How A’s Pitcher Sears Used the Pandemic to Further His MLB Career originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming note: Brodie Brasil’s full “All A’s” interview with JP Sears will air at 10 a.m. PT Sunday, 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.
A minor league pitcher At the time, Sears didn’t compete in any games during the infamously shortened 2020 MLB season, but it was sure to 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 NBC Sports California’s Brodie Brazil.
“So, I didn’t play that year,” Sears told Brazil. “I tell a lot of people that, you know, obviously COVID was a bad thing as far as the virus goes, but as far as time off for me, it made me a lot better. Like, I became a much better baseball player back then. I worked with some guys who helped me a lot. I really — I feel like I’ve used a lot of time to improve my arm a little. In 2019, I wasn’t in the best shape. I entered the 2021 season feeling better than ever. And so I used this time to improve a lot 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 shut down the world.
But after returning to action in 2021 following a yearlong hiatus filled with personal breakthroughs, Sears was a different pitcher.
That season, he finished 10-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 104 innings combined between Double-A and Triple-A.
While not releasing a single game in 2020 was a strange experience for Sears — as it was for many athletes — racking up reps made his return to action easier.
“No, I found it, I found it in early 2021,” Sears said of the pace. “You know, maybe a little more jitters 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 tried to imitate many [live action] in the offseason, at the end, around spring training, just to be a little more prepared [since I hadn’t] played [in] provided.”
Sears’ advances between 2019 and 2021 didn’t just lead to better 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 negotiated with Atlético that August. Since then, Sears has been a key part of a rebuilding Oakland’s rotationcurrently 270 1/3 innings for the A’s.
From May 17th, Sears is 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA for the 2024 A’s, starting in all nine games.
No one will ever know what Sears’ career would have been like if he hadn’t made the best of a bad situation, and so far, it appears to be paying off.
