4 Reasons Why Sending Tyson Ross to Minors Works for Oakland A's

Oakland's Tyson Ross took a trip to St. Petersburg to get the unexpected start against Tampa Bay, replacing the suspended Bartolo Colon. His trip to Florida was one to forget, as he surrendered five earned runs in six innings, taking the 5-0 loss.

Ross’ career with the A’s has been lackluster to say the least. His 2-9 overall record this season speaks for itself, and his tires can attest to the many miles driven to and from Sacramento throughout his career with Oakland.

The A’s sent Ross back down to Triple-A—only this time he will take on the role of relief pitcher for the River Cats.

As a starting pitcher, Ross showed he can dominate hitters early in the game, but he became unraveled when the floodgates started to crack.

Ross will be a huge asset to the A’s after he throws some innings in relief for the River Cats, and here’s why:

Unique Motion Forces Adjustments

As a predominately fastball/slider pitcher, Ross—all 6'6" of him—brings heat with movement most of the time.

Due to his unorthodox upright motion, hitters are forced to adjust to his slinging throwing style that makes his pitches seem to go through the strike zone quickly. When hitters have seen a traditional wind-up motion this deep into the season, Ross’ jerky delivery will have the capability to sit hitters on their heels.

His delivery is such that Ross can be an efficient bullpen presence.  

Different Mental Approach

Instead of focusing on preserving himself to go deep into the game, Ross can channel his endurance into producing two, maybe three shutdown innings.

As a starter, Ross may have pitched more conservatively to regulate his pitch count. Coming in to relieve will allow him more flexibility to pitch with a different approach: condense his fastball that touches 96 mph and develop his change-up to the point that hitters will remain off-balance.

Shuts Down Batters Initially

If history—well, recent history—tells us anything, it’s that Ross does not allow many baserunners in the early innings.

Though the blowout against the Rays did not bode well for Ross’ ERA, the Rays pressed the starter during a shaky inning—sabotaging his four strong innings prior.

Unfortunately, this is a fault with which the Athletics are all too familiar.

True to His Roots

He’s a hometown kid. Ross pays homage to 66th Avenue, just minutes from the Oakland Coliseum, on his jersey.

He attended Bishop O’Dowd High School and later played his college ball at Cal. Ross has been blessed to play for the team that he grew up watching.

Talk about a home-field advantage.

Ross has been unable to find his stride with the Athletics thus far, but his new role will inevitably allow him to build his confidence as a relief pitcher, and he then may reclaim a starting role after further developing his mound presence.