Oakland A’s: What is Going On at Second Base?
The 2021 Oakland A’s infield has a lot of question marks. Can newcomer Elvis Andrus become the latest veteran to find a satisfying second act in the green and gold? Can two-time Platinum Glove winner Matt Chapman return to form after hip surgery? Can Matt Olson hit over .200? (I’m guessing yes on the last one, but we will see.) The answers to these questions are going to be vital to Oakland’s postseason hopes, but there is one infield question that has been plaguing the A’s for the past three years. What is going on at second base?
After Jed Lowrie left the Oakland A’s in 2018, the A’s situation at second base has been unstable. The A’s traded for Jurickson Profar who’s fielding and offense did not meet expectations. Another potential heir to Lowrie’s throne was promising middle infield prospect, Franklin Barreto. Baretto was the main piece the A’s acquired in the famously catastrophic Josh Donaldson trade and at one point was getting comparisons to the last Athletic to win an MVP, Miguel Tejada.
Finding an answer for the Oakland A’s at second base
Sadly, Miguel Tejada 2.0 was not in the cards. Baretto has struck out 40% of the time and has seven career walks in his 237 plate appearances. While the book is not entirely closed on Franklin, Manager Bob Melvin couldn’t justify penciling him into the lineup of a competing team, and Baretto bounced back and forth between MLB and Triple-A throughout his career in Oakland. The A’s front office mercifully ended Barreto’s tenure with the A’s at the 2020 trade deadline, trading him for a much-needed lineup upgrade and a temporary answer to the second base question, Tommy LaStella.
Going into the 2021 season, Tommy La Stella has moved across the bay to San Francisco, and the question has returned, this time without the pressure of the Donaldson trade looming over it: What is going on at second base? Let’s meet the candidates! None of them are perfect, but all of them are interesting!
Chad Pinder
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.
Tony Kemp
The Oakland A’s acquired Tony Kemp before the 2020 season as a potential answer to the 2nd base question.
In many ways, he’s the opposite of Pinder. Kemp bats left-handed, Pinder bats right. Kemp has very little power but an excellent plate approach. Pinder has great power but little plate discipline. His lack of pop will always limit kemp’s ceiling, but he has an uncanny ability to command the zone without having the power to threaten pitchers. Kemp’s eye and plate approach have always been an asset, but it reached a new height in 2020 when the second baseman walked more than he struck out. The sample size was tiny, with only 114 plate appearances, but the grittiness was apparent in Kemps at-bats last season.
At the start of the season, I think the most likely scenario will be a Kemp/Pinder platoon at second. This pair has the potential to make this more interesting than your standard lefty/righty platoon because of how vastly different their skills are. If the A’s face an opponent’s lefty ace that will feast on Pinder’s swing and miss tendencies, maybe Kemp gets the start over him. If there is a soft-tossing, strike-throwing righty on the mound, perhaps Pinder’s power is too valuable to leave out of the lineup.
I’ll briefly mention Vimael Machin as a potential candidate, who had an underwhelming rookie season with the Oakland A’s. Perhaps, his skills develop more, but with his rule five protection ending, I would guess that Machin starts the year low on the depth chart or on the Las Vegas Aviators’ roster. There is one more internal option which is perhaps the most interesting of them all.
Jed Lowrie
He’s back!
Jed Lowrie has officially reunited with the Oakland A’s for the third time in his career. Lowrie’s 2021 season is a mystery that can turn out several different ways. The switch-hitting second baseman might take away the starting role from the incumbents. He might be a bench guy that gives the A’s good at-bats when they need them most. He might get hurt and only play in a handful of games. There are no numbers to tell us what to expect because he hasn’t played in two years.
The last time we saw Lowrie, he was mashing doubles and playing a solid defensive second base for the A’s in 2018. Father Time and injuries have probably zapped some of Jed’s defense and speed, but if the 12-year veteran can have an offensive season close to the one he had in Oakland in 2018, that would more than make up for a diminished glove. Perhaps Jed could see some time as a DH or first base if something goes wrong with Olson or the recently acquired Mitch Moorland. No matter how he does it, I am sure that A’s fans would love to see an old fan favorite get his career back on track in the Green and Gold.
As the season progresses, more options might become available if the current ones aren’t cutting it. At the trade deadline, the A’s could pick up a veteran similarly to how the team acquired LaStella last year. Another option could be moving aging shortstop Elvis Andrus to second and calling up defense-first prospect Nick Allen if the organization feels like he has developed enough to start contributing to a winning team.
Next. The A's ideal starting rotation. dark
There aren’t any guaranteed answers this year for the Oakland A’s at second base, but three-time Manager of the Year Bob Melvin has options, and he has proven time and time again that he can make the most of flexible situations like the one they have now at second base.