Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Triple Bad: A’s fall 6-4 to the Giants, lose Bay series and set a frustrating ML record

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Allowing too many homers, and completely absent of hitting triples, the A’s were locked into their 2022 form on Sunday. Oh, and don’t dismiss the playing poorly at home at the Coliseum part as well.

The Giants came across the Bay on life support, but left with a couple of deep breaths, after beating the hosts 6-4 on Sunday, and sweeping the brief, two-game Bay Bridge series affair.

The A’s built momentum surrounding the All-Star break, winning 10 of 14, but that’s officially lost. They’ve dropped three straight, and six of eight following that two weeks of encouraging progress. Lately, the A’s have given up too many home runs, with three coming on Sunday, and a total of 13 homers allowed in the last three games.

Starter Adrian Martinez had Mike Yastrzemski in an 0-2 hole in the third inning when the first long ball was struck. Unfortunately, his pitch location on a potential strikeout pitch wasn’t near what it needed to be.

“It shows how slim the margin for error is,” catcher Sean Murphy said. “Those hurt.”

Reliever A.J. Puk was also in an advantageous 0-2 spot facing Thairo Estrada in the sixth, but he too caught to much of the plate with his next pitch, and the Giants’ lead increased to 4-1. Yastrzemski struck again in the eighth off Austin Pruitt, not on an 0-2 pitch, but that capped the A’s hat trick of bumbles.

Other than that, A’s pitching competed. Martinez picked it up, leaving the door open for another start for the prospect that was acquired from the Padres in the Sean Manaea deal.

“He was more in line. His change-up had a lot of depth to it,” manager Mark Kotsay said of Martinez. “His slider had more depth, it wasn’t side to side. I think he’s moving in the right direction.”

Pitching actually kept the A’s in it, as they sliced the deficit to 6-4 in the eighth when Seth Brown connected. Overall, the A’s limited the Giants to 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight base runners.

The A’s went a 69th consecutive game without a triple which is lengthiest stretch for any Major League club since 1901. The A’s set the AL record on Saturday, and surpassed the 2021 Mets on Sunday for eliminating a key piece of offense from their repertoire. Hitting just .216 as a team with a .276 on-base percentage has the A’s poised to break a few more records for offensive futility, which hopefully doesn’t come to pass. In winning 12 of their previous 20 prior to Sunday, the A’s hit .244 which shows a little improvement not only goes a long way, it could keep you out of the unsightly portions of the record book.

On Monday, the A’s draw the Angels which is significant in that it may be their last chance to avoid a last place finish in the AL West. Cole Irvin will face Anaheim’s Jose Suarez in the 6:40pm opener.

A’s HALL OF FAME CEREMONY:

Joe Rudi, Eric Chavez, Sal Bando, executive Keith Lieppman, clubhouse man Steve Vucinich and the late Ray Fosse were inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony. Present for the occasion were Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart, a subtle reminder of the better days for Oakland’s baseball jewel.

“Who wouldn’t be frustrated? We’re all frustrated. We don’t want to play like this.”

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–A season after winning 107 regular season games, the Giants are stuck trying to win one. It’s been a process, and it’s still ongoing.

Losing eight straight to the Dodgers? Eleven straight to NL West opponents? Frustrating, even more so after Thursday afternoon’s 5-3 loss to the Dodgers that saw manager Gabe Kapler ejected along with reliever Jarlin Garcia.

“Obviously, I took exception to sort of being scolded in front of our dugout about how to approach and address our players,” Kapler said after the game.

The Giants struck early when newly-acquired J.D. Davis homered to put the Giants up 2-1. But in the top of the fourth, Mookie Betts’ three-run homer gave the Dodgers a lead that stung. Starter Jakob Junis walked number nine hitter James Outman, and Betts, the first batter faced by John Brebbia, struck with two runners aboard. Betts’ innocuous hand to side of the head gesture to his teammates caught the attention of Garcia, who wasn’t even in the game at that point.

When Garcia entered in the sixth, he was effective, preserving the two-run deficit with a pair of strikeouts. But when leaving the field Garcia mimicked Betts and followed with a few words for the slugger, who was in the on-deck circle. That drew the attention of first base umpire Phil Cuzzi, who followed Garcia and Kapler back to the Giants’ dugout. Cuzzi demanded that Kapler get his guy off the field, which he had, and that led to Kapler losing his cool with the umpire, and getting tossed.

