by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
A number of young players who are expected to play 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. And we first interviewed catcher Bruce Maxwell way back in 2013 when he was making a brief appearance with the A’s Arizona Fall League squad in Mesa.
We’ve caught up with each of them virtually every year since then. And now that they’ve all made their big league debuts and are expected to play significant roles for the A’s in the coming season, we took the opportunity to check back in with each of them again, this time from the A’s spring training camp in Mesa, Arizona.
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. Set to turn 26 on opening day, the Virginia native is expected to get regular starts in the outfield against southpaws while also serving as a backup to the A’s infielders in 2018.
AF: In college, I know you played a lot of third base and shortstop. Then, after you were drafted and joined the A’s system, they had you playing a lot of second base to start with, and then they moved you back over to shortstop. Then, last year, you came up to the majors and they had you playing the outfield after you’d never even played a single game in the outfield in the minors. So, how do you feel about having to move around so much so early in your career?
CP: In college, I did play a little bit of outfield in my freshman year, just as a way to get my bat into the lineup. And then eventually it turned into playing third base in my sophomore and junior year, and a little bit of short. And then in the minor leagues, we had a bunch of really good middle infielders, Daniel Robertson and Addison Russell, so they were like, “Can you play a little second base?” That took a little bit of getting used to. And after bouncing around from short to second over those first two or three years in the minors, when I finally got an opportunity in the big leagues, after playing a little bit in the infield, they asked me if I could play outfield, and I was just like, “Yeah, I’ll play wherever you want me to play.” Obviously, I had a really good staff to help me out in the outfield. We had [Mark] Kotsay and [Mike] Aldrete. So, they got me going in right field. And then the next thing you know, they say, “Can you do a little left field?” I’m like, “Sure!” And the next thing you know it’s, “Can you do center?” And I’m like, “Absolutely!” So, I did all of them. And, you know, I’m still getting comfortable out in left. I’ve played a bunch in right now, so right field’s pretty comfortable for me. So, I’m just trying to get on that level in left field too.
AF: Well, once you got comfortable in right, they had to move you to left. I guess they don’t want you getting too comfortable anywhere!
CP: Yeah. But I’m up for whatever!
AF: Well, after playing exclusively in the infield in the minors, what was that first day playing in the outfield in the majors like for you, looking in at the game from way out there? Did it seem a little strange to you?
CP: Yeah, it was a little different, for sure. Luckily, I only got one pop fly that day. And it didn’t go in the sun, because you worry about the sun in Oakland and the high sky. But it was in front of me and it was a simple enough fly ball. A runner was tagging at third, and I just threw it home.
AF: When you first came up and joined the A’s last year, you were hitting really well. So, that probably made everything easier for you and also made it easier for them to want to get you in the lineup.
CP: Yeah, I think that’s why that happened. I was hitting well, so I think that they wanted to keep my bat in the lineup against left-handed pitching. So, that’s when the right field thing happened. They were like, “If you can play right field when lefties are going…” And I’m like, “Absolutely!” So, that’s where it all started was just as a way to get me more at-bats.
AF: Well, as long as you keep hitting, they’ll keep finding a place for you! Last year, in the big leagues, you hit 15 home runs in fewer than 300 at-bats, which is as many home runs as you’d ever hit in any full minor league season before. So, what accounted for that power surge once you hit the majors?
CP: Honestly, I think it’s just getting older. you know, getting stronger. The longer you play, the better you’re going to get. So, I think that played a big role in it.
AF: Do you think it was more the physical, getting a little bigger and stronger, or more the mental experience?
CP: I think it’s more the mental experience – just knowing my swing, knowing the pitches I can handle, knowing what pitches I want in certain situations. I think that played a big part. And I worked on some stuff last spring training, just making sure that I wasn’t putting myself in bad counts. I had a history of that in the minor leagues, being a little aggressive early and finding myself in two-strike counts. And anytime you can put yourself in good counts, in hitters’ counts, it’s going to give you a little bit more of an advantage.
