The Athletics Ideal Lineup for the Wild Card Game
By Matt McHugh
Sep 25, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp (4) walks to first base in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas beat Oakland 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
1. Coco Crisp, CF
No surprise here, as the A’s should continue to trot out their leadoff hitter in this game. Coco is the team’s sparkplug, and even if Melvin wanted to get a little creative, there’s no way he should even think about tinkering with this spot in the lineup.
As for his defense, I’m not the biggest fan of Coco in center. Any time there’s a single to center with a runner on second, there’s no chance that Coco’s noodle-arm will throw him out. While he does make up for it with his range, his defense still worries me, and I wouldn’t mind having Sam Fuld come in as a defensive replacement if necessary.