NO A’S PITCHING STAFF SINCE ‘THE BIG THREE’ HAS GARNERED SO MUCH HYPE.
People have been touting the potential of this young A’s staff for years. Now with health seemingly on their side, can the likes of Luzardo, Puk, Montas and Manaea (with a little wisdom and craftiness from Fiers) get this team over the top?
Jesús Luzardo was just a toddler when the Big Three — Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson — tore onto the big league scene 20 years ago. That moniker elicits visions of the Miami Heat’s Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for the Parkland, Fla., native.
Oakland’s trio of arms that rose to fame two decades earlier exists mostly as a piece of trivia. But, for A’s fans, the Big Three remains the bar by which pitching greatness is measured.
The summers of 1999 and 2000 saw three homegrown wunderkinds rise quickly to transform a hapless Oakland A’s franchise toiling around 100 losses into a bona fide postseason powerhouse.
The hardware piled up quickly between Mulder, the tall and athletic power lefty, Zito, the laid back California kid with a stunning curveball, and Hudson, the bullish righty with a sweet splitter and southern swagger.
Nine All-star appearances and three league-leading win totals. One Cy Young Award, two Cy Young runner-ups and four appearances on MVP finalist lists. Not too shabby.
Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea — anchored by veteran Mike Fiers — will enter the 2020 season with more hype than any Oakland pitching staff since the Zito-hudson-mulder days. Only this time, there isn’t a team in need of rescue.
The A’s are coming off backto-back 97-win seasons without this core of talented arms. Each pitchers’ journey took a bit longer than hoped, but they have finally arrived and the timing couldn’t be more opportune.
“It’s a high bar to get over,” A’s executive VP Billy Beane, who ushered in the Big Three era, said during a conversation in Mesa, Ariz. “I still remember, and never forget. When you have a guy like Tim Hudson come up and go 11-1 right away, and Zito strike out the middle of the Anaheim Angels order in his debut … they immediately become some of the best pitchers in the league.
“Now we have guys here who are incredibly talented and have a chance to be very good major league pitchers.”
As for their ceiling, Beane knows better than to speculate: “I’ll stay away from the comparisons and superlatives.”
But for an A’s fan base that hasn’t seen its team win a playoff series in 14 years, it’s fun to dream about a staff that could be the difference-maker.
Jesús Luzardo ‘ALL THE INGREDIENTS ARE THERE’
The A’s have luck to thank for the 22-year-old left-hander who landed in their lap at the 2017 trade deadline. The first-place Washington Nationals were desperate to patch up a weak bullpen. Oakland had two backend relievers — Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson — to leverage.
“The timing, we got lucky,” Beane said. “(Nationals GM) Mike Rizzo is no dummy.”
The A’s had been eyeing Luzardo since his prep days at Stoneman-douglas High. Beane and the A’s brass offered up Madson, but giving up Doolittle ultimately brought Luzardo — then a teenager rehabbing from Tommy John surgery — into the package.
Luzardo’s ceiling is sky high. An electric arm is only amplified by rare confidence put on display in his big league debut and ensuing relief appearances following his September call-up last season.
“He’s mature enough to know
how to handle the game,” pitching coach Scott Emerson said. “You look at the best pitchers in the league, they’re going to get right off the horse and run themselves into some good games and good streaks.”
One question about Luzardo is his durability since he stands just 6-foot-1. Like Hudson, he doesn’t have the classic pitcher’s build. But, like Hudson, the A’s are high on Luzardo’s on-field qualities. He has a strong lower half and the athleticism Beane and scouts adored in Hudson.
Luzardo’s talent goes beyond his five-pitch repertoire. Luzardo mixes up his timing and executes dizzying movement on his fastball and sinker — movement that’s only magnified by a hybrid curveball/slider and then capped off with the all-important changeup.
“He has off-the-charts stuff,” Emerson said.
“He’s aggressive, likes to attack hitters,” Puk said.
Luzardo traversed an unfamiliar routine when he came out of the bullpen last year, but he is expected to contribute as a starter — his natural fit.
But all those injuries that piled up since he was a teenager — Tommy John surgery at age 19, a prolonged shoulder injury at age 21 — will force the A’s to monitor closely not just his workload in 2020, but his long-term abilities beyond.
