The Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane would be smart to go after an up and coming player in Ben Paulsen. Paulsen was a third round draft pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2009 out of Clemson and currently plays in the MLB. He is becoming a name people will recognize due to his solid play.
Paulsen is entering his prime at the age of 27. He made his major league debut with the Rockies last year on July 27. The slash lines for this year for the left handed hitting Paulsen are .283/.331/.481 with 32 extra-base hits in 309 plate appearances. Paulsen has even drawn praise from current Rockies’ manager and former Oakland Athletic, Walt Weiss, who states Paulsen has been ‘very clutch for us’.
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He has been a solid contributor for Colorado in the place of injured Justin Morneau and has shown off that potential at times throughout the season including a walk off hit on July 20. If the A’s can get Paulsen, he would be a great addition in the A’s lineup especially since he hits right-handed pitching well. He is not as good against lefties, but will only get better with more playing time. Platooning Paulsen and Mark Canha would be a huge upgrade from what the A’s have this season at first base. Picture Paulsen in the sixth slot in Oakland’s batting order behind Danny Valencia or Josh Reddick, and the A’s would have a solid lineup for 2016. Even though Paulsen plays his home games at Coors Fields, his home and away game splits are not a huge drop off with a batting average of .292 at Coors compared to .271 on the road.
Billy should also look to add Paulsen as he can play multiple positions, something the A’s highly value in a player. Paulsen is versatile since he can play both first base and left field. As a dual position player, Paulsen would give the A’s the ability to mix and match on any given day and he would quickly become a Bob Melvin favorite. When it comes to his defense, Paulsen has been solid with the glove this year for the Colorado Rockies and is currently fielding a .995 fielding percentage playing primarily first base and occasionally in left field.
With the Rockies in full rebuilding mode, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check on Paulsen’s availability. Beane should pick up the magical red phone that robs other teams in trades and make a deal with the Rockies. Heck, Billy should grab Ahmed Fareed’s phone like in the Comcast SportsNet Bay Area commercial to blow up Rockies’ GM Jeff Bridich like a needy ex-girlfriend to get a trade done this offseason.
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