New season with new faces off to good start for the A’s
Following a disappointing year, the Oakland A’s are embarking on a new season with an abundance of new faces looking to introduce themselves within a new environment.
Having acquired 27 players in 10 trades over the past year, with a slew of free-agent signings added over the offseason, the A’s needed and sought a fresh start following a 60-102 season.
Many of those newcomers were on display in Oakland’s Cactus League opener Saturday afternoon during a 12-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jace Peterson, a 32-yearold free agent from Milwaukee, and 22-year-old rookie Lawrence Butler, two of those new faces, played key roles in a six-run fifth inning that broke the game open for Oakland. Peterson, whose debut included two walks, doubled in a run and scored one in the inning. Butler capped the inning with a two-run double.
In all, the A’s tallied 11 hits while drawing a whopping 10 walks.
“It was good just to be back out there and compete and get the spring rolling,” said Peterson, an infielder who signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract in the offseason. “It was a good first day and good stuff to build off of.
“Just ready to continue that to get to work and try to find a way each day to prepare and get better.”
Second-year A’s manager Mark Kotsay noted prior to the game that he didn’t have any serious expectations for his group in its first outing of the spring, only that the A’s focus on doing the small things right as they work into an everyday routine.
“The pitchers should be ahead of the hitters at this point,” Kotsay said. “Big emphasis is just being fundamentally sound. Watching guys go out and how they take their at-bats and how they perform defensively.”
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Saturday also marked the first time Oakland experienced the new rules being implemented into MLB this season, including the pitch clock. Both pitchers and position players alike agreed the more uptempo pace of play the pitch clock enables will be something to get used to.
A number of players were nearly caught off guard by it.
“The first at-bat I almost got caught up doing my routine and I looked up and (the pitch clock) was at 10 seconds,” Peterson said. “I had to kind of expedite that a little bit, but I think it will take an adjustment period for sure and I think as the spring games go you’ll see guys get a little more comfortable and on time with the clock.”
Added shortstop Nick Allen: “It’s fast paced, especially for the first game out you’re kind of going and going. I was big on trying to slow things down and take some good breaths. We all had the jitters out there and they’re good ones because you want them when you’re playing. It was good just being back out there and you can definitely see that it’s fast paced.”
While the adjustment didn’t appear to be much of a challenge for JP Sears, Oakland’s starting pitcher, he said at times he had to quicken his pace to avoid a timing violation, throwing him out of his rhythm.
“It was definitely a little bit of an up-beat pace out there,” Sears said. “There were times where I did feel a little rushed, but that’s just part of spring training, that’s why we have this time to get adjusted to it. I think the more and more the catchers can catch all the different pitchers that will be easier, too. That was (Manny Piña’s) first time catching me.
“It was an adjustment, but it should be good.”
Kotsay mentioned ahead of the Cactus League opener that the disengagement rule for pitchers, which limits their pickoff and step-off attempts to just two per batter, will be key for them to adjust to quickly in order to control opposing baserunners. Pitchers who violate the rule will be charged with a balk.
“I think the pitchers are going to be aware of the fact that they only have two disengagements,” Kotsay said. “Your hope is they can stay composed through those false-break movements and understand how to control the running game with your times to the plate.”