Oakland Athletics Report Card: A’s Below Average In May
By Joey Lopez
The Defense
The A’s have committed the most errors in baseball with 51. Their .973 fielding percentage is the lowest mark in the majors.
Oakland’s defense has been inconsistent the last few years, after maintaining a strong reputation for excellent defense in the early to mid 2000’s.
Among the team leaders in errors are Ryon Healy (6), Trevor Plouffe (6), Stephen Vogt (6) and Mark Canha (4).
The A’s acquired Plouffe this offseason with the hopes that he would anchor third base. He’s been rather lackluster in his first year with Oakland and his defense has been just as unimpressive.
Plouffe’s -1.5 UZR is an improvement from last year’s -7.7 with the Twins, but the A’s will need better coverage defensively.
Plouffe has never been widely regarded as a stellar defender, but the A’s need at least average efficiency from Plouffe.
Healy has had his struggles this season, but the A’s hope the young infielder will play a larger role in the team’s future. The team’s youth movement will likely come sooner rather than later if veteran players like Plouffe continue to struggle.