by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
A number of young players who are currently playing key roles for the A’s in 2018 may seem new to some folks, but we here at A’s Farm have known many of them for quite some time now.
We first interviewed slugging first baseman Matt Olson and versatile utility man Chad Pinder in Stockton back in 2014, when the two of them were sharing a two-bedroom home with three other Ports players.
We’ve caught up with both of them virtually every year since then. And now that they’ve made their big league debuts and are playng significant roles for the A’s, we took the opportunity to check back in with both of them again, this time from the A’s clubhouse during Oakland’s recent series with San Diego.
Taken by the A’s in the second round with their third overall pick in the 2013 draft, Pinder made his professional debut with Vermont that summer, and he made his major league debut with the A’s in August of 2016. But he came to stay in 2017, when he collected 15 home runs and 15 doubles in just 87 games for Oakland. The versatile Virginia native has proven to be a valuable utility man for the A’s this year. The 26-year-old has played all over fhe field, platooning in left field against left-handers while also serving as the A’s primary backup infielder this season.
AF: Well, you’ve been playing all over the field this year – left, right, center, second, short and even third base, which you hadn’t played since…
CP: Since Stockton.
AF: I know you spent some time there in college. But how was it playing over there for the first time in quite a while?
CP: It was good. It was fun. Obviously, there were a few plays I wish I had made. It’s always an adjustment…but I thought we held the fort down pretty good over there. Jed [Lowrie] did a great job over there. I don’t know what our record was when [Matt] Chapman was gone, but it was good. So, we held the fort down, which is what you want to do when someone’s down.
AF: Did you get a few screamers down the line at you that reminded you just how quick they can get on you down there at the hot corner?
CP: Oh, yeah. There were two or three that stood out to me that I went back and looked to see how hard they were hit, and they were 110-111 mph. They get on you quick!
AF: You probably hadn’t seen something coming at you that quick in quite a while.
CP: For sure.
AF: Are there any particular positions that you enjoy playing more?
CP: Not really. There are positions I’m more comfortable with…but I’m just glad to be in the lineup.
AF: Do you still feel more comfortable in the middle infield?
CP: Second base…but there’s no position where I’m like, “Oh crap, I’ve got to play there today!” But second base is probably the smoothest position for me.
AF: Well, they haven’t asked you to catch yet!
CP: No, they definitely haven’t!
AF: After being an everyday player in the minor leagues, now that you’re up here, you can never be quite certain when or where you’re going to be playing. So, how much of an adjustment has it been for you since having to take on that role?
CP: I mean, it’s an adjustment. But that’s my role, that’s my job, so you accept it. And you have to be ready every single day. You prepare like you’re playing every day, so when you are playing, it’s just part of the routine.
AF: I know when we spoke in spring training, you were working on being a little more patient and trying to get into better hitter’s counts. So, how do you feel you’ve been doing with that?
CP: The beginning of the season, I wasn’t doing a very good job at it. But recently I’ve made some adjustments physically that I feel are just helping me stay in the zone longer and cut down the strikeouts a little bit.
AF: Now that you’ve been in the big leagues for a little while, do you feel that pitchers are starting to approach you any differently?
CP: Yeah, I think there are some adjustments that have been made against me. Now I’m just trying to battle back against those.
AF: As far as your swing goes right now, are you tweaking anything or are you just trying to stick with things and keep things simple?
CP: I’m just trying to keep it simple. I’m not trying to add anything. If anything, I’m trying to take away and simplify things. Hitting’s hard enough.
AF: You’ve played with a lot of the guys on this team before in the minors, and now you’re starting to win together here. So, what do you feel the key to success has been for this team this year?
CP: I think we showed at the end of last year what we were capable of doing. You just kind of buy into that and then you just go out and play. You play hard and you play your game, and then you look up in the ninth inning after the game and you won a baseball game! Our main goal is to shake hands every day. That’s what we want to do – we want to win. We expect to win. Obviously, we’re in a really tough division – not to take anything away from the rest of the divisions – but we’re up against the Astros and their pitching staff, and the Mariners and the Angels and the Rangers as well. For how good our division is, we’re playing good baseball.
AF: You’ve got a lot of guys on this team who’ve come from a lot of different routes to end up here. Do you feel that this team has gelled?
CP: Oh, yeah. We’ve got a great group of guys here. We all get along. We’ve got a great clubhouse. It’s a good environment to play in.
