MESA, Ariz. — Coming off a disappointing rookie campaign, Adam Oller wasted no time this offseason searching for answers on what went wrong in 2022 and addressing what he felt needed to be fixed. Early into Spring Training, his stuff on the mound is turning heads.
Facing A’s hitters in live batting practice, Oller pounded the zone with fastballs and unleashed a new pitch he worked on throughout the offseason, leaving manager Mark Kotsay impressed by what he saw.
“This is probably the best Adam has thrown the ball,” Kotsay said on Wednesday. “He looked really good. He looked confident. He threw strikes. From a naked-eye standpoint, his delivery looks like it’s cleaned up. He’s going north and south a lot more and a lot better.”
Throwing strikes may sound simple, but it’s an issue that plagued Oller over a rough 2022 season that saw him post a 6.30 ERA across 19 games (14 starts) with 39 walks in 74 1/3 innings in his first year with Oakland after coming over from the Mets as part of the Chris Bassitt trade last March.
Command was the main quality that put Oller on the radar late as a prospect. His consistent ability to spot the fastball earned him Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2021. Yet upon joining the A’s rotation out of Spring Training last year, the command that was always a strong suit suddenly became a weakness.
“I never struggled with command in my life,” Oller said. “It’s tough that the first time that you struggle with it is your first year in the big leagues.”
Oller identified mechanical flaws that may have caused his issues locating. He also believes something that was just as instrumental to his struggles was his mentality.
From the minute he joined the A’s, Oller said he placed unnecessary extra pressure on himself. Optioned to the Minors after getting hit around over his first three starts, Oller’s confidence plummeted. In each call back up to the Majors that followed, he tried desperately to make every pitch he threw the “perfect” pitch.
Feeling a need to vent about his issues on the mound, Oller began visiting regularly with A’s team psychologist Marc Strickland towards the end of last season. Through those sessions, Oller changed his mental outlook on how he approaches the game.
“I just kind of sat down and talked quite a bit about what was going on in my life and in my head space. Getting some stuff off my chest,” Oller said. “I’ll be the first to admit, I’m one of the…
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