MESA, Ariz. -- A's manager Bob Melvin has given the green light to all baserunners this spring, one of many instructional methods he's borrowed from former longtime big league manager Phil Garner over the years.
"We want our guys to find out how far they can go and have some awareness," Melvin said.
The "Phil Garner-ism," Melvin noted, has been implemented for several years, and is relayed to his players early in spring to facilitate heightened alertness on the basepaths.
"I want everybody to have an awareness of what they can do, and if you give somebody a green light who hasn't had it before," Melvin explained, "all of a sudden he has an awareness of, 'OK, is this guy paying attention to me, is he slower to the plate?