It was a bit difficult to keep track of the A's schedule thus far.
The team had an exhibition game in Tokyo followed by the Opening Day game in Tokyo against the Mariners. Then they came back to the Bay Area for a few exhibition games against the Giants.
But now, they host the home opener against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. And so it begins ...
Here are a collection of GIFs to get A's fans, and baseball fans, ready for the upcoming season.
Platinum Glove
Matt Chapman earned a Platinum Glove Award last season because of moments like this:
Sports
And this moment that happened on Tuesday night:
Chappy covering 127 ft like it's nothing. pic.twitter.com/yGnUZaC1Fb— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) March 27, 2019
Seriously?
Olson's absence
I'm not crying, you're crying.
A's first baseman Matt Olson underwent successful right hamate surgery on his right hand after exiting last Thursday's game against the Mariners in Japan.
But ... There are other options.
Mark Canha, Chad Pinder, Franklin Barreto, and Jurickson Profar can all handle first base duties. Pinder especially.
The 26-year-old can play anywhere -- and do it well. Plus, I really wanted an excuse to post that awesome GIF of his defensive gem.
Luzardo out
The A's also hit a snafu losing top pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo. It was announced he was shut down for 4-6 weeks with a rotator cuff strain.
Great.
The starting rotation has since been announced with Mike Fiers leading it off followed by Marco Estrada, Brett Anderson, Frankie Montas, and Aaron Brooks who was just told he was the fifth guy on Tuesday night.
But, with Estrada, you get a disgusting changeup that makes batters go weak in the knees.
Literally ...
Just beautiful.
Welcome, Profar
You might be one of those people who doesn't bank on spring training numbers, and I totally get that. But newly acquired utility man, Jurickson Profar, has been rather successful batting in the Bay Area lately.
Last season, with the Rangers, the 26-year-old hit boasted a .254/.335/.458 with 20 home runs and 133 hits.
I know I mentioned him previously as a guy who can play at first base, but I was partly lying -- he can play anywhere, and he has played in just about every position during his time in the Majors. And Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, who has been covering Profar since the beginning, had some very nice things to say about him.
"That guy is going to change the playoff race," Grant told NBC Sports Bay Area back in December.
If the A's can get there, and it'll be close -- Profar could really do some damage. Perhaps even be a game changer.
The Witch
Pitching Ninja -- well, first of all, Pitching Ninja is a Twitter account you MUST follow. Secondly, he loves him some Blake Treinen. And what's not to love?
A 0.78 ERA and 1.82 FIP (keep double-checking those numbers, they're correct) with 100 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.
And -- well, just watch:
Blake Treinen. 2018 Highlights. 🔥🤯
108 seconds of Pure Wickedness. pic.twitter.com/yGj3AD9Drg— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 6, 2019
He will put in a lot of work for the Green and Gold coming out of the bullpen, and possibly increasing his workload slightly, but that remains to be seen.
I cannot stop watching him pitch, can you?
The A's have an interesting season upon them. The American League West with the Astros leading the way means the team will be up for a daunting task, but if history repeats itself, the team could have a lot of fun shocking the world.
