The Oakland Athletics are 3-14, the worst team in MLB per win-loss record.
Their roster is in shambles, their stadium is not suitable for MLB standards, fans don’t go to the stadiums, and the ownership does not want to invest in improvements.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have any interesting players.
Esteury Ruiz has four steals and a .321 batting average, Brent Rooker has four home runs, and young catching prospect Shea Langeliers has three.
Most of the exciting pieces they have are position players, though.
A’s pitchers have a collective 7.74 ERA, which is horrible.
Few pitchers on the roster have been decent: most of them have been decidedly bad.
The front office has decided to make a move, a somewhat unexpected one: they are calling up pitching prospect Mason Miller, according to Matt Kawahara of The San Francisco Chronicle.
“The A’s are planning to promote pitching prospect Mason Miller to their major-league roster, The Chronicle has learned. It sounds like Miller is scheduled to join the team today and could start tomorrow against the Cubs,” Kawahara tweeted.
The A’s are planning to promote pitching prospect Mason Miller to their major-league roster, The Chronicle has learned. It sounds like Miller is scheduled to join the team today and could start tomorrow against the Cubs.
—Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) April 18, 2023
The author of some big numbers in the minors and the owner of the stuff to back them up, Miller is one of the most exciting future pieces for the A’s.
He is, quite likely, their best healthy pitcher at the moment even if he hasn’t thrown a pitch in the majors.
He has a 2.08 ERA, a 0.23 WHIP, and 19/2 K/BB ratio across 8.2 innings (two starts) in 2023 between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old was limited by injuries last year but still flashed a fastball that can reach 100 mph.
Hopefully he has a long stay in Oakland and is not traded within the next three or four years when he is an established star.
NEXT:
Graphic Shows How Great The A’s Could Be
