Five Oakland Athletics’ Offseason Targets: Left Field
Oct 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus (no shirt) celebrates with teammates in the locker room after defeating the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Houston won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Colby Rasmus: 29 years old
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6’ 2”, Weight: 195 lb.
Most baseball fans have become accustomed to seeing Rasmus park moonshots during this current postseason however this is nothing new to the former first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Over a 162 game average, Rasmus averages 25 home runs and 72 RBI’s, production not typically seen for an everyday centerfielder who only makes $8 million. Yet, it remains to be seen if he will get a significant pay raise due to his glaring flaws at the plate revolving around contact.
Colby epitomizes the term “swing big, miss big” as he was called out on strikes a whopping 154 times in 2015. He also has only batted .233 over the past two years and has yet to amass more than 130 hits in a single season throughout his career. These are shocking and a bit concerning for what seems like a still semi-young player with plenty of talent, but it also could help the A’s when finding cheaper options to patrol left field. If the Astros don’t want to try and make a run at Rasmus, I think he could be an interesting option for Oakland to explore.
Next: A Former #1 Overall Pick