Get to know Oakland's newest addition: Bay Area native Lucas Erceg

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It has been quite the week for Lucas Erceg.

A San Jose native who grew up loving the A’s, Erceg was acquired by his childhood team on Wednesday from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. Two days later, the right-hander joined the A’s in Houston and took the mound at Minute Maid Park against the reigning World Series champion Astros for his Major League debut.

From getting selected in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft as a position player, to recently converting to pitching, Erceg’s journey to the big leagues has certainly been interesting. Get to know the newest A’s reliever in this Q&A conducted by MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy during Spring Training:

MLB.com: What is it like being back in big league camp?

Erceg: It's been great. I had a good, good enough, year last year to get this opportunity and I'm having a second appreciation for it. I think when I was in big league camp as a position player back in 2018 and 19, I kind of took advantage of all the extra stuff that came along with being on the big league side and I'm truly appreciative of this opportunity, just because it's that second opportunity for me to make the big leagues as a pitcher now.

MLB.com: What has the transition to pitcher been like?

Erceg: Last year was good. It was my first year as a full-time pitcher, so I had a lot of learning to do. I ended up going back to Double-A, which at first I took as not really a personal disregard toward me, but I originally felt like there was no faith in me trying to do this. But then I kind of sat down with a couple of people and they had me understand a different perspective that I'll get more innings at Double-A and actually learn how to pitch. I went into the season full stride, knowing that every outing was an opportunity to learn and to just take days one by one and keep learning and keep progressing. And that's what I did. Toward the end of the season, I got the promotion back up to Triple-A, and it was like a reset button. Hitters were a lot more seasoned. They knew how to stretch at-bats out and work at-bats in a different way. I just kept the same progressions and tried picking little things out that would allow me to get better after each outing. And actually, at the end of the year, I would say that I had a good year. I think that's why I'm back in big league camp as a pitcher. I think I earned that opportunity. And now I'm ready to go.

MLB.com: How’s life going?

Erceg: It's great. I just got married this offseason. I also just hit 32 months of sobriety. So that's two big life goals that I've achieved. Regarding the sobriety, I have no plans to break that chain. Body feels good. Everything is starting to fall back into place and it's cool to see that now from a different perspective.

MLB.com: How do you maintain that sobriety?

Erceg: I mean, along with the support of my new wife, Emma, it's a daily reminder that there's another day to be appreciative. Even if it's a little rainy outside, you say, Man, today's a beautiful day, and I'm ready to enjoy what today has to offer.

MLB.com: What has it been like to have this unique path both as a player and in life?

Erceg: I think both of them coincide. There were a lot of struggles that I had as a hitter. And I think a lot had to do with the amount of drinks I drank every night. Looking back on it, I bet I would have been a completely different hitter had I decided to choose sobriety a little bit sooner, but it is what it is. I'm not going to let that mess with my head and think. 'Oh, man, I regret this and this.' I don't think there's time for that. If you put all your efforts into what you did in the past, and let those remind you of who you were, and how it can negatively affect you, you can also do the same thing, but with a positive mindset. That's what I do now. And it helps. It really does. It's crazy.

MLB.com: Do you think like a pitcher now?

Erceg: I do. It's kind of easy to get on the mound and think like a pitcher. But I think when you're on the mound, you've got to be as simple-minded as possible and just focus on the execution standpoint and not really try and play so much chess. I think that as long as you can execute on the mound, you'll be in a good spot to succeed. Thinking as a hitter while you're on the mound, trying to be a pitcher will kind of get in the way of that.

MLB.com: Is it true that you touched 100 mph last season?

Erceg: I did. Yeah. I hit 100.6 mph last year. It was in Biloxi. And it was right after a questionable call, so I was a little fired up. It was also like 100 degrees, so the wind and the heat were kind of helping with that. But yeah, it was pretty cool. That's a pretty cool milestone.