OAKLAND — Jared Koenig received the phrase Saturday.
An extended and winding street by way of highschool ball in Aptos, faculty at Previous Dominion, Central Arizona and Cal State Monterey Bay and varied impartial league groups from 2017 by way of 2018 will culminate in a lifelong dream Wednesday for the Athletics on the street towards the Atlanta Braves.
“Jared Koenig was talked to yesterday,” A’s supervisor Mark Kotsay stated Sunday earlier than closing out a 10-game homestand Sunday towards the Boston Crimson Sox. “He’ll be making his main league debut Wednesday.”
Koenig, 28, is 4-2 with a 2.21 earned run common for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. He’s 6-foot-5, 235 kilos and has 63 strikeouts in 53 innings, however will get by extra on pitching know-how quite than velocity and stuff.
A late-round draft choose of the Chicago White Sox who the membership elected to not signal, Koenig, after being concerned with three faculty applications, performed for the next groups for 2 years in varied indy ball leagues: the Birmingham-Boomfield Beavers, the Monterey Amberjacks, the Salina Stockade, the San Rafael Pacifics, the Lake Erie Crushers and eventually the Aukland Tuatara of the Australian Baseball League.
Noticed by an A’s worldwide scout after a advice, Koenig signed his first contract with a significant league staff in 2020. His ascension was delayed by the pandemic, however Koenig performed for Double-A Midland final season and was 7-5 with a 3.26 earned run common.
PUK — SO FAR, SO GOOD
A.J. Puk made it by way of one other inning Saturday towards the Boston Crimson Sox, throwing placing up one other zero and reaching 98.1 miles per hour together with his finest fastball.
Having already been by way of Tommy John surgical procedure and a shoulder process that price him whole seasons in 2018 and 2020, Puk made it by way of the final offseason for the primary time in a very long time with out rehabbing an damage and it’s made a distinction.
“I’ve had some accidents all through my profession and this previous offseason was my first wholesome one so I used to be capable of deal with the issues I needed to deal with,” Puk stated. “To this point my physique is feeling good.”
Puk is 1-0 in 18 video games with a 1.23 earned run common. The A’s have been cautious to not overwork him, as he’s pitched on back-to-back video games simply twice. A prize prospect out of Florida at 6-foot-7, 248 kilos, Puk additionally benefitted from an perspective adjustment of kinds from Kotsay throughout spring coaching.
“From the beginning of spring coaching, the place A.J. was and the place he's now's evening and day,” Kotsay stated.
The message? Develop extra of an attack-mode strategy quite than, as Kotsay known as it, “spraying the ball round.”
Puk’s final two appearances have been economical and overpowering. He had a 10-pitch inning Saturday towards the Crimson Sox, throwing seven strikes. His earlier outing was 15 pitches with 11 strikes.
Though left-handed on the mound, Puk shoots basketballs within the clubhouse mini-basketball set right-handed and writes right-handed. When he batted in highschool, nonetheless, Puk batted left-handed and he golfs left-handed.
Kotsay, a lefty, doesn’t attempt to make sense of it.
“I golf right-handed,” Kotsay stated with a shrug. “Left-handers are totally different individuals, I believe.”
LINEUP
The A’s shuffled their lineup towards veteran lefty Wealthy Hill, the previous Athletic who's able to coming at hitters with slow-breaking curveballs from varied angles. Chad Pinder bats leadoff, adopted by Elvis Andrus, Jed Lowrie and Ramon Laureano.
“Elvis has been swinging the bat very well of late and getting him as much as the highest towards a left-hander, we’re making an attempt to get as many at-bats for these guys which might be performing and swinging properly,” Kotsay stated. “We be ok with Pinder, Laureano and people veteran guys being on the prime.”
Chad Pinder LF
Elvis Andrus SS
Jed Lowrie DH
Ramon Laureano RF
Christian Bethancourt C
Seth Brown 1B
Sheldon Neuse 2B
Kevin Smith 3B
Christian Pache CF
Frankie Montas P