A's Make Interesting Decision For Spring Opener Against Chicago White Sox
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The A's spring schedule kicks off today at 12:05 p.m. (PT), when the green and gold travel to Glendale, AZ to take on the Chicago White Sox. While this is the first of many spring games, and the roster is fairly set heading into these games, there are still a couple of battles to keep an eye on, and we'll get our first look at one of them in the opener.
On Friday, the A's announced that Jack Perkins would be getting the ball in the A's spring opener. According to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, he's expected to go one inning against Chicago, with Wei-En Lin and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang also expected to come out of the bullpen.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang was added to the A's 40-man roster this winter and this will be just his second appearance in a big-league spring game. He made one appearance last season, tossing two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, and earning a save.
Why this decision matters
The A's have three veterans in camp that will be making the starting rotation in Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, and Aaron Civale. The other two spots in the rotation are open (though there are favorites to land them) at the beginning of camp.
Perkins is one of the A's options in the rotation, where the team would like to like to slot him in and see him excel. At the same time, he could be a terrific relief pitcher, and the club could use some depth in the bullpen. Essentially, they're facing a similar decision to the one they had with Mason Miller a few years back.
Using Perkins in the first game gives him a look in the rotation to kick off camp, and will hopefully provide the A's with an answer to the question of whether or not he's right for the rotation before long. This will provide them with more time to get other guys reps and build them up as need, if needed.
Perkins made his big-league debut last season, initially coming out of the bullpen. He made eight relief appearances to begin his time with the A's, and held a 2.75 ERA in those outings, going 19 2/3 innings of work, striking out 19 and walking seven.
In his four starts in August he held a 5.68 ERA in 19 innings, walking 11 and striking out 18. The biggest difference between how he pitched in each role was how efficient he was on the mound. In three of those four starts he ended up walking three or more batters. It's going to be hard to carve out a role in the rotation if that keeps up.
What we're looking for from Perkins on Saturday
The simple answer to what we're expecting from Perkins on Saturday is that we're looking for him to get through this outing healthy, because that is the most important thing for everyone in camp. If he's healthy, they can figure out how to use him later.
In terms of performance, we're looking for him to be efficient. Can he get through that one inning on perhaps 12 or fewer pitches? That would certainly be impressive.
At the same time, this is his first outing of the spring, and the A's opening game, so it's hard to have super high expectations in this one. Regardless of the outcome, it's not going to make or break his spring, or his chances at making the rotation. It could provide some information as to how this will play out, but he'll have more opportunities after this one to show what he has.
Of course, if he goes out and throws nine pitches, striking out the side, just put him in the rotation now.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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