“I had already gotten Jarlín off the field. Things were completely under control,” Kapler said. “I wasn’t happy with it and probably didn’t handle it perfectly.”

In the seventh, the Dodgers’ lead grew to 5-2 when Trae Turner homered off Yunior Marte. The Giants managed just five hits in the game, and did little to threaten after the Turner home run, falling four games below .500 for the first time this season.

Chris Martin picked up the win for the Dodgers, pitching a scoreless sixth inning. Starter Clayton Kershaw departed after four innings complaining of back discomfort. Kershaw threw 66 pitches, allowing the Davis home run, but the news of his discomfort was the only bad news for the visitors.

“Given it’s his back which has been problematic at times — we just won’t know more until we get some tests,” manager Dave Roberts said.

The Giants have Friday off before traveling to Oakland for two over the weekend with the A’s. Beware: the A’s also are playing well, and less likely to be trumped by the Giants, who are hopeful of Evan Longoria’s return and Brandon Crawford.

Dodgers Dance Again: 3-0 win gives LA seven, consecutive wins over the Giants

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–What the Dodgers have going right now you could set your watch to. It’s that succinct and matter of fact, way more than the Giants can handle right now.

Julio Urias pitched six, scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 3-0 victory Wednesday night, striking out six with no walks. His counterpart, the Giants’ Alex Cobb was pretty good, but not flawless, pitching into the seventh inning with three runs on four hits allowed. The win gives the Dodgers seven, consecutive wins against their rival, a feat they last accomplished in 1980.

“If we had the answer we would’ve called a team meeting and made a quick fix and it’d be all over,” said Cobb. “It just hasn’t been great baseball.”

Miguel Vargas made his Major League debut for Los Angeles, and doubled in the second inning, scoring Trayce Thompson with the game’s first run. Vargas’ presence compensated for Justin Turner’s continued absence, and he was one of three players that showed the NL West leader’s depth and talent along with Thompson and James Outman, who started in left field and went 1 for 4.

Joey Bart had three hits, and Brandon Belt two for the Giants, who couldn’t come up with the big hit despite having several chances. The Giants were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 baserunners stranded.

Longtime, iconic Dodgers’ announcer Vin Scully was memorialized on the visitor’s jerseys with a classy patch and the performance of the team, which has one seven of eight since the All-Star break and increased their lead in the division.

Urias won his eight, straight start, over a nine-game span illustrating how the host’s performance can quickly get lost when their rival is playing this well.

The Giants loaded the bases in the ninth inning, only to see Craig Kimbrel induce a pop-out from Mike Yastrzemski and strike out Austin Slater to end the game. Kimbrel notched his 19th save.

The Giants had new acquisition J.D. Davis available, but elected not to use him. Reliever Sam Long and outfielder Jason Vosler were outrighted to Sacramento to make room for Davis.

The Giants get one more look at the Dodgers in this series on Thursday, but Clayton Kershaw will be their main concern. Kershaw has two no-decisions this season against the Giants, which means he’s due. Kershaw has won more than 20 games in his career against the Giants.

Cease, Desist, Refrain: A’s have no success with ChiSox ace in 3-1 loss

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By Morris Phillips

These days, Dylan Cease has everyone fooled. The foolish Oakland A’s just happened to cross paths with the Chicago’s AL Cy Young contender on Sunday.

Again, Cease was flawless, capping a July in which he went 5-1 with an ERA of 1.87, beating the A’s 4-1 in a neat, eventless stint that lasted six innings.

Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Alex Manoah, Martin Perez and Logan Gilbert are also among the American League’s ten best starting pitchers in 2022, and all six pitchers have seen the A’s in the last six weeks. It’s unlikely the A’s would say that any of the other five impressed them as much as Cease, who had balls darting in and–at last second–out of the strike zone throughout.

“You have to give credit to Cease, because we came out aggressive on the fastball and Cease immediately went to his breaking ball,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s a plus breaking ball and a wipeout pitch.”

Cease improved to 11-4 on the season, winning each of his last four starting assignments. In an unearthly stretch dating back to May 24, the right hander’s allowed five earned runs in 12 starts, and no more than one run in any of the 12.

Adam Oller took the loss, allowing homers to Jose Abreu (2nd inning) and Eloy Jimenez (7th) while pitching quite effectively in between those two bookmarks. Oller’s record fell to 1-4 with a 7.68 ERA but this particular outing was one of his best.