Scouts say that Luzardo has clear-cut ace stuff, but question whether his size and injury history will allow him to reach his full potential.
“You can see all the things you see in great pitchers, he has all the ingredients there,” Emerson said. “It’s just about going out in games and doing it.”
A.J. Puk IS HE THE LONG-TERM ACE OF THIS STAFF?
“This guy’s not going to get to us? What are you wasting your trip for?”
Beane had to poke fun at general manager David Forst. A cross-country trip to the University of Florida to scout a 6-foot-7, left-handed flame thrower seemed a futile task for a team armed with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft.
That May, Puk somehow trickled right into the A’s hands. He’d enter the organization a little unpolished, but skyrocketed through the system despite a major Tommy John surgery setback in 2018.
Luzardo was hanging out by the pool at the A’s minor league hotel when he met Puk, who had found out that day he’d be going under the knife. Luzardo offered guidance and Puk offered a spare room in his Arizona apartment. A fast friendship blossomed as the two high prospects bonded over the tediousness of recovery. But Luzardo saw a quiet competitor then.
“He was frustrated at the time.
I tried to take his mind off that and not talk about baseball,” said Luzardo, who used episodes of “Rick and Morty” as a distraction.
Puk regained arm strength and hopped back on the fast track. A year after surgery he was promoted to Triple-a Las Vegas. That August he was making his major league debut against the Yankees out of the bullpen.
Baseball’s first peeks at Puk don’t tell his whole story. Sure, he flashed a near 100-mph fastball with a near 90-mph slider. But the change of scenery and role seemed to mess with his control. Out of the bullpen and rehabbing, Puk couldn’t use his changeup. Struggles with command that lingered from his pre-injury stuff follow him.
Those concerns extend beyond the A’s clubhouse. Scouts wonder if he can meet his full potential and become a true every-fifth-day starter. If he can, Puk could end up being the long-term ace of the staff.
Emerson knew from Puk’s first bullpen with the A’s back in 2016 that he’d have a special career. He saw heat and a plus breaking ball out of the gate.
“The ultimate thing I always talk about in hitting is timing and pitching is disruption of timing,” Emerson said. “Now he has that fastball/changeup mechanism that he can really disrupt hitters’ timing with, which will make his breaking ball appear better.”
Frankie Montas SHADES OF DAVE STEWART WITH THAT SPLITTER
Beane doesn’t put much stock in spring training performances. He had enough “good spring trainings” in his baseball career to know how they might track in the regular season.
It’s no surprise, then, that Beane puts even less stock in the first bullpen sessions of spring. So when Emerson came running to Beane’s office last February with a new report, Beane scoffed.
“I’m telling you, Montas has turned a corner,” Emerson told Beane, who rolled his eyes. “How
many times have I heard that?”
A few Montas starts into the regular season had Beane wishing he could retract the eyeroll.
Through the first 15 starts last season, Montas was one of the game’s most dominant starters. He had a 2.70 ERA, 103 strikeouts and a legitimate case to represent the A’s on the American League All-star team. A complete turnaround from the 7.03 ERA and 3.88 ERA he compiled in 2017 and 2018, respectively
The gap between 3.88 and 2.70 came down to Montas experimenting with and mastering a splitter during the offseason. He swapped that split finger for a changeup that “was not very good” and saw an influx of swings and misses.
“A little bit like Dave Stewart,” Beane said. “Not that Montas is a journeyman, but with the split it all clicked. If he can duplicate what Dave did for us that’d be great.”
“I haven’t in one year seen one guy make that big of a transformation,” Beane added. “And I will no longer discount the first week of bullpens.”
Montas’ breakout campaign came to a screeching halt after a one-run, eight-inning win against the Tampa Bay Rays in late June. The next morning, Montas was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a banned substance.
“I thought we were done because we’re so thin in pitching and he had been such a shot in the arm at the beginning of the year,” Beane said.
Scouts wonder if he can be the Montas of 2019 after getting popped. But Montas settled into the Arizona desert and kept up his Oakland routine — like he never left. After his suspension, he made one last start in Anaheim. He pitched a seamless six innings.
But, Montas only had 16 games last season to prove not only that he’d turned a corner, but that he could keep walking. The hyper-focused microscope on Montas, post-ped, might prove unnerving. It might also apply just the right amount of pressure for him to keep thriving.
