The A's don't have a full-time closer at the moment, but the belief seems to be that Jack Perkins will be that guy. Now it's up to the coaching staff to get him ready
Ahead of Sunday's finale against the New York Yankees, AthleticsRoundtable spoke with Jack Perkins about the up-and-down season he's had thus far out of the bullpen.
Earlier this week against Seattle, he tossed 4 2/3 electric innings in relief that ended with a single and a home run in the ninth that diminished an otherwise stellar long relief appearance that included three hits allowed, two earned runs, no walks, and seven strikeouts.
On Saturday he came out against the Yankees with a comfortable 6-1 lead in an effort to pitch him in a low-stakes ninth inning. Instead, a single and two walks loaded the bases with two away and Ben Rice stepping up to the plate, and manager Mark Kotsay was forced to make a move.
We'll have more thoughts on this scenario in tomorrow's Green and Gold Standard column, but for now, we have to discuss what this means for the open spot in the A's rotation following the injury to Luis Severino on Friday.
With the off-day on Monday, everyone in the rotation can stay on regular rest through Friday in Houston, and the new addition can be deployed at any point from Tuesday through Saturday. That leaves it open for the A's to use Perkins in that role if they choose, but that doesn't appear to be the direction they're headed.
Perkins talked about a discussion he had with Kotsay on Sunday morning about getting into the right mindset for a relief outing and being able to flip that switch when needed in a big spot.
The right-hander also mentioned that starting is a little easier because he can give up three runs in the first and follow that up with five scoreless afterwards while still having a good outing. But if he gives up one run in the bullpen, that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
Being able to flip that switch — or finding that switch to buckle down — is the next step in Perkins' evolution.
One reliever that has gone through the evolution process Perkins is hoping to follow is left-hander Hogan Harris, who came up as a starter and had an awful debut with the club against the New York Mets in April of 2023. In one-third of an inning, he gave up one hit, walked five, hit a batter, and allowed six earned runs.
His transformation into a leverage reliever for the club hasn't been immediate, but by the end of 2024, he was in the zone more often and just going out and attacking hitters. By the end of 2025, Kotsay mentioned his mentality on the mound as being an "F--- you" mentality, where he could give up a run, and then go on to punch out the side to secure a win.
That is the biggest piece missing from Perkins' game right now, and the fact that the A's are working on figuring out how to get him to that same level is a pretty clear indicator that he's not going to be starting for the A's on the upcoming road trip.
He's needed in the late innings of games with his swing-and-miss stuff. Getting him to where he needs to be is going to be a process. It'll come with some wins and losses. The key factor to keep an eye on is whether he's just getting beat on a pitch, or if he allows a walk or a runner on base and then everything snowballs on him.
Once that snowball factor is limited, he's going to be a dangerous weapon for the A's in the ninth.
