The Oakland Athletics might not be true contenders, but they have been awfully entertaining this year.
They are 15-17, very close to playing .500 ball.
Yes, their future is not in Oakland and perhaps fans are more focused on that than on the actual performance of the 2024 team, but they do have some really good players.
Tyler Nevin (four home runs, .875 OPS) is among the hottest players in baseball at the moment, Paul Blackburn has been a solid starter, and some of the relievers (like Lucas Erceg, for example) are blossoming.
There might not be a more exciting and consistently dominant player on the A’s roster than closer Mason Miller, though.
Miller is a show of his own, touching 103 mph with his blazing fastballs and fooling hitters left and right.
He was just named the American League Reliever of the Month for his performances in March/April, and it’s hard to think about someone more deserving.
Mason Miller (OAK): 11 G, 1.35 ERA, 8 SV, 18.9 K/9
Ryan Helsley (STL): 16 G, 1.69 ERA, 10 SV, 10.7 K/9Your AL and NL Relievers of the Month for March/April! pic.twitter.com/DQkFzQuZB8
— MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2024
The most impressive number about his line is definitely the 18.9 K/9.
K/9 means strikeouts per nine innings, so Miller, for every 27 outs, gets almost 19 via the strikeout.
That’s absurd, and very hard to maintain over the course of a long season.
Still, he is no fluke: he is very likely to end the year with at least a 15 K/9 mark if he stays healthy.
That last part might not be easy to come by given the velocity at which he throws the ball, but let’s hope we can all enjoy Miller for as long as he pitches.
Opposing hitters don’t find him fun to face, though.
