Simpson’s clutch homer forces tie in Davis’ A’s debut
The Oakland Athletics looked like they were on the verge of their fifth straight preseason loss as they gave up to go-ahead run to the Chicago White Sox in the top of the 9th inning.
Now down 3-2 and Mark Kotsay in “empty the bench” mode, little-known low-A first baseman Will Simpson stepped up to the plate to face Chicago’s Jonathano Cannon, who’d been rolling with 3 straight scoreless innings. The A’s drafted Simpson in the 15th round of last year’s amateur draft to very little fanfare, despite having a monster senior year at University of Washington. However, after translating that momentum into .322/.373/.522 batting line in 126 plate appearances with the Stockton Ports after the draft, MLB Pipeline squeezed him into the last position on their ranking of the A’s top 30 prospects.
Today, he put the major league coaches on notice. Down 1-2 in the count, Simpson launched a fly ball into left-center field and out of the park, tying the preseason game at 3-3 with no innings left to go. Unfortunately, none of his successors in the lineup could manufacture the walk-off win, but it was undoubtedly a memorable moment for the 22-year-old who’s hoping to climb the organizational ladder this year into the upper minors.
Oakland’s previous runs occurred in the bottom of the 5th as Shea Langeliers, Darell Hernaiz, and Lawrence Butler loaded the bases. A wild pitch and a Tyler Soderstrom groundout helped keep Oakland in the game long enough for Simpson’s heroics. Also of note, J.D. Davis made his A’s debut after his contract debacle and lined a double in one of his two at-bats. He won’t change the A’s fortunes this season, but he’ll bring an above-average bat and, mor importantly, stability to the ever-revolving door at third base.
On the pitching side, the staff had a strong day in Arizona. Pitching one of his final starts of the spring, Alex Wood threw 5 innings of 2-run ball (only 1 earned) and struck out 6 batters while walking none. That lowers his preseason ERA to a passable 4.76 and keeps him lined up for the third spot in the rotation.
Behind him, Sean Newcomb, Dany Jimenez, and Mason Miller combined for 4 strikeouts in 3 scoreless innings. Miller continues to look unhittable this spring and is poised to have a big year out of the A’s bullpen, regardless of whether he or Jimenez are closing games. Newcomb also pitched well in just his third outing of the preseason after returning from offseason knee surgery. With Scott Alexander slated for the IL, Newcomb should have a clear path to at least a middle relief role on the team.
The A’s come back tomorrow to face off against the reigning NL Champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Ross Stripling facing off against Merrill Kelly.