“I think if we can get the same Frankie Montas, he’s proven he can do it,” Emerson said.
Sean Manaea COMPLEXITY IS THE NAME OF HIS GAME
There’s a lot more to Sean Manaea than meets the eye. He comes off a bit silly and laid back. He’ll bleach his hair then dye it a little more yellow/green in the name of team spirit, but admit that he’s turned his mane “puke” color. He’ll get matching Spongebob Squarepants tattoos with his brother. He’ll dance, he’ll make faces — whatever it takes to loosen tension in this A’s clubhouse.
During some spring drills, Manaea made an athletic catch off a comebacker and quasi-jokingly proclaimed this would be the year he’d win a Gold Glove. He’ll say he wants to win a Cy Young. The tone is pure Manaea, but his teammates know his intent is deadly serious.
“It comes off ‘ha ha,’ but in the back of his mind he wants to win a Gold Glove and a Cy Young,” Luzardo said. “And that’s the kind of goals you need to set for yourself. And I think he can do it.”
Manaea’s competitiveness may be subdued, but it has yielded some results. The left-hander started the 2018 season by tallying the 11th no-hitter in A’s history. He accrued a 1.21 ERA after shoulder surgery recovery last season and earned himself a start in the AL Wild Card Game.
His competitiveness showed after it became a wild-card meltdown against the Rays, taking full responsibility for the loss despite there being blame to share.
“Manaea is the ultimate competitor,” Emerson said.
To get to the next level, Manaea wants to master his slider to go along with a low-90s fastball and changeup. Legendary lefty Randy
Johnson stopped by A’s camp and handed down some tips to help Manaea get his slider in the Johnson sweet spot.
Manaea’s strength is rooted in a concept that Emerson calls “tree branching” — or, more commonly known these days as “tunneling.” His funky delivery creates unique deception that makes a dropping slider and elevated fastball generate swings and misses.
Tree branching renders velocity almost unnecessary. But confidence is key, and Manaea is most confident when he’s hitting his heat.
“Who knows when we’ll see that come back,” Emerson said. “He’s proven you don’t need velocity to be a successful major leaguer.”
So, who is Manaea? He’s flashed ace flair, veteran competitiveness and swing-and-miss stuff. In other words, it’s a complex question.
“He’s not just that young, talented left-hander anymore,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s had to make some changes along the way because of the injury — do things a bit differently. But he’s excited about a full year, as are we.”
Even if he overflows with sarcasm, Manaea pines for advancement. He left for surgery an ace with a no-hitter, and then had to waste precious time on recovery. This team hopes his re-emergence will be a loud one.
Mike Fiers SOMEONE FOR THE KIDS TO LOOK UP TO
Fiers decided to speak up and help expose baseball’s biggest scandal since the Black Sox of 1919. In the comforts of the clubhouse confines, Fiers has done his best to keep a low profile and focus on the game itself — his teammates and the baseball world largely praising him for cleaning up the game.
Fiers’ role as a rotational anchor has shifted. Last year’s 34-year-old ace will be counted upon for his tutoring as much as his pitching.
“Feels good to have kids with this type of stuff, top prospects, look up to a righty throwing 88 mph,” Fiers laughed. “It is kind of cool.”
The veteran has taken to organizing rotation meetings to impart both a sense of brotherhood and healthy doses of reality.
“He’s been pitching forever,” Puk said. “So I try to pick up some of the things to incorporate into my career.”
Some of that could be termed craftiness.
“Mike doesn’t independently have the greatest attributes: the best fastball, the best breaking ball or whatever,” Emerson said. “But Mike Fiers has unpredictability, which makes his pitches all the much better.”
Fiers is the journeyman on this staff. The A’s are his fourth big league team, and through his journey Fiers has pocketed two no-hitters, won a World Series, been non-tendered by the Astros and traded. He’s had strong seasons with the A’s, yet missed out on back-to-back wild-card nods.
He’ll enter his 10th year in the majors a stylistic outlier. Minds outside the A’s confines wonder if his 88 mph fastball can be effective in a climate where velocity is king.
But Fiers’ importance to this potentially breakout staff will be measured far beyond the analytics.