MLB news roundup
Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!
The A’s were off yesterday, but emerging bullpen aces Mason Miller and Lucas Erceg continue to draw rave reviews from members of the baseball intelligentsia.
Susan Slusser at the San Francisco Chronicle delved into Erceg’s many challenges through the years and the obstacles he has overcome to get where he is now. It’s a fantastic read.
Miller has walked an unusual road to becoming the lights out closer he is today. A big turning point for him was a false positive drug test during his college years that led to the discovery he has type 1 diabetes. Now Dan Gartland at SI.com has proclaimed Miller to be MLB’s most fearsome reliever, and he cites some stellar peripherals to make his case.
Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors also raves about the Miller-Erceg bullpen tandem, while saying they are “totally wasted on the A’s right now, despite them playing better than expected.” Dierkes lost me there, in part because I don’t appreciate the quoted comment, but also because Dierke’s piece is the first paywalled article I’ve encountered on MLBTR.
Of course, the A’s have also shown signs of improvement at the plate lately, led by the surging bat of Tyler Nevin. Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group wrote a piece about Nevin that ran in The Mercury News, recalling how the Rockies’ second round pick from 2015 ended up in Oakland and is finally playing up to his pedigree.
The A’s are playing the Marlins at the Coliseum this weekend, but unfortunately both Jesús Luzardo and A.J. Puk are recovering from injuries, so we won’t see them pitching again at Rickey Henderson Field this series.
Have a wonderful weekend, AN.
A’s Coverage:
- MLB Draft: Braden Montgomery goes to A’s in MLB Pipeline mock
- A’s stellar set-up man Lucas Erceg enjoying a sensational second act ($)
- Versatile Oakland A’s waiver claim is showing that bloodlines matter
- Tim Dierkes’ MLB Mailbag: Mason Miller, Vlad Jr., Orioles, White Sox, Marlins, And More ($)
- FORMER A’S CATCHER BRUCE MAXWELL OPENS UP ON THE OAKLAND A’S BETRAYAL
- SI:AM | Mason Miller Is MLB’s Most Fearsome Reliever
MLB News & Interest:
- Mr. Angel? Mike Trout’s chance of ever escaping the franchise now seems even less likely ($)
- Dodgers To Reinstate Walker Buehler On Monday
- Julio Urias Pleads No Contest To Domestic Battery Charge
- Explaining perfect games and other baseball rarities through poker odds (and vice versa) ($)
- For now, MLB’s streaming plans hinge on Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy case ($)
- The evolution of Sonny Gray’s many sliders: ‘More velo, less movement’ ($)
- Willy Adames Is Putting 2023 Behind Him
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Brooms out in Triple-A, too!
Las Vegas completed a doubleheader sweep over Reno on Wednesday. Armando Alvarez, Hoy Park, Carlos Perez, Yohel Pozo & Logan Davidson had a pair of hits apiece in the twinbill.
— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) May 2, 2024
Canha was quite the HBP magnet.
#OTD in 2021, Mark Canha surpassed Sal Bando for the most HBP’s in Oakland A’s history with his 60th hit by pitch. He honored the legendary achievement with a tip of the cap to the Coliseum crowd. #Athletics pic.twitter.com/zvBmQRIlhW
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) May 2, 2024