{"id":14055,"date":"2025-05-05T16:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T23:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=14055"},"modified":"2025-05-05T16:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T23:28:11","slug":"tyler-ferguson-athletics-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2025\/05\/05\/tyler-ferguson-athletics-perseverance\/","title":{"rendered":"Perseverance Pays Off for Athletics Setup Man Tyler Ferguson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perseverance Pays Off for Athletics Fireman Tyler Ferguson<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Perseverance paid off for Athletics<\/a> setup man extraordinaire Tyler Ferguson<\/strong><\/a>. He debuted in 2024 at the age of 30 after playing nine years of minor league and independent league baseball. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long road,\u201d he said during a 2025 spring training interview at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, \u201cbut I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

After finally reaching the bigs, he made a point to stay. And the Athletics are glad he has, as he has played a big role in their current 19\u201316 record and second-place standing in the AL West. Ferguson has spent the season setting up closer Mason Miller<\/a><\/strong> in the eighth as well as closing on nights that Miller needs a break. He has sparkled in his role, only allowing an earned run in 1 of his 16 appearances. That\u2019s a ridiculous 93.8 Scoreless Outing Pct. (ScOtg%), with the AL average as of this writing being 74.0%. That has given him a 0.55 ERA in 16 1\/3 innings along with a 0.918 WHIP and a 24.6 K%. He finished third among AL setup men<\/a> in Sport Relay\u2019s March and April rankings<\/a>. Since then, as of this writing, he has already climbed to second, trailing only former Athletics teammate Lucas Erceg<\/a><\/strong>, now of the Kansas City Royals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tyler Ferguson Perseveres, Excels in High-Leverage Spots<\/h3>\n

Several aspects of Tyler Ferguson stand out to manager Mark Kotsay<\/a><\/strong>. Also during spring training, Kotsay said the following about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s big, strong, physical. I love big-bodied relievers. This is a guy that’s had to work for everything in his career. Got his opportunity last year with us. Previous season, he spent the whole year in triple-A with the Diamondbacks and threw the ball really well. You could see an energy about him when he got to the big leagues, and a mindset that he wasn’t going back. He’s kept that mindset. Coming into camp, you can tell he’s spent the off season refining and working hard to (continue) to make an impression. We used him. He closed a game or two, pitched in high leverage, pitched one-plus inning. So the mindset coming in here is he’s going to be a part of that back end of the bullpen and help us win games late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pitching coach Mark Emerson used \u201cperseverance\u201d as the first word that came to mind when asked about Ferguson in spring training. He continued, \u201cYou got a guy who was a long-time minor leaguer who fought and kept grinding to get to the big leagues. When he came up to the big leagues last year, he did a great job.\u201d Emerson went on to say that when looking at Ferguson \u201cfrom afar,\u201d what stands out is that Ferguson knows what he\u2019s capable of and works hard to reach that level. \u201cHe really works hard at his craft,\u201d Emerson said in summary.<\/p>\n

The Long Road Has Equipped Him for Success<\/h3>\n

Spending all that time in the minors naturally grew frustrating at times, Ferguson acknowledged. It would have been easy \u2014 and understandable \u2014 to become completely discouraged. When asked how he avoided that feeling, Ferguson said, \u201cIt comes in waves. This game’s hard. It’ll beat you down. But luckily, I have enough love and passion for the game that, even in the tough moments, I saw some light at the end of the tunnel. And I kept pushing, kept trying to get better. I think I had a false confidence that I was better than I was at certain points. It was where I was thinking, \u201cI can do this\u201d \u2014 a healthy confidence. And it snowballed over the years of improving, and it snowballed into really getting good and becoming the pitcher I have become over the two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emerson also noted that Ferguson\u2019s long path and resultant work ethic has helped make him a successful setup man. \u201cWhen you grind every moment to get to the big leagues, and then you’re put in leverage situations because you have good stuff \u2014 and we threw him in a fire last year \u2014 he did a great job. He even closed some games for us. When you close a lot of minor league games, or you’re pitching in the back end of minor league games in your career, and then you’re older in the big leagues, you have some ability to fight. He showed that really well last year, and he did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying in the Big Leagues<\/h3>\n

A former major leaguer once told this reporter it\u2019s hard to make the big leagues but even harder to stay there. Emerson mentioned as much when asked what else Tyler Ferguson brings to the team. \u201cHard work. Leads by example. He knows the grind isn’t necessarily just getting to the big leagues, but it’s staying here. So now he’s got to fight every day. It’s like he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He\u2019s one of those guys that took a long time to get here and now wants to prove that he belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferguson added, \u201cThere\u2019s a learning curve at the big-league level, and it’s constantly evolving. You have to keep getting better. People are gonna find and take advantage of your weaknesses or get better at (combating) your strengths. So you have to keep getting better and go out there, compete, and lay it all on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>