In Axford, A's add veteran reliever - and seasoned Twitter personality
The Oakland Athletics continued revamping their bullpen in recent weeks, adding Liam Hendriks, Ryan Madson, Marc Rzepczynski and John Axford in an ongoing effort to fix one of the most glaring deficiencies of the 2015 team.
In Axford, the A's are adding a hard-throwing right-hander that has been around a while now. The 32-year-old spent last season with the Colorado Rockies, the fifth team with which he's pitched now in his seven-year career. He has 141 career saves and 454 strikeouts in 384 innings of work, as his high-velocity fastball generates plenty of swings-and-misses.
However, Axford also brings something else to the table for the A's...another entertaining Twitter personality. Just look at how he reacted to the official news of his acquisition by Oakland:
What's more, Axford is even a filmmaker whose documentary on the band The Reason titled "If It's Not Something, It's Something Else" premiered at a film festival in Ontario, Canada last month:
#Athletics agree to terms with RHP Ryan Madson on a three-year contract and RHP John Axford on a two-year deal pic.twitter.com/gg5LuEqH2a
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) December 11, 2015
WOW!!! I look really, really, really ridiculously good looking in those colors! https://t.co/83BXoDatLZ
— John Axford (@JohnAxford) December 11, 2015
He also appeared at the Milwaukee Film Festival dressed up as Andy from the classic movie "The Shining", for good measure:
It's. About. To. Go. Down. #IfItsNotSomethingItsSomethingElse Premiere. @thereasonrock pic.twitter.com/UHuAVp35q1
— John Axford (@JohnAxford) November 9, 2015
Last film of the festival! #IfItsNotSomethingItsSomethingElse pic.twitter.com/YJbFzuVjHs
— John Axford (@JohnAxford) November 9, 2015
Regarding his personal medical history, Axford also has a very lighthearted way of looking at his past elbow issues:
Thankful for: @JohnAxford for his ongoing support, AND an intro to THE SHINING that our audience will never forget. pic.twitter.com/ng344Se1Am
— Milwaukee Film (@mkefilm) November 23, 2015
A's closer (and Axford's new teammate) Sean Doolittle recently spoke of the fun that Twitter can be for a professional athlete, and Axford definitely seems to also enjoy being vocal on social media himself. Now that he's in the Green and Gold for at least two seasons, A's fans will no doubt want to hit the 'Follow' button to keep in touch with his musings on a daily basis.
Happy 12th Anniversary to my Right Elbow and Left Hamstring. 12 years ago today, you became Tommy John Surgery! #Congrats #12StrongYears
— John Axford (@JohnAxford) November 6, 2015