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Oakland A’s: What is Going On at Second Base?

By Riley Wilkins

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Jed Lowrie #8 and Manager Bob Melvin #6 of the Oakland Athletics talk in the dugout prior to the game against the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 3, 2018 New York, New York. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 7-2. Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Jed Lowrie #8 and Manager Bob Melvin #6 of the Oakland Athletics talk in the dugout prior to the game against the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on October 3, 2018 New York, New York. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 7-2. Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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Chad Pinder

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Chad Pinder has been a member of the Oakland A’s since 2016 and has developed into one of the more unique players in MLB with his combination of versatility and power.

Pinder has played every position but catcher and pitcher for the A’s, and while his infield defensive metrics have been a bit inconsistent, I would give Pinder the benefit of the doubt because playing multiple positions is a burden that probably impacts his numbers. Pinder also sneakily possesses one of the game’s most powerful swings. In 2018, he had the 27th highest average exit velocity and the 50th highest in 2019.

The wart on Chad Pinder’s game has been his plate approach. His career on base percentage is just above .300, and there is a lot of swing and miss in his game. This lack of discipline puts a cap on how valuable he can be as an everyday member of the lineup. It is easy to get excited about Pinder’s strength, but as he goes into his age 29 season, there likely isn’t another level to unlock in his game.

Ultimately, I think that Pinder’s versatility is too valuable to Bob Melvin to lock in Pinder at second base exclusively, at least against both left and right-handed pitching.