The 2018 A’s opened spring training in Arizona with several candidates vying for the staff ace role. As the team enters the 3rd month of the season, the mantle of #1 starter has fallen comfortably onto the shoulders of one Daniel Joseph Mengden. Mengden (6-4, 2.91 ERA) was the best pitcher not just for the A’s but in all of baseball last month (minus that Verlander guy), posting a 4-1 record with a 1.51 ERA (7 er in 41.2 ip) and .181 (27-for-149) opponents batting average during the month of May.
The right-handed Texas native was particularly dominant over his past 3 starts, posting scoreless starts against Toronto (7 innings, 2 hits 0 runs), Arizona (9 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs) and shutting down a hot Tampa Bay team (pitched a shutout into the 9th inning before giving up 3 meaningless runs).