AF: Yeah, I heard you were working a little more on your two-strike approach this spring. Can you talk a little bit about what you’re trying to do there now?
CP: Honestly, no, I’ve got to keep that one to myself! But, I mean, it’s nothing physical. It’s just more the mental side, and simplifying. It’s not anything crazy, nothing dramatic, nothing out of the box. It’s just simplifying and just trying to be a little less tense in the box and just focusing on one pitch.
AF: Was there a point last season after you were called up when you really started to feel comfortable on the team and it felt like you were starting to settle in a bit?
CP: I think right away, honestly, because I had that little bit in the big leagues the year before, and it was my second spring training with the big league team. I knew the staff and there was a sense of comfort. And getting called up, I kind of like jumped right in. I didn’t have that sense of like walking on eggshells. I felt like, when I first got called up, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the guys, but not on a personal level. But last year was a little bit different. I had a relationship with a lot of the guys, and the same with the staff. So, I think that itself really, really helped.
AF: So, it wasn’t like joining a team of strangers for you at that point anyway.
CP: Exactly, not at all.
AF: Were there any particular adjustments you needed to make once you came up and started getting regular at-bats against major league pitchers?
CP: Yeah, it’s hard to explain. Not so much adjusting to the pitching, but just making sure that I’m not trying to change something that I don’t need to change, not always searching for something that’s not there. You’ve shown that you can do it. It’s just a matter of doing it consistently on a regular basis. And I feel like the guys who stick are the ones who know themselves and know their swings and let their swings just play out for a full season. They know how to go with the ebbs and the flows of the game. As you know, there’s always ups and downs, and to be able to be consistent and try to eliminate those low points, I feel like that’s one of the bigger things that you see with guys who are in the bigs for a such a long time.
AF: How helpful was it for you to have all these guys you’ve known for so long also on the team with you last year?
CP: Oh, absolutely. And getting called up so early, I had Healy. I’d been with him for like five years. I got called up and didn’t have to search for a place to live – I had that, I went straight there. Knowing him and knowing a lot of the guys, that helps with the stresses of being up and being around a new team – but it wasn’t a new team for me, with guys like Bruce [Maxwell] and [Matt] Olson and [Matt] Chapman and countless people – I don’t want to forget people! But having all these guys you’ve played with for such a long time, that helps.
AF: I know you and Matt Olson have been roommates for a long time going all the way back to Stockton in 2014. So are you still roommates?
CP: Yeah, we’re still roommates. We live out here in Tempe during spring. And we’ve got a spot together in Alameda. But I’m getting married this offseason, so this is the last hurrah!
AF: Yeah, I guess he probably won’t be quite as welcome after that.
CP: No, we’re just going to do the married life – just me and the Mrs.
AF: Besides working on your two-strike approach, is there anything else you’re particularly focused on this spring?
CP: Just getting settled in in left field and also, obviously, I haven’t played third base in such a long time – we have a great third baseman, so I hopefully won’t have to play there all the time – and just being versatile in all those spots, but also not putting too much pressure on myself. Just take each task one at a time and focus on what I got that day. I’m playing left today, so take my reads in left field, and then go play left field.
AF: And then see what happens tomorrow! Is there anything else you’ve got on your mind or anything in particular you want to try to accomplish this season?
CP: Yes, just trying to stay on my physical stuff, so that I stay healthy for the whole season. I want to be able to help the team, and you can’t help the team if you’re banged up and you’re hurt. I think, last year, I did so much physically. I’d take ground balls and then run into the outfield and shag for three [batting practice] groups, and I beat myself up. And that led to some of the issues that I was dealing with with the lower body stuff, with the hamstring and all that. But this year, I’m just focused on eliminating some of the stress that I put on my body so that I can stay healthy and help the team as much as I can.
AF: Yeah, it’s definitely a lot easier to do that if you’re out there on the field anyway!
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 last summer. 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. And the young slugger is now expected to be Oakland’s everyday first baseman in 2018. Though he’s two years younger, he shares a birthday with Pinder and will be turning 24 on opening day.
