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Oakland Athletics 2016 Preview: Can Outfielder Jake Smolinski Help the A’s?

By Melson Varsovia

Mar 15, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Jake Smolinski (5) singles in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Jake Smolinski (5) singles in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Athletics Outfielder Jake Smolinski: Platoon Legend

On June 21, 2015, the Oakland Athletics claimed Jake Smolinski off waivers from the Texas Rangers. What a mistake that was for Texas. Fine, they made the playoffs and achieved first place in the AL West last year. But they don’t have Smolinski.

They lost a player who fits in the A’s lineup in the most cliched way possible. Smolinski fits the bill for the Athletics the way a shoe fits on a rainy day; the way a hand fits perfectly into a worn-in glove; the way an old shirt fits comfortably around your waist.

Smolinski is a platoon guy, and the A’s need him now more than ever.

Yes, the A’s have just optioned Jake Smolinski, meaning he will start the year as expected: with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. He remains an excellent backup option for the A’s should any of their starting outfielders suffer an injury.

Here are Smolinski’s stats from last year: .193/.281/.367, 24 runs, 26 RBI, 19 bases on balls, 39 strikeouts. He owned a 20.3 percent strikeout rate and walked 9.9 percent of the time. The league average, for comparison, is a 20.4 percent K% and a 7.7 percent BB%, putting Smolinski at right about average. So far, he seems like the quintessential, or perhaps the non-essential, fifth outfielder.

His defensive statistics put him there as well, as his UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating, an average of stats that showcase his defensive abilities) is 4.6. That is to say, he will save about 4.6 runs more than the average outfielder. This is a little better than average. He did commit his second error this spring in Friday’s game, missing a cutoff man, prompting Bob Melvin to call Smolinski’s error, along with his entire defense, “putrid.” 

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But look into his platoon splits throughout his entire major league career, which includes 2014 and 2015. He stinks against right-handers, hitting merely .204. Yet against lefties, he has found some grace. He has hit .305/.382/.552 against lefties, tallying six of his nine total homers against them. His ratio of walks to strikeouts is far better against left-handers: he walked 15 times and struck out only 20 times against lefties. By comparison, against righties, he walked seven times and struck out 43 times.

Looking forward, Smolinski has improved vastly as far as plate discipline goes.

In 92 plate appearances in 2014, Smolinski struck out 24 times. Compare that to over twice as many plate appearances in 2015 (192) in which Smolinski struck out only 39 times. His SwStr% (swinging strike percentage) decreased from 11.2 percent to 8.3 percent over the last year, which is to say he is making better contact with the ball.

Next: A's Preview 2016: Coco Crisp

Smolinski is not a guy that is going to blossom overnight. He will continue to develop in the minors. Even in Spring Training, he has seen success, hitting .316/.349/.849 in 38 at bats. Still, now that he is 27, he may no longer be a prospect anymore.

But he is a guy who will give solid at-bats against left-handers, which spells outfielders like Josh Reddick, Khris Davis, and Chris Coghlan, all of whom have struggled against lefties in the past. None of these three aforementioned outfielders batted better than .222 against lefties last year. Smolinski is the ace-in-the-hole for Bob Melvin and his platoon situation in the outfield. Once a change comes to the A’s outfield and Smolinski is brought up, plan to see him every day against a left-handed starter, and every occasional evening as a pinch-hitter against lefties.

Will Smolinski be the most important outfielder the A’s have this year? Will he get more playing time against right-handers? Let us know in your comments below.