OAKLAND — It doesn’t get much better for a Major League debut than the one Cal Stevenson experienced Wednesday by getting to play just minutes away from his hometown of Fremont, Calif. It’s also a scenario that seemed impossible to him just a month ago.
If Stevenson was ever going to reach the big leagues, he figured it would come as a member of the Rays, the organization he’d been with since 2020 and progressed through the Minor Leagues with. But on July 9, Stevenson was one of two players acquired by the A’s in a deal with Tampa Bay in exchange for Christian Bethancourt.
At the time, Stevenson was expected to mostly provide outfield depth for the A’s at Triple-A Las Vegas. Nearly a month to the day after he was traded over, however, there he was, making his MLB debut just 20 miles north of Fremont at the Coliseum, the stadium he frequented for A’s games as a kid.
“If you told me a month ago, I would tell you no,” Stevenson said when asked if his debut was everything he dreamed of. “Getting traded over here and having this opportunity to play in front of my friends and family, I don’t think you could have written it up better. I enjoyed every moment of it.”
Unranked among the A’s Top 30 Prospects List by MLB Pipeline, Stevenson earned his way to the Majors with an impressive showing in a short amount of time. In 16 games with Las Vegas, the 25-year-old outfielder hit .305 with three homers and eight RBIs. Also swiping six bases and displaying versatility with solid defense at all three outfield spots, Stevenson fits the type of skill set the A’s are looking for in their search for players who can contribute to the club’s future success at the end of their current rebuild.
“Reports are that he’s a plus defender,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “He has had success, especially this year between two organizations. His on-base percentage is exceptional. He’s a slash-type hitter who gets on base and walks.”
The A’s thought highly enough of Stevenson that they made room for him on the 40-man roster by designating veteran infielder Jed Lowrie for assignment on Wednesday morning. Later that day, Stevenson received his first start in center field as the No. 9 hitter and gave his large contingent of supporters who took over a lower-level section near the A’s bullpen plenty to cheer about by collecting his first big league hit in the sixth and later drawing an important walk that loaded the bases to give way for an eventual three-run inning.
“It was good to get [the first hit] out the way in the first game,” Stevenson said. “I was pumped. [Andrew] Velazquez was trying to do everything he could to take that away from me. It’s like the monkey off your back. A lot of weight off your shoulders.”
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