How A’s pitcher Sears used the pandemic to continue his MLB career originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming Note: Brodie Brazil’s full “All A’s” interview with JP Sears airs Sunday at 10 a.m. PT before “A’s Pregame Live” on NBC Sports California, and again after “A’s Postgame Live.”
JP Sears has made the most of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sears was a minor league pitcher at the time and didn’t participate in games during the infamously shortened 2020 MLB season, but he would certainly stay busy in the hypothetical lab.
On the latest episode of “All A’s,” the 28-year-old lefty detailed his development during the pandemic to Brodie Brazil of NBC Sports California.
“So I didn’t play that year,” Sears said of Brazil. “I tell a lot of people that COVID was obviously a bad thing as far as the virus goes, but as far as time off for me, it’s made me a lot better. For example, I have become a much better baseball player during that time. I’ve worked with some guys who have helped me a lot. I really feel like I spent a lot of time getting my arm a little better. In 2019 it wasn’t in the best shape. I entered the 2021 season feeling better than ever before. And so I just used that time to get a lot better and work on my mechanics.
“So I feel like I benefited a lot from it.”
Sears went 4-4 with a 4.07 ERA for the New York Yankees’ High-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, in 2019 before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
But after returning to action in 2021 after a year-long hiatus of personal progress, Sears was a different pitcher.
That season, he finished 10-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 104 combined innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
While not pitching in one game in 2020 was a strange experience for Sears, as it was for many athletes, stacking up reps made his return to action easier.
“No, I found it, I found it early in 2021,” Sears said of rhythm. “You know, maybe a little bit more nerves or jitters in spring training, just because I’m like, ‘Oh, wow. It’s been a minute. It’s been a while, yes.’ But I’ve tried to emulate a lot of it [live action] in the offseason, towards the end closer to spring training so I would be a little better prepared [since I hadn’t] played [in] so long.”
Sears’ progress from 2019 to 2021 didn’t just lead to improved ERAs and win-loss records. They also led to a spot in the majors.
In 2022, Sears made his MLB debut for the Yankees before ultimately being traded to the Athletics in August. Since then, Sears has been a key part of a rebuilding rotation in Oakland, currently throwing 270 1/3 innings for the A’s.
As of May 17, Sears is 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA for the 2024 A’s starting in all nine of his appearances.
No one will ever know what Sears’ career would have been like had he not made the best of a bad situation, and so far it seems to be paying off.
