Oakland Athletics’ Prospects: Joey Wendle Is Steadily Progressing
Joey Wendle has batted just .262/.299/.396 this year, but it’s not time to give up hope on the young second baseman yet.
A lot of Oakland Athletics’ fans may have assumed Wendle was a hot prospect, given that the A’s gave up All-Star slugger Brandon Moss to acquire the 26-year-old Wendle from the Cleveland Indians.
From Cleveland’s perspective, there was no way to turn down this deal. Moss is expensive, which is why Oakland was so eager to dump his salary, but he wasn’t too expensive for the Tribe to gamble on. If he returned from hip surgery without issue, he would be a steal. Meanwhile, Wendle was blocked by All-Star Jason Kipnis at second base, and there was little to no chance that he would ever see big league playing time with the Indians.
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That’s not to say Wendle wasn’t highly rated. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2012, and spent plenty of time moving up through their minor league system before the trade happened. In 2013, he even won the Lou Boudreau Award, which the Indians award to their minor league player of the year. He had batted .295/.372/.513, piling up 16 homers and 64 RBIs during his season with the High-A Carolina Mudcats.
But his 2014 season at Double-A Akron was derailed when he broke his hamate bone, forcing him to miss time and affecting his ability to hit even once he returned. That injury appears to still be slowing him down, as he’s hardly up to his usual level of power.
Wendle, despite batting left-handed, hits just as well against lefties as he does against right-handers. And when he’s on, as he was during his last healthy season in 2013, his power is unexpected for a second baseman. Even in today’s game, where middle infielders like Kipnis, Robinson Cano and Brian Dozier are breaking stereotypes, there are many second basemen like Eric Sogard, who are all glove and no bat.
Wendle will be better than Sogard offensively, and he wouldn’t be much of a drop off in terms of defense, either. So far, Wendle has played exclusively at second base for the Nashville Sounds, and he made eight errors in the first half of the season. While in Cleveland, he also spend time at third base, so he’s not exclusively tied down to one position.
What is important to keep in mind is that Wendle has never played at the Triple-A level before. Typically, when a player is promoted, there is an adjustment period. The competition is tougher, and the pressure becomes more intense. Throw in the fact that Wendle is making that adjustment while learning a new league and adjusting to a new team, and it’s no wonder that he’s had struggles.
The second half will be key for Wendle in terms of proving his value and showing that he’s ready to make the next step, perhaps as soon as September. He’s talented enough to relieve Sogard of his duties at some point, if he can only get back on track.