Of the A’s returning starters, only Springs and Severino reached 100 MLB innings last season. Jacob Lopez led the way with 92 2/3 frames across 21 appearances (17 starts). He was followed in MLB workload by JT Ginn, Luis Morales, Gunnar Hoglund, Mason Barnett And Jack Perkins. Morales and Lopez had the most success and entered camp as the presumptive favorites.
The 23-year-old Morales averaged 3.14 over his first 48 2/3 MLB frames. His 21.6% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate weren’t all that impressive, and his flyball profile led to some home run issues. The underlying numbers suggest he’s a regression candidate, but he could certainly offset that by missing more bats in his first full season. Morales has an average fastball of 97 mph and a potential plus breaking ball.
Lopez is a lefty who will turn 28 during Spring Training. That suggests a lower ceiling than Morales possesses, but he arguably showed more in his rookie season. Lopez struck out 28.3% of opponents behind an above-average swinging strike rate of 11.8%. He finished the year with a 4.08 ERA, which was skewed by a nine-run beating he took in Seattle just before going on the injured list with a season-ending flexion strain. He averaged 3.28 in that outing.
It was a relatively small sample size and it’s easy to see potential downsides. Lopez is an extreme flyball pitcher who will spend the next two seasons in the most hitter-friendly home park outside of Colorado. An average fastball of 90-91 mph doesn’t give him much room for error. Home runs will likely be an issue, but Lopez has always missed more bats than his speed would indicate thanks to a quality slider and plus command. Gallegos writes that Lopez is slightly behind schedule due to a season-ending forearm issue, but should have time to log a full Spring Training workload.
Ginn probably has the best chance to push one of Morales or Lopez for a season-opening rotation spot. He fanned a quarter of opponents at an 8% walk rate while receiving ground balls more than half the time. Many of the fly balls he gave up cleared the fences. Sutter Health Park did Ginn no favors, as 12 of his 17 home runs allowed came home. He had an ERA of almost 7.00 in Sacramento, compared to a 3.14 ERA on the road. The cumulative result was 5.08 over 90 1/3 innings.
Barnett was called up late in the season. He was hit hard over five starts, posting an ERA of nearly 7.00 through 22 1/3 innings. He has shown some intriguing stuff, headlined by a mid-90s fastball and quality slider, but the leadership has been inconsistent throughout his minor league career. Hoglund is a former first-round pick whose prospect stock was down after Tommy John surgery. He seemed to put himself back on the map with a strong run of six starts in Triple-A, but Major League opponents fell short in his first six career appearances. He underwent season-ending hip surgery in June.
Perkins started four of 12 appearances after being called up in June. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in August. He was about 90 mph on the fastball and had excellent results with a breaking ball in the mid-80s. However, Perkins’ minor league numbers suggest he may be better suited in the bullpen. He has walked 11.3% of Triple-A opponents and has reached double figures in three straight seasons.
Luis Medina And Joey Estes have some MLB experience and have a 40-man roster. Medina is out of options and has missed rehab from Tommy John surgery all season. He will likely get a long breather to open the season, while Estes could be on the fringe of the 40-man roster. Medina is the only member of this group, aside from the three veterans, who cannot be optioned.
The top players in the organization are still in the minor leagues. Gage jumped And Jamie Arnold are two of the best pitchers in the sport. Jump has an outside chance to break camp after posting a 3.64 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents in 20 Double-A appearances. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but on each of them Braden Net, Hendrik Baez And Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang Are. They are solid prospects (particularly Nett and Baez) who have Double-A experience and could get some consideration to break camp if they really impress in Spring Training.
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