A’s: A look at the club’s three biggest concerns.
MESA, ARIZ. >> Personnelwise, the A’s don’t seem to have many concerns. Weeks before pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa for spring training, overall talent looked to be a concern.
The A’s were losing star after star and filling the void with nothing in response. A flurry of trades that brought an influx of much-needed cash allowed the A’s front office to replenish the roster with some key pieces and pitching depth. Right now, the 2021 team looks better than the 2020 team.
But concerns remain, mostly with key players’ overall health. Here’s a look at the biggest concerns this spring.
Murphy’s timeline
Sean Murphy was the biggest missing man when pitchers and catchers reported to camp weeks ago. Manager Bob Melvin dropped the most unexpected bomb — Murphy suffered a collapsed lung and had surgery weeks before he was expected in Mesa. Murphy said he was scared once he realized he’d have to get two surgeries, but assured coaches a collapsed lung was worse than it sounded.
Once cleared, Murphy drove from his home in Dayton, Ohio, to Mesa. He just started baseball activities a week ago, and this week he’s hitting off a tee, doing soft and long toss and catching some bullpens.
“He’s moving along nicely,” Melvin said on Sunday.
Murphy is coming off a stellar rookie campaign despite the shortened season, but his delayed progress in camp magnifies the importance of the backup catcher, particularly early in the regular season if and when the A’s need to be cautious with Murphy’s playing time.
Before Murphy’s health scare, the A’s ensured they got a promising backup in Aramís Garcia in the Rangers trade. The 28-year-old is an under-the-radar, good pitch framer who has hit the ball hard this spring, collecting a handful of hits.
But any games without Murphy is a loss. In 63 games as a big leaguer over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Murphy put together rookie of the year-caliber numbers: An .846 OPS, 11 home runs and one of the game’s best
hard-hit rates (92.2 mph exit velocity and 49.4 hard hit rate in 2020). He also had a 17% walk rate, which ranked in the 97th percentile in MLB. He also made strides as one of the game’s premier defensive catchers, both in pitch framing and athleticism.
He’s making progress now, and caution is of the utmost importance, but any delay to get him back on the field for games that matter is a concern.
How does the rotation shape up?
This isn’t a huge concern, but more of a puzzle. Frankie Montas, who missed the first week of camp with COVID, threw a bullpen on Saturday. His next outing will be a simulated game; Melvin wasn’t sure on which day. A.J. Puk threw an inning on Friday and will throw another simulated game today. He’s being built up as a starter.
Let’s look at the big picture. Pitching coach Scott Emerson has said there’s no
qualitative evidence proving the A’s, or any team, should limit starters’ innings due to limitations on the 60-game shortened season in 2020. All their guys were pitching during the pandemic, he said, and there’s been no reason to treat this 162-game season different than any normal year. That said, starters are being slow-rolled into Cactus League play. Chris Bassitt will be the first starter out on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and we should see a regular turn from there.
What’s unclear is how Puk and Montas’ timelines intertwine with those of Jesús Luzardo, Sean Manaea, Mike Fiers and Bassitt as the regular season approaches and how that will impact the starting rotation once the season begins. The A’s have six viable starters, but Emerson has said he doesn’t expect the team to use a sixman rotation. With more clarity on how Montas and
Puk feel and look as they ramp up, the clearer the opening day rotation will look.
Tom and Lowrie’s roles?
Jed Lowrie and Ka’ai Tom are dealing with a few hurdles through the first weeks of camp, still looking to earn spots on the active roster for this season. Lowrie ran the bases Sunday, and everything went well. He should be in the lineup by Tuesday.
Tom hasn’t seen any game action as he deals with an oblique injury, but his future on this team is on precarious ground as a Rule 5 draftee. But he has an intriguing bat that could supplement the team from the left side of the plate. Melvin said he hopes to see a few weeks of play from him, but obliques are a tricky injury from which to recover.
“He’s getting there, still no target date for him as far as being in a game,” Melvin said. “He feels great. Oblique injuries can be tough. We don’t want that to reestablish itself. We’re only six games in or whatever in spring training, I’d like to think hopefully he’ll get a half camp in, as far as games go.”