MESA, Ariz. -- The A’s were looking at any kind of starting pitching help they could get last September.
The thought of calling up Jesus Luzardo, who began 2018 at Single-A Stockton, was even a far-fetched consideration.
“Could he have helped us?,” A's manager Bob Melvin rhetorically asked. “Probably. But he’s really important to our future.”
By the point MLB rosters expanded to 40 in September, Luzardo had already thrown 109 minor-league innings across three levels, including Triple-A.
And that was just the physical toll. There also was a mental side to consider.
“If you fail, your first year, you have some confidence issues going forward,” Melvin said.