Some players just get it. They are able to instantly connect with a fanbase, becoming a fan favorite seemingly overnight. Their personalities and style of play resonate, making it seem as though they have been there forever, even if their tenure can be measured in days or weeks. Such is the case with Cristian Pache and the Oakland A’s.
Pache has been with the A’s for less than a month, but has gone out of the way to connect with the community. His interactions with a young fan who says that Pache is his favorite player, both before and after meeting him, speak volumes.
We have the same profile pic! https://t.co/V4NJShrpms
— Cristian Pache (@cristianpache25) April 25, 2022
Oakland A’s outfielder Cristian Pache just gets it
The best way to grow the game is to connect with fans. Highlights, getting to the ballpark, and being able to watch the games matter, but there is something particular about baseball that lends itself to those interactions. It is something that makes baseball special.
At this point, the Oakland A’s need all the fans they can get. Ownership’s ongoing refusal to invest in the team and their antagonistic stance towards the fans have turned the Coliseum into a ghost town. The players that are on the team are playing before more feral cats than people.
Unfortunately, the players are stuck in the middle. They are caught between horrendous ownership and fans that have had enough. And yet, they are human, wanting to connect and find that middle ground that will bring people in to cheer them on.
That means connecting to those fans in any way possible. Pache has done exactly that early on, helping to make him the face of a franchise that he has been with for approximately a month at this point. His interactions with this young fan, and how he absolutely made his day, show how much Pache gets it – that being a ballplayer involves more than just going to the ballpark every day.
Cristian Pache has become a fan favorite and the face of the Oakland A’s due to his actions. Very simply, he just gets it.