Jaycob Brugman Nearly Ready For A’s

Jaycob Brugman (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

OAKLAND—Every year, outfielder Jaycob Brugman came to spring training with a plan to learn more about baseball, and every year he did.

“I had to figure out the patterns of the game,” the outfielder said. “It’s not about guessing, but knowing what the pitcher was going to do in certain situations. Baseball just works in a funny way.”

The more he learned, the better he became. That all culminated after a promotion to Triple-A Nashville, where he hit .295 with seven homers, 67 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 94 games. The surge caused the A’s to place him on the 40-man roster, a nifty achievement for a 17th-round pick in the 2013 draft.

“Once he came to Nashville, he helped create their winning ways,” A’s farm director Keith Lieppman said. “He got on base a lot and created opportunities for the guys behind him to make things happen. He could hit up and down the lineup. He knows how to bunt. He’s a lot like Mark Kotsay.”

Brugman, who turns 25 in January, grew up in Arizona, then picked Brigham Young over a draft opportunity with the Yankees. He spent three seasons at BYU, hitting .317 in his junior season.

“I think he’s been under-appreciated,” Lieppman said. “He’s produced every year.”

He considered a winter ball stint but decided to take remain home with his pregnant wife, Ali. This turned into an important decision when Ali delivered nearly two months prematurely after a series of complications.

Brugman says his next goal will be to improve his baserunning and basestealing, and that will be his focus in spring training. He is working hard to develop the skills of a leadoff hitter after hitting mostly in the middle of the order through college. The A’s are desperately in need of future leadoff men, and Brugman wants the job.

“I love it there,” he said. “You’ve got a chance to set the tone for the game. You can make things happen there. That’s what I want to do.”

A’s ACORNS

• Also added to the 40-man were infielders Franklin Barreto and Yairo Munoz and pitchers Bobby Wahl and Paul Blackburn.

• Lieppman said that outfielder Lazaro Armenteros had an impressive debut in the Dominican Instructional League.