Nevermind Josh Donaldson’s MVP-like stat line, the trade that sent him to Toronto is starting to tip in the Oakland Athletics’ favor.
Initially it was seen as Brett Lawrie and some prospects. Then in spring training it looked like Kendall Graveman was really the prize. A couple weeks into the season it looked like every player acquired from the Blue Jays was a bust. Sean Nolin was hurt, minor league shortstop Franklin Barreto wasn’t doing much at single-A Stockton, Graveman was out of the rotation, and Lawrie was batting .229 and striking out more often than he ever has.
Nolin has a very encouraging 0.71 ERA in 12 triple-A innings with more than a strikeout per inning. Barreto is striking out less often than he ever has. Those two look like very promising future major leaguers.
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It’s in the major leagues, however, that the Athletics are starting to get something out of this trade.
In case you missed it Graveman threw a gem against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. He shutout the Rays for six innings, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out six. Something else that has gone mostly unnoticed is Brett Lawrie’s hot May.
This month Lawrie has missed some time, but he’s been pleasantly good at the plate. He’s 27-for-86, good for a .314 batting average. He has lowered his strikeout rate slightly and increased his wOBA from .260 to .289 and his wRC+ from 65 to 85.
The .314 average in May looks great, as does his 105 wRC+ during the month. But he still isn’t showing much power. Can he be the successful hitter we all hoped for without home run power? Yes.
During his recent hot streak Lawrie’s line drive rate jumped from 17.5 percent in March and April to 25 percent in May. His hard hit rate shot up as well from 25.4 percent to 34.4. percent from month to month.
His fly ball rate is down, however, at 20.3 percent this month and would be the lowest mark of his career. But his line drive rate and hard-hit rates in May would be the highest marks of his career
One month is far too small of a sample to use as evidence, but the May, 2015 version of Brett Lawrie has been my favorite so far. He doesn’t need to be hitting home runs as long as he is hitting the ball hard and creating runs other ways. June is historically one of Lawrie’s best months, hopefully he can sustain his current success through the summer.
When compared to Donaldson’s 2015 line, Lawrie’s may cause minor depression. Keep in mind that at age 25 Donaldson was putting up solid, if unspectacular, numbers in triple-A. Lawrie is barely 25-years-old and is already a major league veteran of five seasons. He still has plenty of time to realize his full potential.