Aguilar embraces leadership role with A's

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jesús Aguilar feels like he has been here before.

Aguilar brought a big bat and a big presence to a young 2020 Miami team that made the postseason for the first time in 13 years, and he said the lure of joining an Oakland team in a similar situation was a selling point.

“It’s almost the same thing -- a good combination of veterans and young guys,” Aguilar said before the A’s played to a 14-14, nine-inning tie against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

“The opportunity here was clear. I want to be part of something good. I want to create. I want to build something good. In the future, maybe somebody will say, ‘Aggy was part of this.’ I’ve been in this situation before in Miami. I want to do the same thing here. I think we have what we need. Hopefully it will happen.”

Aguilar is projected to be a middle-of-the-order contributor as the regular DH with occasional work at first base after signing a one-year, $3 million free-agent contract.

He had a career year with Milwaukee in 2018, hitting 35 homers and compiling 108 RBIs with an .890 OPS in 149 games (the only season he played more than 133).

He joins the A’s after a near-three-year run with the Marlins, with whom he had 45 homers before joining Baltimore for the 2022 stretch drive. His eight long balls in the Covid-shortened 2020 season helped drive the Marlins to their first postseason appearance since their 2003 World Series run.

“I’m hoping we get 2018 Jesús Aguilar,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “A guy that hit in the middle of the lineup for the Brewers and was a big part of that team’s success.”

The number Aguilar is most interested in is appearances.

“I don’t want to put numbers in my mind,” he said. “I just want to stay healthy. Hopefully, if I stay healthy, I can do a lot of good things. Everything was on the same page [in Milwaukee]. That’s over for me. I don’t try to think about that. You have to stay consistent.”

Although it has only been a few weeks, Oakland teammates say they have felt Aguilar’s positive, supportive presence in the clubhouse.

“His personality comes across as joyful,” Kotsay said. “Some would mistake the laugh and the smile in the game as maybe lack of concentration. Not it at all. He does like to stay loose, which is a good thing, and go out and have fun. That’s a big attribute to have inside that clubhouse, for sure.”

Aguilar embraces that approach.

“For me, it’s about keeping the negativity away,” Aguilar said. “I like to be around the guys, talking. I just want to be a good guy. This game is too hard, man. For me, that is a way to take the pressure away from the young guys so they can go out there and play the game the right way.”

Seth Brown, Aguilar and perhaps another veteran addition, Jace Peterson, figure to anchor the middle of the order. Brown believes the presence of Aguilar, Peterson and others, such as Aledmys Díaz and Manny Piña will help in several ways.

“It’s always fun for me, because that’s just more people I get to learn from,” Brown said of the veteran newcomers.

"The presence he brings is that calmness, that confidence that I think the younger guys need to see," Brown said of Aguilar. "This is what a big leaguer looks like. It’s good to have him around. It’s good to have all these guys. Those are the types of things the young guys need to see, how professionals go about their business.”

Worth noting

• Right-hander Adrián Martínez gave up an opposite-field single and a walk while throwing 35 pitches in two innings in his first Spring Training start. He struck out the last batter he faced on a breaking ball with a runner on third while holding a 2-0 lead.

Martínez said he focused on his delivery and his slider.

“I’ve just been working to keep my delivery consistent,” he said. “If I focus on that, the pitches are going to do what I want them to do.”

Martínez made 12 starts for the A’s last season and is among a group of candidates vying for a spot at the back end of the rotation. He was 4-6 with a 6.24 in 57 2/3 innings in 2022.

“Threw strikes,” Kotsay said. “Used his changeup effectively. Good outing for him.”

Martínez is set to make one more start with the A’s before joining Mexico for the World Baseball Classic, where he likely will be used in a piggyback role for his country.

“Representing my country is one of the biggest [things] anyone wants to do for their country,” Martínez said.

• The A's No. 1 prospect catcher Tyler Soderstrom hit a long home run to the base of the flagpoles beyond the fence in right-center in the eighth inning. He finished a triple shy of a cycle. Soderstrom had 29 homers at three Minor League levels in 2022. Kevin Cron and Cody Thomas also homered.

• Right-hander Luis Medina reached 100 mph in one inning in his first spring outing, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. “Liam [Hendriks] was the last one to touch 100 here,” Kotsay said. “Definitely electric stuff.”