PACHE MAKING A FAST IMPRESSION

Cristian Pache was no different than most aspiring baseball players growing up. As a youth in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the A’s 23-year-old center fielder yearned for a chance to meet players he idolized, such as David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols.

While scrolling through Twitter on his phone last week, Pache was reminded of those childhood wishes when he received a notification of a post from a young fan, Jaden Solis, asking how many hits he would need to collect in his Little League game for a chance to meet Pache. It just so happened that the following day was Little League Day at the Oakland Coliseum, and Solis was going to be one of the thousands of kids in attendance to walk the field before the game.

Sure enough, once Sunday came, there was Pache waiting just outside the A’s dugout. Once Jaden came walking by, Pache welcomed the young Little Leaguer and his family, gifting him one of his game-used red bats that he autographed. In exchange, Pache received his own gift: a baseball card of Solis in his full Gridley Little League Braves uniform.

The outfielder took it a step further and asked Solis to autograph the card, which now resides at Pache's locker inside the A’s clubhouse. 

“I saw his video and identified with him,” Pache said. “When you’re a little kid, you want to be where your favorite players are. I felt like him when I was his age wanting to meet big league players. It was really exciting to get to make his dream a reality.”

Interactions like this have become common for Pache so far this season. He constantly connects with A’s fans through social media, expressing appreciation for the support they show. That, along with the many highlight-reel plays he’s compiled in a short amount of time, has already turned him into a beloved player among the Oakland faithful. For the A’s home opener against Baltimore on April 18, fans even broke out a “Pache!” chant during his at-bats.

“A lot of people told me the importance of social media,” Pache said. “I wanted to get close to fans this year and conversate with them. They’re the ones who show me that support when they come to the stadium.”

The admiration for Pache is equally as high among his teammates and coaches. His exuberant personality has quickly been embraced, even providing the A’s with a source of energy through the first month of the season as he demonstrates his excitement on a home run or spectacular defensive play.

“I love it,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of Pache’s presence. “That’s part of allowing guys to be themselves. He’s showing a level of energy and excitement that we feed off as a team. We’re allowing him to go out and have fun. He’s having fun and making plays. He’s a young player that we’re going to mature and grow, yet not take away from his personality.”

TRIVIA

Which Hall of Fame pitcher holds the franchise record for most strikeouts (1,985) in an A's uniform? 

A. Lefty Grove
B. Eddie Plank
C. Catfish Hunter
D. Dennis Eckersley

IN THE NEWS

• There’s always been intrigue over what type of hitter Sheldon Neuse can be with regular playing time. In what is his first everyday role in the big leagues, the third baseman is taking advantage of that opportunity with a hot start at the plate for the A’s. More >>
  
  
• Oakland’s bullpen no longer features the many veterans it employed in years past. However, these inexperienced arms like Dany Jiménez, Zach Jackson and Kirby Snead continue to get the job done in high-leverage situations. More >>
  
  
• Rickey Henderson and Babe Ruth seem like players who couldn’t be more opposite of each other. However, MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan wrote about how these two legends actually had more in common than you might think. More >>

THE VAULT

The A’s announced that legendary right-hander Dave Stewart will finally have his No. 34 jersey retired prior to their Sept. 11 game against the White Sox. There were plenty of big moments in the Oakland native’s career, but one of his defining performances came on Oct. 15, 1989, when he took the Coliseum mound for the A’s in Game 1 of the World Series and dominated the cross-bay rival Giants with a shutout. He allowed just five hits while striking out six, helping stake Oakland a 1-0 lead in the Series.

WALK-UP CHRONICLES

As a self-proclaimed “walk-up song enthusiast” on Twitter, I’ve decided to dedicate this section to spotlight the inspiration behind the music choices selected by A’s players inside the clubhouse or when they head to the plate or mound.
 
A’s catcher Austin Allen turned the Oakland Coliseum into a party last week when “Fire” by legendary Bay Area musician Mac Dre blared over the speakers as he walked to the plate for his first home at-bat. He talked about that decision and more in this week's edition of Walk-Up Chronicles:

Gallegos: You really played to the crowd with your choice of “Fire” as your walk-up song. How did that come about?

Allen: Mac Dre is from the Bay Area and that song is literally fire. It’s nice to just ride around to. It’s one of those first songs you put on when you just roll the windows down and you’re just cruising. It’s nice. There’s a few more of his old songs that I might rock. 

Gallegos: How does a guy who grew up in Missouri like yourself even find out about Mac Dre’s music?

Allen: Growing up in St. Louis, we had Nelly, Chingy and like J-Kwon. But I would listen to a lot of West Coast guys. There’s a guy named Yung Lott from the Bay Area. I’ve been messing with underground West Coast rap a lot.

Gallegos: So you knew about the deeply rooted West Coast rap scene?

Allen: Yeah. I like knowing where people are from. I like the Memphis rap. Houston rap was really taking off when I was growing up. Tupac was one of my best friend’s favorite rapper, so anytime I went to his house or we were in his parents’ car, that’s all we’d listen to. I’ve always liked rap, dating back to when MTV was actually "Music Television."

Gallegos: Some guys don’t really care about walk-up songs, while others are really into it. Is music in general something you’d say you’re pretty into?

Allen: Yeah, for sure. I think music can definitely dictate somebody’s mood. It can be therapeutic. I’ve definitely used music as therapy and stuff along those lines to help me through the hard times. Everybody can find something to relate to through somebody else’s story. We all go through the same things, whether we admit it or not.

Gallegos: So you also use a reggae song as a walk-up. Is your music choice pretty diverse?

Allen: I mean, I’m already like a pretty high-energy guy. So I just want something to chill out to, usually. Something fun that I can have a good time with.

TRIVIA ANSWER

B. Eddie Plank. He also posted the most wins in franchise history (284).

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

• Shea Langeliers, one of four prospects acquired from the Braves in exchange for Matt Olson before the season, is quickly making his presence felt at Triple-A Las Vegas. The 24-year-old catcher earned a spot on MLB Pipeline’s most recent Prospect Team of the Week after slashing .417/.482/.750 with two homers, two doubles, four RBIs and three walks across six games. More >>
  
  
• A lot of the focus early on has been on the new prospect additions to the A’s system this year, but let’s not forget about Tyler Soderstrom. The 20-year-old catcher still ranks as Oakland’s top overall prospect, with a strong bat that was on display in his two-homer game for Single-A Lansing over the weekend. More>>

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Contact: 

 Martin.Gallegos@mlb.com 

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