Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter. |
|
|
SACRAMENTO -- The Athletics do not place much stock in Spring Training results. So when Joey Estes turned in a 7.56 ERA in five Cactus League outings, they felt plenty comfortable including him in their starting rotation to begin the 2025 campaign. Two turns through the rotation, those spring struggles seemingly carried into the regular season, leading the A’s to make a change. Before their series opener against the Padres at Sutter Health Park on Monday, the A’s optioned Estes to Triple-A Las Vegas. In his two regular-season starts, Estes had a 15.43 ERA and allowed four home runs in seven innings. “You don’t like to evaluate Spring Training, but there were some things in Spring Training we looked at as something that may become an issue or may be an issue,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “In the regular season, sometimes things turn around and are different. But for Joey, those last two outings, I think the [velocity] was down a little bit from last season and the sharpness of the secondary stuff wasn’t effective.” Estes was coming off a 2024 in which he made 24 starts. Although the body of work was up and down, outings like his ‘Maddux’ against the Angels on July 3 at the Coliseum showed what type of brilliance he is capable of. But in his two starts against the Cubs and Rockies this season, Estes’ average fastball velocity was 90.7 mph, nearly two mph down from his 2024 average of 92.4. Estes maintained that he felt fine from a physical standpoint, and the A’s had no concerns about the 23-year-old right-hander on the health front. Between the decrease in velocity and a continued inability to put hitters away with two strikes -- an issue the A’s identified early in spring as they worked with him to develop his changeup as a putaway pitch -- the club felt it was best for him to sort out his scuffles in the Minors. “My message for Joey was that this is kind of a reset,” Kotsay said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in the kid. That was another reason why we wanted to start out with him in the rotation. He’s a competitor. I know he’s going to go down and work on the things he needs to do to get back here.” In a corresponding move, the A’s transferred left-hander Brady Basso to the 60-day injured list and selected left-hander Jason Alexander from Triple-A to provide long relief. |
|
|
The A’s are still discussing how to fill the new vacancy in their rotation. Here are some candidates: Mitch Spence
The battle for the final rotation spot this spring came down to Estes and Spence. Part of the reason for Spence, who finished last season in the A’s rotation, starting out in the bullpen this year was his success as a swingman in 2024. He posted a 4.58 ERA in 35 games (24 starts) with 126 strikeouts over 151 1/3 innings. Spence, who pitched in relief on Sunday and struck out seven batters in 4 1/3 innings, would be ready to go for what would have been Estes’ next turn in the rotation on Saturday against the Mets. There is, however, some value in keeping him in his role as a multi-inning reliever. “We haven’t made that decision yet,” Kotsay said. “His workload yesterday getting into the 56-pitch count would give us that option. We’re going to keep our options open at this point. With the day off, we can do a lot of different things going forward.” |
|
|
J.T. Ginn
A dark-horse rotation candidate in spring, Ginn got off to a rough start in camp, which essentially ended his chances early on. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the A’s No. 13 prospect, he has put himself back on the radar. Through two starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, the righty has allowed two runs in 11 innings while racking up 19 strikeouts and just two walks. Gunnar Hoglund
Rated the A’s No. 15 prospect, Hoglund opened some eyes this spring. He put himself back on the prospect radar with a strong 2024 campaign by combining for a 3.44 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) with 119 strikeouts and 37 walks over 130 2/3 innings at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas. The righty then left a strong impression in big league camp by showing off a fastball that touched 97 mph and sat 95-96. Hoglund holds a 3.60 ERA in two starts for Las Vegas, with eight strikeouts in 10 innings. |
|
|
Player bobbleheads
The A’s are giving away three bobbleheads throughout the course of the season to celebrate the exciting talent on the field in 2025. On Sunday, June 8, fans will receive a Home Run Counter Bobblehead of 2024 Silver Slugger Award-winner Brent Rooker. Two weeks later, on Sunday, June 22, fans will receive a Mason Miller bobblehead in honor of the flamethrowing closer’s All-Star 2024 campaign. Finally, a Lawrence Butler bobblehead will be given away Thursday, July 10, which also happens to be Butler’s 25th birthday. Wearables
There are a plethora of wearable giveaway items, including an A’s basketball jersey on April 26, a straw hat on May 6, a cooler bag on May 22, an A’s backpack just in time for the back-to-school rush on Aug. 3, a hat on Aug. 26, a T-shirt on Sept. 14 and a crewneck sweatshirt on Sept. 26. Fireworks
The 2025 home schedule will feature four super-sized fireworks shows. Following the games on June 7 vs. the Orioles, July 4 vs. the Giants, Aug. 16 vs. the Angels and Sept. 27 vs. the Royals, fans will be treated to a fireworks display they won’t want to miss. Heritage nights
The A’s will bring back heritage nights for the 2025 season, beginning with AAPI Heritage Night on May 20. African American Heritage Night will be held on June 19 to honor Juneteenth, and Sept. 23 will mark Hispanic Heritage Night. |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to Athletics Beat, visit this page and mark "Athletics Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Athletics or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