AF: After spending about four years in the minors, what’s the best part of major league life for you?
CP: I mean, obviously, how you get treated. The fields you’re playing at. The travel is better. The food is better. Everything’s better!
AF: Are you making the most of your final few months with your long-time roommate Matt Olson before you get married in the offseason?
CP: Yeah, we are. It’s our final hurrah. I guess we’ve got three months left. And then next year, it’ll be me and my wife.
AF: I guess there will probably be a lot less time spent playing video games then.
CP: Yeah, there will probably be a little bit less.
AF: As we head into the second half of the season here, is there anything in particular that you’re working on trying to improve?
CP: Yeah, I’m always trying to improve the hitting side, and just trying to stay consistent with the defense and be ready for any position. But for me, it’s always going to be the strikeout numbers. I’m working on trying to get into better counts and trying not to miss my pitch. So, that’s the goal going forward is just to continue to grow as a hitter. I think there’s a lot of growth left in me as a hitter.
Just after Oakland had selected infielders Addison Russell and Daniel Robertson, the A’s took Olson as a supplemental pick after the first round of the 2012 draft. The Georgia native made his major league debut with the A’s in September of 2016 and then made multiple trips back and forth between Oakland and Nashville in 2017. But he finally came to stay last August, when he went on a tear that saw him total 24 home runs in just 59 games for the 2017 A’s. The 24-year-old slugger has been serving as Oakland’s everyday first baseman this year, and his 18 home runs for the team are second only to Khris Davis’s 20, while his 34 walks tie him with Jed Lowrie for the team lead.
AF: I know you’re an even-keeled kind of guy who likes his routine, so how much does it help you to know that you’re going to be in the lineup and out there on the field every single day now?
MO: Yeah, it’s totally great. It kind of takes the what-ifs out of it. You just show up to the field every day and do your routine and get ready for the game.
AF: So, do you ever think about wanting to take a day off?
MO: I don’t play too exhausting a position. So, for me, I want to be able to play as much as possible and get as many at-bats as I can.
AF: Yeah, I guess most of the time you’re pretty much just standing in one spot.
MO: Yeah.
AF: I know the last year or so you changed your swing a bit to get it to where it’s at now, which enabled you to have the success that you’ve had. Are you still tinkering with it a bit or are you more focused on just trying to stay locked in with what you’ve been doing?
MO: Obviously, I had the success with it last year that I did, in the minors and up here. So, it was a little test, and it was right. I was on the right track. It hasn’t felt perfect all year. So, there have been things that I’ve been tinkering with here and there to try and get that feel back. But I think it’s the right swing.
AF: So, it’s more about just trying to get back to where you were than trying to do something new.
MO: Yeah.
AF: Now that you’ve been in the big leagues for a little while, do you find that major league pitchers are starting to approach you any differently?
MO: Yeah, I think once you get more at-bats, guys are going to try different things against you and look at what other guys do – just that whole back and forth that’s always going to be there.
AF: Are there any particular adjustments that you’ve had to make this year?
MO: Nothing in particular, just things specific to each pitcher – each guy’s different.
AF: You’ve played with a lot of the guys on this team before in the minors. And it’s always nice to be playing with guys you know, but it’s even better to be winning with guys you know. So, what’s the key to the success that this team has had this year?
MO: It’s a great group of guys. We obviously have the talent. It’s fun to be around these guys. It helps create a good atmosphere, and a winning atmosphere.
AF: After spending five or six years in the minors, what’s the best thing about major league life for you?
MO: Probably the biggest difference is the travel. Those bus rides were terrible! But this is the big leagues, and it’s the best competition around – it’s fun!
AF: So, I guess you don’t miss those long bus rides across Texas every couple of weeks!
MO: Exactly!
AF: So, are you relishing your final few months with your long-time roommate Chad Pinder before he goes off and gets married in the offseason?
MO: Yeah. I mean, we’ve always lived together. And he’s going off and doing his own thing next year.
AF: So, as we’re coming up on the last few months of the season, is there anything in particular that you’re focused on here heading into the second half?
MO: I really just want to try to be as consistent as possible – that’s the name of the game!
* * *
Be sure to like A’s Farm’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm. You can also get our exclusive A’s minor league newsletter e-mailed to you free by signing up here.
6 Replies to “Catching Up with a Couple of Former Top Prospects Now Playing Big Roles in Oakland”
Comments are closed.