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Nick Allen’s time coming soon for Oakland A’s

By David Hill

MESA, AZ - MARCH 1: Nick Allen of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Hohokam Stadium on March 1, 2018 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nick Allen
MESA, AZ - MARCH 1: Nick Allen of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Hohokam Stadium on March 1, 2018 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nick Allen /
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It was absolutely no surprise that the Oakland A’s added Nick Allen to their 40 man roster ahead of the Rule V Draft. Not only is he one of their top prospects, but he is also on the cusp of reaching the majors. Allen made his Triple-A debut in 2021, and if he continues to develop with the bat, could arrive in Oakland sometime in the coming year.

That time could come even sooner than expected. There are some rumblings that the A’s may be able to move Elvis Andrus to a shortstop needy team that comes up short in free agency when it comes to the Big Five. Such a trade would seemingly remove the only thing in Allen’s way.

Nick Allen may be closer to Oakland A’s debut than we realize

Allen served notice that he is almost ready. He was excellent in Double-A, producing a .319/.374/.471 batting line with six homers and nine doubles in his 229 plate appearances. That success continued during the Olympics, where Allen was one of the better players on the Team USA squad that won the silver medal.

He was unable to replicate that success at Triple-A. Allen finished out the year in Las Vegas, producing a .243/.302/.301 batting line with eight doubles in his 151 plate appearances. The glove has been major league ready practically since he was drafted, but his bat is not quite there yet.

In a perfect world, Allen would head back to Triple-A to start the season. He would likely be there for the first couple of months of the season, ensuring that not only can he produce at the highest level of the minors, but that the A’s get that extra year of team control.

That may still be the case. Even if the A’s are somehow able to move Andrus to another team, they still have options to man short. Vimael Machin may get another chance to prove that he can be a major league asset. Or they could sign a cheap free agent in hopes that they could get a few months of production before Allen is ready.

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Nick Allen’s time will be coming soon with the Oakland A’s. If they manage to trade Elvis Andrus, it may be even sooner than we think.