Oakland Athletics Make Roster Moves, But Matt Chapman Remains In Camp
Following Sunday’s Cactus League game, the Oakland Athletics reassigned seven players to minor league camp.
Pitchers Ryan Brasier, Angel Castro and Eduardo Santos, as well as catcher Bryan Anderson, were among the cuts. Prospects Franklin Barreto, Matt Olson and Chad Pinder also were sent back to the minor league side.
The most notable absence from the cut list was non-roster invitee Matt Chapman, who has wowed A’s staff with his performance. Chapman is 7-for-26 this spring, with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs. He’s also walked once and struck out just twice, in addition to posting an outstanding .654 slugging percentage and making some strong defensive plays.
Chapman spent all of last season at High-A Stockton and is just 22 years old, so it’s not as though he’s knocking on the door of the majors. However, his performance has really opened some eyes within the organization, and it seems as though the A’s plan to put him on the development fast-track.
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Barreto’s spring started off hot, but he finished with just a .217 average. Despite that, he did post a .609 slugging percentage, thanks to three home runs. Excluding the homers, he was 5-for-23, without an extra-base hit or walk, and he struck out nine times. Fellow shortstop prospect Pinder did a bit better – a .235/.350/.471 line, with a home run, a double and a pair of walks, as well as just five strikeouts. He was 4-for-17, and while he didn’t have as much flash as Barreto, he showed more diversified skills than his much-younger counterpart.
Anderson was 1-for-7 without a walk or an extra-base hit. He struck out three times.
In terms of pitchers, neither of the three names on the list had much chance to make the big league roster due to the team’s off-season moves. Castro had the best chance, as he had spent some time with the A’s last season. His Cactus League results were disappointing: a 6.75 ERA over 6.2 innings, with just six strikeouts. He’ll certainly have more opportunities later this season, as the bullpen is typically the most fluid part of the roster.
The right-hander Santos posted a 9.00 ERA with two strikeouts over four innings. Brasier, also a righty, had a 9.00 ERA with one strikeout over four innings. Both were part of Thursday’s late-inning meltdown against the Seattle Mariners, which was reminiscent of last season’s bullpen struggles.
The final name on the list is Olson, who is perhaps the prospect closest to making his major league debut. He batted just .130/.290/.217, going 3-for-23 with a pair of doubles. He did walk six times, but struck out nine times. Olson has to be incredibly disappointed with those results, given that he has a very realistic chance to make his debut this season.
Following these moves, the Athletics had 41 players left in camp.