WEST SACRAMENTO -- For all the talk about the Athletics being settled at most positions by the time Spring Training rolled around -- a stark contrast from the previous few seasons -- there was still a bit of uncertainty when it came to the starting rotation.
Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Osvaldo Bido and JP Sears became established members early on. The fifth spot, however, was a spring battle between Joey Estes, Mitch Spence and J.T. Ginn that still felt unresolved entering the season.
Estes, who got the first crack at rounding out the rotation, was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas after a pair of rough outings. Next up is Ginn, who could provide that stability if his future performances look similar to the one he turned in for the A¡¯s in Saturday afternoon¡¯s 3-1 victory over the Mets.
Recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, Ginn -- ranked as the A¡¯s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline -- delivered 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, limiting New York to four hits and two walks with six strikeouts to earn his second Major League win in his seventh career start.
¡°That¡¯s the kid we¡¯ve been waiting to see,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said. ¡°He showed a little bit of a glimpse last year of the bulldog competitor that he is. He stepped up for us today. That¡¯s a really good team over there. He did a great job getting into the sixth inning and really pitching well for us.¡±
Ginn mostly cruised through the first five innings with five strikeouts as he blanked the Mets. Following his only real mistake of the afternoon -- a leadoff homer by Brandon Nimmo on a 2-1 slider left up and over the zone -- the 25-year-old right-hander locked back in and struck out Starling Marte on a slider to end his outing at 89 pitches.
Upon handing the ball to Kotsay after the punchout, Ginn walked off the mound to a nice ovation from the announced crowd of 10,133 fans at Sutter Health Park.
¡°It felt good, man,¡± Ginn said of making his first start in the Majors since Sept. 26, 2024. ¡°It felt good to get back out there and make some pitches to give the team a chance to win. It¡¯s good to get the W.¡±
At his best, Ginn keeps the ball on the ground with his sinker. That ability showed up on Saturday as eight of his 16 outs came on ground balls. But what stood out on this day was his uptick in velocity.
Prior to this season, Ginn¡¯s fastest pitch thrown over eight Major League games was 94.9 mph. On Saturday, his sinker maxed out at 97.3 mph and averaged 94.8 mph, nearly two mph higher than his 2024 average fastball velocity of 92.9 mph.
The A¡¯s took note of that velocity increase this spring, and that carried over into his first two outings this season with Las Vegas, where he racked up 19 strikeouts and allowed just two runs on five hits and two walks in 11 innings.
¡°I think it¡¯s from just feeling good,¡± Ginn said of the velocity uptick. ¡°It¡¯s kind of where I¡¯ve been in spring and early on [in the Minors]. It¡¯s good to see it here.¡±
With the A¡¯s carrying increased expectations in 2025 as a team, there is little time to allow young starters to figure out their struggles at the Major League level, which was evident in their short leash on Estes.
Ginn will be on a similar plan. If he can help the A¡¯s win ballgames, he can establish himself as a long-term member of this rotation. At the very least, Saturday¡¯s outing bought him another start, likely next weekend against the Brewers.
¡°He definitely earned the opportunity today with the lineup he faced and the job he did,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We had some good, healthy competition coming out of Spring Training. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision. ... We knew we weren¡¯t going to be as patient as we¡¯ve been over the last two seasons.¡±
The Mets were certainly aware of Ginn¡¯s talent, having selected him in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft before trading him to the A¡¯s in March 2022 as part of the Chris Bassitt deal. On Saturday, they got an up-close look from the other dugout.
¡°Man, he was really good,¡± Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. ¡°The movement on his pitches was unbelievable. That sinker was really good, and then the cutter. Nothing was straight. Everything was in to righties, then away. Same thing with the lefties. ... He was really, really good.¡±