Soderstrom, young catchers in focus; Puk too

As a former big league catcher, A’s manager Bob Melvin tends to pay extra attention to his group of players at the position. So when pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training for the first day of workouts on Wednesday, Melvin was keyed in on the backstops.

The absence of starting catcher Sean Murphy, who is away from the club after surgery to address a collapsed lung, and veteran Carlos Pèrez, who will be late to camp due to visa issues, allowed the spotlight to move onto some of the other catchers in camp. Among that group is 2020 first-round Draft pick Tyler Soderstrom, who is attending big league camp as a non-roster invite.

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Soderstrom, rated Oakland’s No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is still at least a couple of years away from reaching the Majors. But the 19-year-old catcher’s presence in camp affords him the opportunity for some grooming under bullpen coach Marcus Jensen, another former big league catcher who has been instrumental in the development of Murphy.

“I think it's really going to help guys like Soderstrom and [A’s No. 22 prospect Kyle] McCann to have Marcus Jensen working with them,” Melvin said. “To come to our big league camp and you're a catcher, especially a young guy, you're going to learn something. When these guys leave camp here, they're going to be that much better for working with a guy like Marcus Jensen, who is as good of a catching guy as I've ever been around. By the end of camp, these guys are going to be a lot better catchers.”

The A’s have a recent history of inviting some of their top prospects to camp over the past few years, and Soderstrom is the latest to continue that tradition. Also joining the A’s in camp next week is No. 4 prospect Nick Allen, whose defensive excellence has him on Oakland’s radar for a big league callup at some point this season.

“Big league camp is a big deal,” Melvin said. “I remember when I was a young catcher, I went to big league camp a couple of times and I didn't get to play or hit, but I got to catch in the bullpen.

“I was with the Tigers, and just being around guys like Jack Morris and getting to catch those guys in the bullpen and getting a taste of what being around big leaguers and big league camp is like is good. It helps you out. It gives you incentive and makes you inspired to know that that's where you want to go. That's part of the reason that we bring in some of these younger guys.”

Puk’s role to be determined in camp
Soderstrom and McCann were on the receiving end of throwing sessions from some of the club’s standout pitchers, including Jesús Luzardo, Sean Manaea and Jake Diekman. Also partaking in a session on Wednesday was left-hander A.J. Puk, who will be a major focus of this year’s camp.

Puk, Oakland’s No. 1 prospect, is on the precipice of making an impact at the Major League level. Injuries have delayed that opportunity, including shoulder surgery last September that wiped out the club’s plan to have him move into the starting rotation for the 2020 season. Arriving at camp healthy, Puk took a good first step toward getting back on track with an impressive showing during Wednesday’s workout.

“He looked great. I think surgery really did a lot for him,” Melvin said. “He just looked like he's free and easy. There were times last year that you’d watch him and you could tell he was kind of feeling a little something and guarding his shoulder. That was not the case today at all. He told me that he feels great. He's in great shape. The ball had a lot of life, and he looked really good.”

Long tabbed as a starter with the stuff to possibly become ace of the staff, Puk’s role for 2021 is not guaranteed to be in the rotation. The left-hander will be built up as a starter in camp, but the A’s are not ruling out a transition to the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever, a role he performed well during his brief stint with Oakland in 2019.

“We're still kind of figuring out what we're going to do with A.J.,” Melvin said. “Whether or not we use him out of the bullpen or in a starting role, we're not sure yet. But you can't have enough depth as far as the starters go, and if someone like A.J. isn't ready to start, then he's a good fit for the bullpen.”

With Mike Fiers back in the mix after the club announced his one-year deal on Tuesday, the A’s have the ability to utilize a six-man rotation, with Puk included. However, general manager David Forst indicated that a six-man rotation is not something the club is currently considering.

“We haven't talked about a six-man rotation. That said, there can be a lot of variables,” Forst said. “You've got guys coming off of abnormal workloads for the season, and we have to be aware of how they feel the first few times through the rotation. I think we should have a good amount of experience in that group, and we'll see in what way A.J. can best impact the team. We have the option to use him as a starter, and he's pitched out of the bullpen before in the big leagues.

"Right now, we’ve got six weeks to figure it all out. “