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Oakland A’s: Reflecting on their 2021 Spring Training

By Riley Wilkins

PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 18: Starting pitcher Sean Manaea #55 of the Oakland Athletics talks with manager Bob Melvin, Mitch Moreland #18 and Sean Murphy #12 after being hit by a line-drive from the San Diego Padres during the first inning of the MLB spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex on March 18, 2021 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 18: Starting pitcher Sean Manaea #55 of the Oakland Athletics talks with manager Bob Melvin, Mitch Moreland #18 and Sean Murphy #12 after being hit by a line-drive from the San Diego Padres during the first inning of the MLB spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex on March 18, 2021 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Oakland A's infielder Jed Lowrie
(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

March is ending, the sun is shining, and teams are making their final roster decisions. This can only mean one thing: OPENING DAY IS THIS WEEK! As we enter the most magical time of the year, let’s take some time to reflect on this spring training for the Oakland A’s.

The Oakland A’s Should Televise More Spring Games

In 2021, the A’s played 11 more spring training games compared to the previous year. Despite this disparity in games, the A’s were on TV less in 2021. Perhaps there are financial or COVID explanations for this; however, I’m sure I was not alone in wanting to watch more A’s action.

The games aren’t the most actioned pack, but there are fans like myself who desperately want to see if an almost 37-year-old Jed Lowrie can still move around enough to play second or get a peek at what the A’s future has in store. After four cold, baseball-less months, hearing the radio crew’s voices was very welcomed, but most of the fun of spring training is seeing new faces and the unique skills they might bring to a squad, either in the near or far future. Hopefully, in 2022, we will get to see more green and gold in March.

Jed Is Back!

I’ve said this sentence so much over the past month. I can’t help it; I’m too giddy. When the news broke that Lowrie was joining the A’s as a non-roster invitee, I was very interested to see what Old Man Jed could do this spring. It seems that everyone with the Oakland Athletics was as well, and as the A’s Opening Day roster is solidifying, it looks like the Lowrie Train is going full steam ahead.

The goofball in me thinks it hilarious that Jed Lowrie has joined the “Three Separate Oakland A’s stints” club, whose only other member is the Greatest Atheltic of all Time, Rickey Henderson. The emotional sap in me is happy to have a veteran with a deep history on the team, including an exciting playoff run in 2013. The 2021 A’s fan in me is excited that the Oakland A’s might have an offensive presence playing second base, which hasn’t happened since… Jed Lowrie left after the 2018 season.