Adam Oller has been a much different pitcher for the Oakland A’s this time around.
The beginning of his major league career was not what anyone would have hoped. Oller had produced a 7.82 ERA and a 2.043 WHiP over his first 23 innings, striking out 15 batters while issuing 18 walks and allowing six homers. While the A’s needed to find pieces for the rotation, Oller was not doing much with his chances.
Adam Oller finding his groove with Oakland A’s
It turns out that Oller just needed a fourth chance. He has been a different pitcher since being recalled after the All Star Break, posting a 3.97 ERA and a 1.257 WHiP over his 45.1 innings, striking out 25 batters with just 16 walks. That performance would certainly be respectable for any back of the rotation arm.
His progress was apparent on Saturday. Oller was tasked with facing the Yankees and Aaron Judge, a mismatch on paper given his previous home run woes. Instead, he put together the best game of his major league career, firing eight shutout innings as he allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three.
This has been closer to what the A’s had been hoping for. He has been trusting his stuff more since his return, getting more soft contact as he has been using his defense to the best of his ability. He has also been much better about keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just two homers in 29.2 innings over his last five outings.
Chances are, Oller is not going to be a superstar. He is what he is, someone that will need to rely upon generating weak contact in order to keep his place in the majors. However, if he can continue his recent success, he could be a piece for the back of the A’s rotation.
Adam Oller has been a different pitcher in his fourth time with the Oakland A’s. It took some time, but he has finally found his groove.