Kyle Finnegan At Home In The Bullpen

MESA, Ariz.—The adrenaline surged through righthander Kyle Finnegan’s veins. It may have only been the third game of spring training, but in this case the manager and coaching staff of the Athletics were watching.

Finnegan responded with a shutout ninth inning for the save in a win against the Giants.

“It was definitely exciting,” said Finnegan, 25. “I had the shaky legs. That’s what I like to feel on the mound. Looking back, it’s just so cool that I was able to face some big league guys and be around that atmosphere.”

He may well have to get used to it—the atmosphere, that is. The slender 6-foot-2 Finnegan made the move from starting to relieving last year, and the new role could make him a contender for a callup this season.

After moving up to Double-A Midland last year, he put together a 2.14 ERA with six saves in 30 appearances. His fastball touched 97 mph, and he complements it with a slider, curveball and quality changeup.

“At some point you realize that his natural ability, his aggressiveness and the spike in velocity all lead to (a bullpen role),” farm director Keith Lieppman said.

A 2013 sixth-round pick from Texas State, Finnegan made 24 starts in 2015 before moving to the bullpen for his final four appearances. He spent the offseason wondering about his future role before he met with pitching coordinator Gil Patterson in spring training.

“I’ve always been the type of player where I wanted to do whatever the coaches asked of me,” Finnegan said. “I always knew that (relieving) would probably be my end game to move to the big leagues.

“I’m a little out of the mold of big league starters. I’m kind of a max-effort guy . . . and I give everything to every pitch I have.”

Listed at 170 pounds, Finnegan also lacks the prototype build of a starter. He had relieved on occasion in college.

“It wasn’t something completely new to me,” he said. “I think that’s what made the transition so easy.”

A’s ACORNS

• After a difficult season at Triple-A Nashville last year, outfielder Matt Olson received hitting suggestions from A’s hitting coach Darren Bush during a September callup. He has shown major improvement this spring, Lieppman said.

• Lieppman noted that many minor league players arrived early and voluntarily joined the mini-camp for workouts.

— Casey Tefertiller is a writer based in Oakland