Spring training games have never mattered when it comes to the win/loss record.
Despite A's manager Bob Melvin being displeased losing the first few Cactus League games, the team would ultimately have the best record before games would be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The exhibition games are a time for players to fine-tune their crafts in order to prepare for the regular season. For A's outfielder Ramón Laureano, he was working on his patience at the plate.
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"Everybody's working on something," Laureano told NBC Sports California's Brodie Brazil in an interview. "I was taking two strikes for the first at-bats, that what I was working on."
The 25-year-old said he was also working on sitting on pitches here and there, and little things of that sort.
"I just did that for the first 15 at-bats," Laureano said. "And then after that, I just kind of let it go, and then maybe mid-spring here and there, maybe situational hitting -- focusing on those little things. Some of the guys have the same approach, during the season of spring training, but I'm kind of like I have to work on things to get where I want to be for the season, to be ready for it."
Laureano admitted the two-strike approach was about him learning to play with his back against the wall -- those pressure situations.
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"It's harder to hit with two strikes, especially in the big leagues," Laureano explained. "You got to be comfortable with it. That's what I work on the most."
It appears he got a bit of practice mastering that craft in 10 games and 23 at-bats in Arizona.
Last season in 123 games, Laureano slashed .288/.340/.521 with 24 home runs.
His defensive capabilities were never an issue of his, but it's apparent he's trying to ensure every aspect of his game is at its finest.
And as far as some of those losses, the A's aren't the only team guilty of losing such a big amount of those spring games.
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"But we never feel anything about the losing, or winning, so -- I know we lost four-in-a-row, but I think that's perfect," Laureano said.
"I mean, the Yankees they used to lose like freakin' -- they used to be the last place in the spring training every year whenever they won all those World Series. I'm like 'We're going on the right track.'"