Yankees have a whole lot to do with fueling Laureano’s affection for game
OAKLAND >> Ramon Laureano’s love for baseball didn’t start outside on the diamond. There were no childhood indications that his laser arm could be unearthed, his killer competitive instinct didn’t necessarily manifest from innocuous
childhood games with teammates or friends.
Laureano’s love of baseball blossomed during hot summer nights in Santo Domingo. In front of the television with his family, a 7-year-old Laureano would fixate on the day’s Yankees game.
As frustrating as the media bias for the classic rivalry is stateside, the Yankees vs. Red Sox clash fed his competitive spirit. It was the only baseball Laureano could watch, but it was all he needed.
“The network was the only channel I could watch, and that’s the Yankees channel,” Laureano said. “It became a religion to me.”
A young Laureano ascribed to the church of the early-2000s Yankees, the 2004 team in particular: Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton of the bench.
And, of course, Mike
Mussina and Mariano Rivera.
“Ah yeah, and that pitching staff,” Laureano said. “But I would just pay attention to the hitters.”
Jeter, of course, spoke to a young Laureano the most. Not just because of the name — he noticed the little things that made him a great teammate, a winner.
“I think the way he played, on and off, he was always one of the best on the team,” Laureano said. “He’d bunt, no outs man on first. He creates scoring position for the other guys. He would have got him in, with a man on second he would get him in anyways. He did that because he’s a winner.
“He was the most important guy in the lineup, just the way he handled himself.”
Laureano was 15 — a year after the Yankees won the 2009 World Series — when he left the Dominican Republic to finish high school in New York City. He’d take trips to the Bronx to finally watch his favorite team up close, but by then he’d already begun his path to join the same players worshipped from thousands of miles away on a tiny television screen.
Now, with the 83-win Yankees in Oakland, Laureano just began running again — the next step in his recovery from a shin stress reaction. Laureano believes he and his sniper arm could be back roaming center field for the A’s at the ballpark he grew up watching every summer on that television screen in Santo Domingo, a field he has yet to take as a big leaguer.
Of course, the team is not sure of Laureano’s timeline for return — the Yankee Stadium light at the end of this tunnel. Laureano was on a tear that had him batting. 392 with eight home runs and a 1.281 OPS in the month of July up until the shin that had been bugging him since the A’s trip to Tokyo worsened. But, it’s within the realm of possibility.
• A.J. Puk, the A’s No. 2 prospect, arrived in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon in time for a crucial series against the Yankees at home. Puk provides elite velocity and stuff as a lefthander to be used in the later innings, and manager Bob Melvin said he wouldn’t be afraid to pluck Puk into a high-leverage situation out of the gate.
He could also be used for one-plus innings, Melvin said, but probably can’t go back-to-back.
“It’s a great time to have such a high profile guy in our organization here,” Melvin said.
Puk has a high-90s fastball with a low-90s slider and a curveball, but stopped throwing his changeup in game situations, saying it wasn’t “game ready.” But that selection will certainly play at the big league level.
• The A’s released pitcher Marco Estrada on Tuesday afternoon. Melvin said he just couldn’t get physically up to standard to start games on a consistent basis.
“After every start he just really struggled, and unfortunately that was the case. I tried to stay away from him as much as I could, because I knew it was going to be a stretch to be able to get him stretched out to start again,” Melvin said. “He’s not a reliever, and he had issues from late April on, so unfortunately with the position we’re in, we need roster spots.”
Estrada signed with the A’s in the offseason to a one year, $4 million contract.