As the season began, Athletics pitcher Mason Miller took on a new role coming out of the bullpen. One he took and ran with.
The same could be said of designated hitter Brent Rooker.
Miller found himself in Arlington, Tex. in July walking the red carpet amongst the best in the game as a 2024 All-Star select. He ended up being with winning pitcher in the All-Star Game.
Rooker’s story was different. Snubbed for a spot on the roster after a trip to the Midsummer Classic in 2023, the numbers didn’t lie.
It was something A’s general manager David Forst said was impressive.
“Whatever those expectations were, they absolutely both surpassed what we had hoped for them,” Forst told the media on Friday.
Miller concluded the season with an Oakland rookie record 28 saves, and was the ninth reliever in Oakland history with 100 or more strikeouts. He also threw with ferocity, throwing over 500 pitches at 100 mph or more and leading the majors there.
Mason Miller, 104mph
pic.twitter.com/KNu8Ripxrb — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 18, 2024
“We made that decision around this time last year to move him to the bullpen,” Forst added. “It’s sort of well-documented he was not thrilled about it. I think everybody who’s out there wants to be a starter, but he went along with it. Our goal was to keep him healthy—knock on wood—other than a fluke injury in the middle of the year, our medical staff did an outstanding job with him.”
The A’s medical and pitching staff wanted to be conservative with Miller’s outings and rightfully so. The eventual plan is to get him back into the rotation, but for now, he’s perfectly fine being feared coming out of the bullpen in the ninth.
Miller finished his 2024 campaign boasting a 2.49 ERA with a .877 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 65 innings.
Speaking of feared, coming off an All-Star season with 30 home runs, the expectations were there for Rooker. But he exceeded them in many ways.
“Similar with Rook, I. mean — he surpassed expectations. In 2023, sort of announced his presence as a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat, and then took it a step further this year where he should have been a back-to-back All-Star,” Forst said. “He was the guy we wanted up in every situation. He was a guy [manager] Mark [Kotsay] counted on.”
BRENT ROOKER DOESN’T CARE THAT IT’S AUGUST; HE’S GOING TO KEEP ON MASHING! #Athletics pic.twitter.com/w1cKdPbuJF
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) August 3, 2024
Not only did Rooker surpass his career high 30 home runs to 39 in 2024, he joined a list of historical Athletics.
His 39 home runs as a designated hitter tied with Frank Thomas in 2006 with most home runs in Oakland history. His 112 RBI tied Dave Kingman in 1984, behind Thomas (114, 2006) and Khris Davis (118, 2018).
Rooker finished the 2024 season slashing .293/.365/.562.
“I’m thrilled to have Rook and thrilled for his success,” Forst said.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.