Newcomer Stevenson’s ‘exceptional’ defense impresses Kotsay originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Since his stellar MLB debut with the Athletics on Wednesday, outfielder Cal Stevenson has cooled off a bit at the plate.
But when it comes to patrolling center field, manager Mark Kotsay has seen enough to know they have an above-average defender on the roster.
“He made some exceptional plays,” Kotsay told reporters after the A’s fell to the Houston Astros 6-3 on Sunday.
Oakland dropped the series finale at Minute Maid Park for their eighth straight loss and a sweep at the hands of Houston, but Stevenson’s day in center field was a bright spot.
Per the NBC Sports California broadcast, his nine putouts on the day are the most by an A’s outfielder since Chris Young in 2013. Stevenson made all three outs in the fifth, and, between the fourth and sixth innings, retired six Astros in a row with his glove.
They weren’t just lofty fly balls, either; Stevenson showed off his range in center field on Sunday with a catch at the wall and grabs in the gap.
“He’s got instincts,” Kotsay said after the game. “He takes great routes directly to balls. He made several nice catches out there tonight that were impressive.”
Stevenson was acquired by the A’s from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Christian Bethancourt trade, along with pitching prospect Christian Fernandez. Prior to his Wednesday debut with Oakland, Stevenson was slashing .305/.417/.542 with Triple-A Las Vegas.
He has started every game in center field since and got off to a hot start in his first two games with a 2-for-5 showing. His average has since slowed down to .200 in just 10 at-bats so far, but Kotsay emphasized before Sunday’s game that he likes what Stevenson has shown in his “limited” opportunities.
“Love his discipline. Pitch recognition is really good, but I think we knew that,” Kotsay said. “But sometimes those things change when you get to the major league level. Pitchers command the baseball better, their secondaries are in the zone longer.
“But so far, he’s shown a good ability to swing at pitches in his zone.”
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Through four MLB games, Stevenson’s chase rate is just 9.5 percent compared to the league average 28.4 percent. Sunday saw his worst performance at the plate yet with two strikeouts in an 0-for-3 day, but his ability to draw a walk in the ninth allowed him to score during Oakland’s two-run rally.
Before the loss, Kotsay told reporters Stevenson was called up so that the team can see what he’s capable of. With a slew of young, talented outfielders such as Cristian Pache and Skye Bolt in the organization, every swing — and catch — can make a difference.
“I think Cal’s going to get his opportunity. He’s here for that reason,” Kotsay said. “We’ve got to take a good look at what he can do both offensively and defensively. That’s trying to get him as many at-bats as possible.”