Blevins looks to re-establish role as lefty specialist
MESA, Ariz. – Jerry Blevins returns to the A’s a different pitcher, a veteran who is now well-traveled with plenty of experience. But that sense of humor he had his first time around remains intact, and it was on full display as he arrived at Hohokam Stadium for the first day of workouts.
“I don’t think I’ll get sick from mold in this one,” Blevins joked when talking about the differences from his first A’s stint, referring to the club’s older spring home of Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The left-hander managed to remain positive through a tough free agency long enough for a minor league deal to reunite with Oak-
land, where he spent the first seven seasons of his 11-year big league career. He didn’t want to get too deep into it, but Blevins has some thoughts on the unusual state of the free agent market, which still features stars like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado without teams as spring training gets underway.
“It was definitely different this time around for me than it was before on top of my performance last year,” Blevins said of his free agent experience. “It’s a rough go for pretty much everyone and there are some changes that need to be made because there are too many good players out there still looking for a job.”
Blevins, 35, struggled in 2018 with the Mets as his ERA ballooned to a career-worst 4.97 ERA. But still the holder of a solid 3.66 ERA over his career, Blevins hopes a return to Oakland, where he compiled a 3.30 ERA over 281 appearances from 2007-13, can get him back on track.
“I never really had a clear role last year. I started slow and got hot, got cold, just inconsistent and that’s out of character for me,” Blevins said. “I just want to get back to knowing what you get when you put me on the mound.”
Blevins should get every opportunity to re-prove himself to manager Bob Melvin as a reliable lefty specialist. Ryan Buchter is currently the only left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster, and while he is utilized often against right-handed batters as well as lefties, Blevins is more of a left-handed specialist. In 12 big league seasons, Blevins has held left-handers to a .216 batting average.
Like other free agents who joined the A’s this offseason, Blevins was drawn back to the A’s after watching them put together their surprising playoff run last season. Blevins was looking to go to a team that has a chance to compete for a World Series and a need for a lefty. The A’s fit the bill.
“It’s like your first love. You always keep an eye and check up on them. I always followed Oakland, plus I’ve had friends and teammates who passed through here,” Blevins said. “The organization for Oakland has always been kind of home for me.”