better reads, better position pre-pitch and I took that, too.”
A broken pinkie ended Laureano’s spring early, and he didn’t play until mid-May. He was not disappointed — his struggles last season taught Laureano to take a little bit more of a Zen approach. “Something I learned last year was don’t question life, just accept everything how it is,” Laureano said.
He hit .297 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs in 45 games at Triple-A Nashville, and Beane said, “If he hadn’t missed six weeks, he might have 30 home runs combined, and he was the best outfielder at Triple-A across the board.”
Laureano has done nothing but impress in his two months with the A’s. He’s batting .344 with runners in scoring position and his eight assists lead all major-league rookie outfielders. His on-the-fly throw at Anaheim on Aug. 11, when he made a terrific catch running toward the wall in left-center, then turned and doubled Eric Young Jr. off first base — a stupendous play — gets mentioned among the greatest throws ever.
He has been even better lately, as Oakland rolls down the stretch into the postseason, with 10 hits in his past 28 atbats.
Job assured. But that’s not how Laureano looks at it.
“I try to take it a day at a time, but nothing is secure in this game, that’s how I approach it,” he said. “I have to keep deserving, earn the job, earn everything again.”