The morning was good enough: I was able to sit down with catcher Shea Langeliers, OFer Henry Bolte, and pitching coach Scott Emerson for interviews I will post in the coming days. There is also a chance I might be able to catch up with Jacob Lopez and/or Denzel Clarke on Monday.
Then came the afternoon as the A’s managed 15 of the game’s 17 hits, 12 of its 13 runs, and scored in 6 of the 8 innings in which they batted. Langeliers has batted 3 times since our interview and he has yet to hit anything but a HR. I take only partial credit.
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But perhaps more encouraging was some of the individual contributions. Here’s what the Eyeball Scout saw…
Jacob Lopez
Lopez got ahead 0-2 to the game’s first batter and then walked him. But then he found his mojo and for 4 hitless innings he was every bit the Jacob Lopez we saw last season. His breaking pitches were moving a ton and his fastball, sitting mostly at 90-91 MPH, got the usual high number of swings and misses. A healthy Lopez makes the A’s rotation so much better and based on today he appears to be just fine.
Leo De Vries
I get it: the hyperbole and optimism gets old. He is a talented young man and not some Norse god. But De Vries had 2 at bats today and both were impressive — and led to a 2-2 day with 2 RBI. His first PA he spit on a tough 2-2 off speed pitch just barely below the knees (it was so close I thought the Royals might challenge it) and then muscled a single into CF. His second PA showed amazingly quick wrists as he rifled a ball into the LF corner for a 2-run double.
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Yes it’s only spring training, but it’s also a fact that De Vries is now batting .400/.442/.625 and the quality of the at bats is hard to ignore. At SS he made a slick play on a ball he had to charge and throw across his body; he also missed a throw trying to make a swipe tag on a stolen base. The latter was the classic “try to do too much” that reminds you that we are in fact watching a teenager, while the former suggests a true SS.
Tommy White
Yes he’s hitting the cover off the ball and had a nice opposite field poke through the hole among 2 RBI hits today. But what made an impression to the Eyeball Scout today came in the field with White at 3B. A ground ball was slapped near the bag at 3B with White off the line. He came over and in and in a “do or die” attempt he made a slick pickup off a tough second hop and then fired a strike across his body to 1B to get the out.
The questions around White have always been primarily whether he can stick at 3B. Well for at least one play he sure made me rethink my skepticism.
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Colby Thomas
Thomas is another player who has raised my eyebrows as to whether he is “a keeper”. For all his flaws, and they are very much there, one thing that is evident is that he can really mash LHP. Today’s hit, off a lefty, was just scorched to LF, hit fairly close to the SS but by him in a blur. I believe the exact exit velocity was “Fosse wow”.
Wander Suero
I’ve seen Suero twice now, once on TV and once in person today. I don’t know that he’s any great reliever but I have to say I kind of like his stuff and think he could be in play for a meaningful call up during the season. His velocity isn’t anything special — today he was throwing mostly 90-91 MPH — but like Lopez his fastball seems to play up.
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Perhaps his “Luis Tiant-lite” delivery and slight short-arm action helps to create deception. He also gets a fair bit of late movement on his pitches, some cutting away late. In these regards he reminds me a lot of Justin Sterner. Whether that’s a compliment or an insult is up to you, that’s just who comes to mind.
Other notes…Scott Barlow had an effective appearance (1.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB, 4 K) but was throwing only 88-89 MPH and leaned heavily on his slider. He also threw 33 pitches and only 18 strikes. Cade Marlowe had a “grind it out” PA for a walk and roped a double into the RF corner and carries a .333 BA forward as he tries to penetrate the OF depth chart.
Lots to like today, and frankly not much to worry about. The A’s started the Cactus League slow at the plate and in the win column, but maybe they are peaking at the right time. We’ll see you from Goodyear on the morrow!
