Oakland A’s: 3 biggest disappointments from April
By David Hill
Elvis Andrus
The hope was that a change of scenery was all that Elvis Andrus needed to become a viable shortstop once again. In reality, his acquisition was made to free up money to sign free agents.
Andrus’ future was a bit murkier. While he was tabbed as the Oakland A’s shortstop for this season, that did not mean he was staying at the position. Second base was a major question mark, and Nick Allen‘s glove is major league ready. Andrus needed to perform in order to stop those whispers or questions.
He has not done so. Andrus has actually been worse than he was in Texas, producing a meager .151/.202/.186 batting line in 94 plate appearances, hitting three doubles. While he has stolen three bases and scored seven runs, his speed hardly matters when he has not been able to get on base.
Thus far, his greatest contribution may have been with other players. Ramon Laureano had picked Andrus’ brain about stealing bases during spring training, using those techniques to race out to the American League lead in steals at the beginning of the season. But in terms of his own impact, Andrus has been a dud.
Oakland A’s fans are already looking to see who could replace Andrus in the lineup. He needs to start performing soon.