“I thought I executed pretty well, and threw two cutters that backed up,” Oller said afterwards. “Aside from those two, I made good catches and was ahead in the count a decent amount.”

The A’s started the post All-Star break with wins in seven of nine games before dropping the last two in Chicago. The team’s spirits are up, their play has been sharp, and their home run numbers have made a sharp increase. On Sunday, Ramon Laureano homered, and later on, doubled with both blows coming against Cease.

Outside of those two Laureano highlights, the A’s did little offensively, including an unsightly two at-bats all afternoon with runners in scoring position that both ended their respective innings. Not only was Cease good, but the A’s saw familiar faces Kendall Graveman and Liam Hendricks, also good, with Hendricks pitching the ninth and earning his 20th save.

The A’s have a pair of off-days this upcoming week before facing the Giants at the Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Frankie Montas faces Noah Syndergaard on Tuesday in the A’s next game at Anaheim.

NOTES: The A’s improved play hasn’t immediately impacted their century-low offensive numbers with the team batting average at .214 and the A’s scoring one run or no runs in 34 of their 104 games. This week is the critical one in regard to the team’s streak without at least one triple, which reached 64 games on Sunday. The major league mark for a team going without a triple is 68 games.

Cubs Provide Help, Giants Win: Post ASG slide ends with 4-2 win over Chicago

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Things get so bad that sometimes… you need a little help.

The Giants’ seven-game losing streak exposed a club that needs to pitch, hit and defend a lot better to win games. In a stretch this poor, a team with holes can get exposed.

A 4-2 over the Cubs to snap the skid on Thursday didn’t find the Giants miraculously better, but definitely more fortunate after riding a three-run third inning that was fueled by Cubs’ mistakes and decisions.

Patrick Wisdom fanned on an infield pop and gave Mike Yastrzemski a life on second base to start the rally. Yermin Mercedes in the at-bat of the evening–11 pitches, six fouled off–delivered a two-run single after Wilmer Flores was hit by a pitch, a call that was lobbied for by the Cubs. Thairo Estrada knocked in Flores when shortstop Nico Hoerner couldn’t turn Estrada’s well-place grounder into an out.

Alex Wood took a 3-0 lead at that point, and did something with it, pitching into the seventh while allowing just two hits. Wisdom, in an atonement swing, knocked Wood out of the game with a two-run homer that narrowed the Giants’ lead to 4-2. Wood retired 15 in a row at one point, a streak that ended in the sixth when he walked Nelson Velazquez. Wood flirtation with a no-no lasted into the seventh, and was aided by Yastrzemski’s highlight, leaping catch in the right field alley in the sixth.

“The biggest difference in today’s game was we played crisp defense and made some very difficult plays,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “We’re going to be fine if we play strong defense behind our pitchers. That’s probably the most important thing we can do.”

Justin Steele took the loss for the Cubs. Steele was lifted in the fourth after allowing Austin Slater’s RBI double that gave the Giants a 4-0 lead.

The series continues Friday with Marcus Stroman facing Alex Cobb.

Powerful A’s Rally Comes Up Short: Blackburn leaves Oakland in a hole they can’t climb out of in 11-8 loss

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–When you’re an All-Star, your manager might gift you with a longer leash.

That thinking, if employed, didn’t work Sunday for Mark Kotsay and Paul Blackburn.

Blackburn, fresh off being an All-Star and the invigorating experience he had during the days of the break, was roughed up at the Coliseum on Sunday in his first pitching appearance since. The right-hander allowed ten earned runs and departed in the fifth inning. That probably was a longer stint than Blackburn deserved.

“The first couple of innings I felt like I was just too quick and then I tried to slow down, and I felt like I was too slow,” Blackburn said. “I tried to find a happy medium to get in a rhythm out there, and it just didn’t happen.”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk with Paul, but what I saw was that he’s fighting himself with his mechanics,” Kotsay said.

The ten runs allowed ties the most generous pitching outing of the season in the majors. Had Kotsay come and removed Blackburn an inning earlier the A’s stirring comeback may have stood up. The A’s scored seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings, only to lose 11-8.

While Blackburn was quite hittable, Martin Perez was not, picking up his eighth consecutive win. Perez has now gone 17 consecutive starts this season without suffering a loss, establishing a new, Texas franchise record, surpassing the 16 Kyle Gibson put up in 2021.

