‘Bulldog’ Perkins to make first MLB start as A’s young arms step up post-deadline
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- A’s rookie Jack Perkins earns first MLB start Sunday after shift from bullpen role.
- Luis Morales and Eduarniel Nunez headline influx of young arms post-deadline.
- Manager Mark Kotsay explores bullpen restructuring as younger pitchers advance.
Two days after the Athletics (49-64) shipped off two key arms in former All-Star closer Mason Miller and consistent starter JP Sears, the West Sacramento-based team’s young pitchers are prepared to step up.
While the closer role has not been officially assigned in place of Miller’s absence, the “Bulldog” Jack Perkins, 25, will make his first MLB start in Sears’ place in Sunday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In eight relief appearances since his June 22 debut, Perkins, currently the A’s No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is pitching to a 2.75 ERA with 19 strikeouts and five games finished including three saves.
“Believe me, I’ve really enjoyed him in the reliever role,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said before Saturday’s 7-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. “The vast majority of the games that he’s pitched in out of the bullpen, we’ve had success in. Taking him out of the bullpen role, giving him a chance to start is great.”
‘Mentality is still the same’
Perkins was almost exclusively a starter in his rise to the big leagues before transitioning into a setup man for Miller or low-leverage finisher.
Despite being used in a relief role, Perkins has only had one outing with less than two innings pitched and has thrown more than 19 innings total in his eight outings.
“The mentality is still the same,” Kotsay said of Perkins’ move back to the rotation. “We only used Jack out of the bullpen once when we brought him into an inning, as opposed to starting in it, so there was still some comparison … I’m not real concerned about him transitioning.”
The rookie’s repertoire is highlighted by two pitches that he has combined to throw nearly 80% of the time thus far with the A’s: A flaming fastball that tops out north of 98 mph and a devastating sweeper. A solid cutter and the occasional changeup and curveball round out Perkins’ mix.
“When you do have those types of pitches in your arsenal and you can throw them in the zone for strikes, it’s difficult on any hitter,” Kotsay said of Perkins’ repertoire after his MLB debut. “You just can’t pick one location. You can’t pick one direction of a fastball, especially when they’re 94-98 (mph).”
Morales’ stuff was ‘really good’ in debut
With Perkins leaving the bullpen, Kotsay pointed to other young arms to fill the void, including No. 3 A’s prospect Luis Morales who made his debut Friday; and Eduarniel Nunez, a part of the trade with the San Diego Padres for Miller. Morales is the No. 80 prospect in baseball overall, per MLB Pipeline.
“When you have confidence in the bullpen, it’s tough to rearrange it,” Kotsay said. “But that’s what we’re doing.”
Morales, 22, has played in nearly every level of baseball imaginable — including Single-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A — since signing with the A’s as the top international pitching prospect, signing in 2023 for a $3 million signing bonus.
Most recently, Morales held a 4.40 ERA in 16 outings, six of them starts, with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators before earning the call up following the trade deadline.
“The journey that he’s been through, even though he’s a young man, today is a great day for him,” Kotsay said of Morales on Friday, according to MLB.com. “He’s earned this opportunity. He’s thrown the ball really well. It’s an accelerated path, but there’s a lot of confidence behind what he’s been able to do.”
Morales’ fastball, that gets up to 99 mph, highlights his mix and is complemented by a slider that earned praise from A’s scouts and a developing changeup.
According to MLB.com, the A’s are looking at Morales as a starter as soon as next year, and Kotsay said Friday the 22-year-old may get a start or two before the end of the year.
In his debut on Friday, Morales threw two innings and surrendered one run on three hits and a walk while showing all three of his key pitches.
Kotsay said Saturday that Morales needing to develop more swing-and-miss stuff and continuing to avoid control issues highlighted in his scouting profiles, were the main takeaways from the debut.
Other young pitchers stepping up in bullpen
Nunez was dominant in 11 outings for the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate this season, surrendering no runs in 12 1/3 innings of work, and held a 3.86 ERA in four MLB appearances for San Diego.
While his 5.9 walks per nine innings statistic throughout his professional career, including 4.4 in 2025, is a concern according to Kotsay, his fastball that has hit over 101 mph and an excellent slider shows promise.
After entering at the start of the eighth inning on Saturday, Nunez got five outs while walking two and surrendering one run on a solo shot from Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll.
“From the TV where I got to watch, his stuff looked pretty good,” Kotsay said after Saturday’s game, which he was ejected from in the seventh inning. “He had a lot of life on the fastball and other than the one slider that he hung to Carroll, I thought the outing looked pretty good.”
Elvis Alvarado, the A’s No. 16 prospect, is another young arm that has taken a bigger role as of late.
Alvarado, 26, holds a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings for the A’s this season and like Nunez can also hit triple digits with his fastball and throws an above average slider.
After giving up runs in each of his first four outings, Alvarado has only surrendered two runs since early June and hasn’t given up a run in his last four outings.
“He’s showing a low heartbeat in those situations that we’re putting in, which is one characteristic of a closer … so there’s definitely strides in the right direction,” Kotsay said Saturday when asked if Alvarado had potential as a closer. “What I like about Elvis is when you pitch in the Dominican (Republic) in the winter, those games are electric. He’s been in some big moments in those games and had success, so there’s a little history, even more than just the Minor League stuff.”