AF: We talked a little bit last year about the adjustments you made to your stance and your swing and the positive effect that it’s really had on your game. How did that whole process evolve and who really helped you most with it?
MO: [Darren] Bush, the hitting guy here, when I came up in ’16, he addressed some things that needed to be addressed and I started playing around with different things, and what I have now is what felt good. And it feels good; I feel similar to how I did at the end of the year last year, so it keeps going.
AF: When did you really start to feel comfortable with it and when did you start to feel like this was something that was really going to work for you?
MO: Midseason. There were some little things that I kind of had to work out just through at-bats. But I’d say about midseason was when I really got comfortable.
AF: We talked last summer at Nashville, and you’d been up and down between Oakland and Nashville a number of times at that point, but you were looking pretty comfortable then.
MO: Yeah, it was right around there. I was feeling really good in Nashville…I was kind of up and down. But at Nashville, I was able to have a lot of success there.
AF: When you came up and really started going on a tear last year and started hitting a bunch of home runs, did it dawn on you at some point how hot you were and what kind of success you were having?
MO: No, I mean, honestly, you just stay in the moment. Everything was just going well for me. And you want to keep it going, and try to keep my routine the same.
AF: When things are going well, do you really just try not to think about things too much?
MO: Definitely. Just keep your head down and keep doing the same stuff.
AF: Keep it simple.
MO: Exactly.
AF: So, what’s your mindset in the final couple weeks of spring training here as we get ready to head into the season?
MO: Just preparing for the season. I’m happy with where my at-bats have been so far and still feel good in the field. Just want to keep it going, get more comfortable playing, more at-bats, more innings, and take it into the start of the year.
AF: And are you looking forward to playing every day against lefties a little more this year than maybe you have at times in the past?
MO: Yeah, as far as I know, that’s the plan. And I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I don’t really buy into all the lefty vs. righty stuff as much as some other people do. I mean, there are times when I’d rather face a lefty just based off of how I’m feeling.
AF: Is there anything else you’ve been working on this spring?
MO: Just continuing to try to have those good at-bats that I feel like I’ve been having and that I was having at the end of last year, getting that same feeling in my swing back that I had, and figuring out what guys are trying to do to me and go from there.
AF: When you came up to Oakland to stay last year, how much did it help you to have a bunch of guys here like Chad Pinder and Matt Chapman whom you knew so well and had already spent so much time playing with?
MO: Yeah, definitely. It’s nice to have some familiar faces. Now, I pretty much know everyone. But at the time, it was a little overwhelming coming into a big league clubhouse, especially for the first time. So, it’s nice to have those guys there that you recognize, you can talk to, you can ask where to go.
AF: I know you’ve been roommates with Pinder for a long time and I guess you still are. But I hear he’s going to be getting married later this year.
MO: Yeah, he is.
AF: So, I guess you’ve finally got to go!
MO: Yeah, I’m sure they’re going to want to do their own thing.
AF: Well, they could always adopt you!
MO: Yeah, we’d just have to get all the paperwork done.
Taken by the A’s in the second round with their fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Maxwell made his major league debut with Oakland in July of 2016. After the departure of popular backstop Stephen Vogt, Maxwell took over the bulk of the catching duties for the A’s in June of last year. Now, with the acquisition of veteran receiver Jonathan Lucroy, it appears that the 27-year-old Maxwell may start the year apprenticing to the more experienced backstop for the A’s.
AF: Does the acquisition of catcher Jonathan Lucroy, which may push you into more of a backup role, affect the way that you approach things on a daily basis at all?
BM: No, it doesn’t. I still go about my business the same way, as if I’m the front-running catcher. I still go about it with preparation, taking care of my body and taking care of these pitchers. So, it doesn’t really affect the way I approach my day every day.
AF: How nice was it for you to have a bunch of guys you’ve spent a lot of time playing with in the minors, guys like Matt Olson and Chad Pinder, join the team last year? Did it make it a more comfortable environment for you?