“I’m just looking to feel comfortable every time when I go out there,” Perez said. “How I believe in myself now–I know who I am and what I can do on the mound–is great.”

Perez pitched seven innings, allowing four hits and a run while striking out six. When he departed, the Rangers led 11-1. Then things got interesting.

The A’s clearly in the midst of their best stretch of dismal season, winning nine of 16, made a move. Garrett Richards came on and gave up a two-run double to Chad Pinder. After Tony Kemp’s groundout, Richards got touched by Stephen Piscotty’s two-run shot.

In the ninth, Texas reliever Brett Martin allowed three A’s home runs in a span of eight pitches. The homers courtesy of Sean Murphy, Pinder and Kemp created excitement for those who remained in the Coliseum but that’s where it concluded. Martin recovered to strike out Piscotty and retire Dermis Garcia on a groundout to end it.

If this concludes the A’s best baseball of the season–and that’s not necessarily the case with the Astros in on Monday–it’s done two things. The strong play has given the A’s a path to avoiding 100 losses, and opened the door to them possibly catching the faltering Angels and not finishing last in the AL West. A 28-36 finish would allow the A’s to avoid 100 losses.

On Monday, the Astros/A’s opener features Adam Oller and Houston’s Jake Odorizzi at 6:40pm.

Giants Sign Rosenthal, Then See Bullpen Implode in LA: Dodgers capture second-half opener, 9-6

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By Morris Phillips

The Giants’ eighth inning lead over the Dodgers on Thursday night seemed like an incredible accomplishment. It was, but it didn’t last long.

After trailing 5-0, the Giants rallied to lead 6-5 in the eighth, with Darin Ruf’s grand slam as the centerpiece of their awakening. But the Dodgers felt a nudge as well: they answered with Trayce Thompson’s RBI triple, then Mookie Betts’ dramatic, three-run shot to take the lead.

Dominic Leone opened the inning by striking out Jake Lamb, but Gavin Lux battled through a two-strike situation with a double. Max Muncy’s ground out advanced Lux to third, which gave Thompson, brother of the Warriors’ Klay, a big spot and he delivered with the game-tying triple.

In what was clearly not a strategic move, Jarlin Garcia came on to face Cody Bellinger, hitting just .208 and still not removed from his struggles of the last two seasons. But in a left-on-left matchup, Garcia unintentionally delivered four, consecutive balls, and that brought Betts up with two on in a big spot.

Betts delivered with the home run into the left field bleachers on the third pitch of the at-bat, and not only was the Giants’ gutty comeback wiped out, the game was essentially lost.

The irony of it all? The Giants’ bullpen is in a state of upheaval, witnessed by Jake McGee’s release, Mauricio Llovera’s emergence and subsequent injury, and now the signing of veteran closer Trevor Rosenthal. The 32-year old right hander represents a world of potential, but he’s thrown just 40 innings over the last five seasons as injuries have consumed his career. In fact, last season as the member of the A’s, Rosenthal didn’t pitch at all as thoracic outlet syndrome cancelled his stint with the A’s, who were on the hook for the closer’s one-year, $11 million deal.

The Giants have been encouraged by Rosenthal’s workouts over the last month and moved to sign him to a $4.5 million deal for the rest of the season, which won’t commence until Rosenthal ramps up his workouts and heals his hamstring. Despite all the questions, the Giants and manager Gabe Kapler stand bullish.

“Obviously, it’s been some time and hasn’t been on the mound in a while,” Kapler said. “But the talent hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s an electric arm. Physical, strong body. Lot of potential to really make an impact for us in the second half.” 

It’s clear the Giants had to do something, they’re 13 and a half games behind the Dodgers after Thursday’s loss, and they possess the eighth-best record in the NL, but are only a game-and-a-half from moving into the fifth spot. From a strategic standpoint, the Giants stood pat on Thursday witht their platoon-heavy lineup featuring Lamonte Wade Jr. in the leadoff spot again despite his sub-.200 batting average. Carlos Rodon, who was held off the All-Star roster with this start against the Dodgers as the reason, was rocked, allowing five runs on six hits in his five innings.

Freddie Freeman hit a solo shot off Rodon in the first. Justin Turner knocked in a pair with a double in the third, and Hanser Alberto followed that with an RBI double of his own. After just three innings, the Giants trailed 5-0.

