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Oakland Athletics: Outfielder Andrew Lambo Could Be a Key Bench Bat

By Katrina Hamrick

Mar 29, 2016; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Andrew Lambo bats against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2016; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Andrew Lambo bats against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Athletics outfielder Andrew Lambo was called up on Monday – can he help the A’s?

On Monday, the Oakland Athletics placed left-hander Felix Doubront on the disabled list and called up outfielder Andrew Lambo to fill the 25th roster spot. Given that the A’s will need a pitcher to take Doubront’s turn in the rotation on Friday, it’s likely that Lambo will be sent back to the minors after just a brief stay in Oakland.

If the Athletics are smart, they’ll call him back up sooner, rather than later.

Lambo played in 25 games this Spring, totaling 48 at-bats. In that span, he hit three doubles and two home runs, batting .333/385/.521. He has never hit particularly well at the major league level before, but Lambo is only 27 years old. In 2014, he had the best season of his career – batting .328/.389/.563 for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 61 games. His 2015 season was cut short by a foot injury, just when it seemed he was poised to put it all together.

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Over the last few years, Lambo has been steadily improving, although he has been hampered by injury. He was a fourth round draft pick by the Dodgers in 2007, before being dealt to the Pirates in 2010. In 2013 and 2014, he was named an Organizational All-Star. He made his debut on August 13, 2013, earning 33 appearances with the Pirates that season and batting .233/.303/.400.

With such an unremarkable start to his career, why should the Athletics consider Lambo for their big league roster? Primarily because he’s an upgrade over Coco Crisp. Crisp’s age and injury issues led to plenty of fans calling for his release this winter, as well as speculation that he’ll retire at the end of 2016. Lambo has better power potential, and while he certainly isn’t going to blow anyone away with his contact rate, he’s capable of hitting enough home runs to make up for it.

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Lambo doesn’t necessarily have the numbers to be an everyday player, but as a reserve outfielder and designated hitter, he has real potential to make an impact on the major league roster. He had a .235 ISO (isolated slugging percentage) in 2014 with the Triple-A Indians, and a .317 ISO the year before that. Those are pretty phenomenal numbers. His on-base percentage also looks good – a .389 OBP in 2014, and a .344 OBP in 2013.

The questions is whether he can put it all together at the major league level. He probably won’t have much opportunity to prove himself at the start of the season, but later on as trades and injuries begin to occur, Lambo could be the power-hitting key to the A’s bench.