BM: Yeah, we’ve all won together. I know how they work, I know their game plan, and I know their approach. So, it makes it easier to gel with them in the lineup, gel with them every day in the locker room, on the field, off the field, because you’re so familiar with those guys. Me, Olson, Pinder and Renato Nunez have all been together for about four or five years now, so it definitely raises the comfort factor.
AF: Did you guys have much of a chance to get to know or explore the Bay Area much last year or were you all just too busy at the ballpark every day?
BM: Not really. On my off days, I really don’t do much. I just rest, because I caught a lot last year. So, I honestly just hang out. I spend a lot of time with my agent, because my agent lives in the Bay Area. But I really don’t do much on my off days. We don’t get many of them. Most of the off days we get are for travel, or we’re in a different city. So, we might go catch dinner with each other or something but, other than that, not too much.
AF: Is there anything you’re particularly focused on working on this spring, whether at the plate or behind the plate?
BM: I’m just trying to working on my consistency on both sides. Every day, it’s always a challenge. We, as catchers, always want to improve and make everything flawless. But also, at the plate, working on the consistency of my strike zone and my approach.
AF: When it comes to hitting, do you have a very different approach when you’re having to face righthanders and lefthanders on the mound?
BM: Yeah, I think that’s all of us. It depends on what approach you want to go with. Obviously, you want to stay with your strength but, at the end of the day, you have to kind of adjust a little bit depending on the person who’s on the mound against you.
AF: After getting to spend some time working with the pitchers here last season, how did you feel your relationship with the pitching staff was coming into this spring? Did you feel like you’d developed a pretty good rapport with a lot of these guys?
BM: Yeah, a lot of these guys have been here the last couple years. A lot of the young guys I’ve had in the minor leagues…so I feel like I have a pretty good relationship with the majority of the pitchers on this team.
AF: There’s a number of talented young pitchers in camp this spring. Had you ever had a chance to catch A.J. Puk before and what have you, as a catcher, seen out of him?
BM: I’ve caught him a couple times at camp already this year. Last year, I think I caught him once. So, I haven’t really seen that much of him. But from what I’ve seen and what he’s done with me in a game, I’ve seen the promise, the high ceiling and what he could potentially be for us.
AF: I know you’ve spent some time catching Daniel Gossett. He made 18 starts and had some ups and downs for the A’s last year. From your perspective, what do you feel he needs to do to get to the next level as a major league pitcher?
BM: I feel like all of us as a whole could have done more things more consistently last year. We had our ups and downs on the pitching staff. I feel like if he just works on his consistency, he’ll be an everyday big leaguer. We all had our ups and downs last year, pitching-wise, catching-wise, offensively. It’s part of being young. We all had our own battles that we were trying to overcome last year, and obviously it showed. But that’s what spring’s for and that’s what a new year’s for. And everybody’s coming in here with the right mindset to work and to get better so we can be a playoff-contending team.
AF: Would you say that’s the main difference you see between rookies and guys who’ve been here a while – the consistency?
BM: Yeah. If you’re a rookie, you’ve never been here, you have very limited exposure. And then you have your veterans who’ve been here for years with different teams, playing in different leagues with different approaches. And that experience rubs off on the younger guys. It gives us experience without necessarily having the in-game experience quite yet. But it gives us the experience of the mind, so that when we do hit that time in the game or that time in the season, we’re kind of used to it or we’ve visualized it, so it makes things a little easier.
AF: As we head into the final couple weeks of the spring and get ready to head into the season, what are you primarily focused on?
BM: Being a leader on the team. My job is to make sure all the pitchers and everybody’s a well-oiled machine on the field. And it comes with preparation, it comes with homework, it comes with dedication to the team, and that’s what it’s all about. And if, at the end of the day, I end up splitting time with Lucroy, or if not, whatever it may be, whenever my number gets called, my job is to be the number one catcher that day. And that’s what I’m focused on, and I’m focused on being the most prepared, but also helping these guys be as prepared as they can be every day that we go into battle.
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