The Giants appeared to get a break with Mitch White drawing the start for the Dodgers. The spot starter was preferred over Julio Urias, and Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw pitched in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. But White was fantastic, allowing one hit in five innings.

An opening was forged in the seventh when Evan Longoria homered, and Ruf hit his slam. Ruf pinch hit for Wade in the sixth, and his second at-bat became the occasion of his first-ever big league grand slam. Phil Bickford allowed Longoria’s blow and Alex Vesia was the pitcher who empowered Ruf. Those two relievers, who were tabbed when manager Dave Roberts had better options, were all the vulnerability the hosts were willing to show on Thursday.

Evan Phillips, the former Oriole, followed with his 1.70 ERA in 37 appearances, giving the veteran the best season to date of his six-year career. But he too struggled, walking Thairo Estrada with the bases loaded to give the Giants’ their short-lived lead. Phillips also walked Wilmer Flores who led off the inning, and Luis Gonzalez intentionally to load the bases and take his chances with Estrada.

One of the Giants’ ongoing issues is their inability to dial up strikeouts from their bullpen. Rodon, even with his obvious failures on Thursday, struck out seven. But after he departed four Giants’ relievers registered just two strikeouts, which enhanced the hosts ability to rally and prevail.

The two teams meet again on Friday with Logan Webb facing Tyler Anderson, the former Colorado Rockie who’s been energized with his move to Los Angeles. Anderson has a 10-1 record and a 2.96 ERA.

Back-To-Back Spectacular: Buxton, Stanton light up the sky and power AL to ninth straight All-Star win

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By Morris Phillips

LOS ANGELES–The National League started fast, and finished smoothly, but that fourth inning was all the destruction needed to end their aspirations.

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton hit mammoth, back-to-back shots that gave the American League the lead, and they made it stand up, shutting out the host NL team for the game’s final eight innings in a 3-2 win. The first All-Star game at picturesque Dodger Stadium in 42 seasons was over-the-top and full of explosions, but in the end, the American League pitchers shut the door.

Stanton had never experienced a hit in his previous All-Star Game appearances, going 0 for 6. Given that, the response was loud and clear, a two-run shot scoring Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez that traveled 457-feet, longer than any home run hit at Dodger Stadium thus far this season.

“That’s probably one of the hardest balls I’ve seen hit from the on-deck circle,” Buxton said. “I don’t even know if you can put it in words how hard he hit the baseball. So for me to see him in person, be on the same team, finally be up close, it was like, ‘Wow.’ You know, like, I literally sat down.”

Buxton sat down, but immediately got up and did the same thing Stanton did. Again facing the Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin, Buxton sent a line drive down the left field line that measured 425-feet.

Eight AL relievers followed, none more impressive than Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase who struck out the final three hitters of the ballgame on 10 pitches. Houston’s Framber Valdez pitched a scoreless third inning and earned the win. And Stanton was named the game’s MVP, a nice addition to his award’s shelf that also includes a Home Run Derby win.

The AL pitching staff retired 20 NL hitters in succession at one point, only the fourth time that many consecutive batters have been retired in All-Star competition.

The local stars both got All-Star moments with the Giants’ Joc Pederson getting two at-bats, striking out twice, in his return to Dodger Stadium. The A’s Paul Blackburn pitched a scoreless, fourth inning earning a hold.

Shohei Ohtani, the game’s singular two-way star earned his moment with a leadoff single as the game’s first batter. But Ohtani then got caught sleeping by the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, who picked off Ohtani creeping away from first base.

Alex Manoah, a rising pitching star for Toronto, struck out the side in the second inning while keeping a running commentary on the mound as he was mic’d up for Fox Sports.

Mookie Betts had a first inning RBI for the NL, and Paul Goldschmidt homered in the first after Manny Machado hit into a double play, which could have short circuited a bigger inning for the hosts.

Albert Pujols and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera each got pinch-hit at-bats without success, although Pujols sent a drive to the warning track that was caught. Pujols and Cabrera were commissioner’s picks as outgoing All-Stars.

Next year’s All-Star Game will be held in Seattle, which means more late afternoon shadows and likely another low-scoring game. Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez will be under hometown pressure to repeat his outstanding performance in the Home Run Derby.

