Rule 5 pick Ryan Noda has officially made the A's Opening Day roster. That day also happens to be Noda's 27th birthday.
The first baseman was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round back in 2017, and was selected by the A's second overall in December's Rule 5 Draft away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The reason the A's wanted him is pretty simple if you've seen Moneyball: He gets on base. Last year in Triple-A, Noda batted .259 with a .395 on-base percentage while also slugging 25 homers.
The toolset has been there, but he's been in search of an opportunity. With the Los Angeles Dodgers having signed Freddie Freeman, first base is occupied in Dodgerland, which is partly why he was left unprotected in the first place. Now Noda gets his opportunity with a new team.
This spring he hit .208 with a .362 OBP, along with one homer and three doubles. He walked 15.9% of the time, but also struck out at a 37.7% clip. Last season in the minors he struck out 28.2% of the time.
There will be some growing pains as Noda learns the league and the pitchers adjust to him, but he has some very interesting tools, and could become a piece of the A's next contending squads.
For now, he is primed to split time at first base with veteran Jesús Aguilar, and could also see some time at DH. He's spent some time in the outfield, mainly in left, so in a pinch the A's could explore using him there as well.
The other player that has reportedly made the A's Opening Day roster is Adam Oller. This will make his second straight Opening Day with Oakland, but this time around his role hasn't quite been defined. Mark Kotsay and the A's will have either him or JP Sears in the rotation to begin the season, with the other one joining the bullpen as a long-man.
Sears is a little more stretched out of the two, and finished the spring with a 5.19 ERA across 17.1 innings with 18 strikeouts and four walks. Over his last two starts, Sears totaled 9.2 innings, gave up just three earned on nine hits, three walks, and struck out nine. Earlier in camp he wasn't throwing his new slider to right-handers, and once he started working that pitch in, his results improved.
Oller on the other hand was absolutely dominant through his first four outings, giving up two runs in his first 12.2 innings. His last two outings were more shaky, and he didn't get to work quite as many innings, either.
Based primarily on how stretched out each pitcher is, it would appear that Sears may have the inside track at a start or two to open the season. Paul Blackburn (torn nail) and Drew Rucinski (hamstring tightness) will begin the year on the IL, but both players are expected to join the A's rotation once they're healthy.
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