A little over a week ago, the Oakland Athletics claimed outfielder Jake Smolinski off of waivers from the Texas Rangers. This transaction was intriguing because Smolinski did not show the same potential at the beginning of this season that he did in 2014. Yet, the Athletics still wanted him, and now it seems as though it was the right move to make. This 26-year-old is finding major success in Triple-A and it is time for the A’s to bring him up to Oakland.
Smolinski was brought up to the majors for the first time in July 2014. He quickly showed off his power at the plate, hitting .349 with a .903 OPS in 86 plate appearances. Many were excited about Smolinski’s potential and eager to see what he would bring in 2015 especially after he batted .353 with a 1.038 OPS in spring training this year.
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However, he could not maintain his momentum once the season officially began. He had a .133 batting average with only 12 hits in 60 at-bats. Due to his lack of offensive success, the Rangers sent him back down to Triple-A in early May.
Even though he performed poorly during the first month of the 2015 season, he seems to have regained his swing in the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate. He is currently batting .478/.480/.609 with the Nashville Sounds. Additionally, Smolinski knows the strike zone very well and usually draws a lot of walks.
Oakland could benefit from his bat in the lineup. Since Sam Fuld is a left handed hitter, him and Smolinski would make a nice platoon in left field since Smolinski’s bats right. Fuld hits considerably better against right handed pitchers and Smolinski could provide power against lefties. Fuld has never been that great offensively and Smolinski could provide a stronger bat when he is in the lineup.
Additionally, Ben Zobrist, the ultimate utility man, currently fills in as one of the backup outfielders. If Oakland does decide to trade Zobrist, they are going to need another outfielder and Smolinski could fill the fourth outfielder position easily. And, by not having him in the lineup on a daily basis, he would be able to observe, mature and learn how to be successful in the MLB over time.
The only minor negative attribute about Smolinski is his defense. He does not have the instinctual skills to play in the outfield and lacks quickness. It would not be smart to have him play in left everyday especially with the way Oakland’s defense has been this season. However, this does point to the fact that he would be a good platoon player – a quality the Athletics tend to like.
At this point, the Oakland Athletics should be trying out every possible move that could make their team better. They finally brought up switch-pitcher Pat Venditte and he had some great outings before landing on the disabled list. They hired in Ron Washington to help Marcus Semien with his defense and Semien has committed far less errors in June than he did in April and May. The next move is to bring up Smolinski to platoon in left field with Fuld.