Soto Doesn’t Turn Down Home Run Crown: Nationals’ slugger wins Derby over impressive Rodriguez

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Winner of the 2022 Home Run Derby before the All Star Game at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles the Washington Nationals Juan Soto is shown taking a hack during the contest on Mon Jul 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips

LOS ANGELES–These days with baseball sluggers more capable, and itching to show their wares, you’ve got to do a little more to win the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.

Just ask Julio Rodriguez. The Mariners’ 21-year old, breakout star hit 81 homers, knocked off the two-time defending champion Pete Alonso, and still came up short–by one home run–as Washington’s Juan Soto captured the title at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.

The 23-year old Soto vowed he would win it, but he would have been surprised to know that he would have to get past fellow Dominicans Rodriguez and Albert Pujols to do it. Both Rodriguez and Pujols were surprise advancers as sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Corey Seager both took early exits.

Rodriguez started the competition with 32 homers against Seager, as he took advantage of not only his power but the positioning of the sun and shadows to start the event. He then came back and eliminated Alonso with 31 homers, as the defending champ could never seem to string together big flies and gather momentum. Alonso was eliminated with just 23 homers despite earning the full minute of bonus slugging.

Meanwhile, Soto gained momentum as the event progressed, first knocking off the Guardians’ Jose Ramirez, then taking down Pujols, who was the surprise, first round winner over Schwarber. By the third round, and Soto’s third as the finishing competitor already knowing what his opponent had done. Against Rodriguez, Soto patiently pursued the younger sluggers’ 18 blasts, and then made up the final four home runs needed in his bonus minute.

“It feels amazing. It feels tiring. I just tried to concentrate to square off the balls because I know I have the power,” Soto said.

Speculation is that Soto will be traded after turning down the Nationals’ offer of $440 million dollars over 13 seasons. That move, which will likely involve a bid or inquiry from the Giants, could happen in the coming weeks.

“Right now I’m not even thinking about it. I’m a champion, and I will be a champion for the Nationals,” he said.

Giants, A’s make “in character” picks to kickoff the 2022 MLB Draft

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By Morris Phillips

LOS ANGELES–With the 30th pick in 2022 MLB Draft, the Giants wanted value and impact. They appeared to get it with the surprise pick of two-way player Reggie Crawford.

Rated lower than a first-rounder by most touts, Crawford has played two seasons at the University of Connecticut before missing the 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery. That’s the risk component. On the upside, Crawford throws 99 mph gas and has home run power in his 6’4,” 235-pound frame.

Originally drafted by the Royals in 2019, Crawford opted for college, and was so impressive, he received clearance to transfer to powerhouse Tennessee for this season. Now, Crawford will choose between the Volunteers and the Giants, who are expected to see if they can get the slugger/pitcher inked without stepping out of the $2.49 million slot financially. If Crawford likes the money and prestige of being a first-rounder, he’ll join the Giants. If not, he’ll attend Tennessee and re-enter the draft pool next year of the year after.

Either way, Crawford is an intriguing pick for his high potential, and the hope that he will overcome his injury history. For the Giants, the pick again signals their preference for college-experienced players early in the draft.

The Giants drafted pitcher Carson Whisenhunt in the second round of the draft which was also conducted on Sunday. Whisenhunt is a 6’3″ power thrower who was suspended for the entire 2022 season for using performance-enhancing drugs which he says were in a supplement he took. Whisenhunt’s freshman year at East Carolina saw him throw 62 innings and strike out 79 batters.

The A’s selected Daniel Susac with their initial pick, number 19, a catcher with a growing reputation for his skills behind the plate along with power-hitting acumen at the plate. Susac is the brother of former Giant Andrew Susac and is orginally from Sacramento before he took his collegiate game to Arizona. This past season Susac had 12 homers, and 19 doubles in 64 games for the Wildcats.

The A’s were scared off from Susac due to the other successful catchers they have in their system including Sean Murphy at the Major League level, and Shane Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom in the minor leagues. The A’s feel they took the best talent available and despite Susac’s comfort behind the plate, they will likely entertain the idea of position switch if Susac is the slugger they envision.

“I’m not only going to try to get the most out of myself but I’m going to try to get the most out of all my teammates,” Susac said. “I’m gonna bring a great bat while also being a great defensive player. I take pride in trying to be a well-rounded player.”

The 2022 MLB Draft continues Monday and will encompass 20 rounds along with compensatory picks as agreed upon in the current collective bargaining agreement.