Rewind one year to a seemingly meaningless Cactus League matchup between the A’s and Angels in Tempe.
Except on this day Oakland decides to send young pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo out with the big-league squad, and the Angels opt to counter with their regular starting lineup, complete with a guy named Mike Trout.
Facing the two-time MVP is a daunting task for any major league pitcher. Luzardo comes in as a 20-year-old kid with 12 career minor league games, nothing above low-A ball, under his belt.
But there is no fear on the kid’s face.