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How much will Nick Allen need to hit for Oakland A’s?

By David Hill

Oct 3, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen (2) throws the ball to second base against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen (2) throws the ball to second base against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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There is no question that Nick Allen is already a quality piece for the Oakland A’s.

He has emerged as a relatively solid player in Oakland, a brilliant defensive infielder who can change the complexion of an inning with his glove. He had performed brilliantly at second and short, saving four and six runs respectively. Allen had been viewed as a future Gold Glove winner at short and he showed why.

Finding enough offense from Nick Allen for Oakland A’s

The question about Allen has always been whether or not he will hit enough to justify a starting role. He did nothing to silence those critics this season, posting a .207/.256/.291 batting line with four homers and 13 doubles in his 326 plate appearances, drawing 19 walks while striking out 64 times. There were times when he seemed completely overmatched at the plate, but the A’s needed to see what they have in him.

Despite those struggles with the bat, Allen was good enough to be worth 0.8 bWAR on the season. All of that value came from his glove as Allen’s bat ranked at exactly 0.0 offensive WAR per Baseball-Reference.

It also leads to the question of how much Allen will need to hit in order to keep his place in the lineup. At some point, the roster will be strong enough to keep a glove first player in the lineup, especially one as strong defensively as Allen is. But the A’s are not even close to that point yet.

On the plus side, the A’s are not going to need Allen to be a force offensively. If he can post a .250 batting average and an OPS+ of 85 to 90, that would be more than enough for him to stick in the lineup. He does have some doubles pop and decent speed, making him a useful asset if he can get on base. Even then, as long as he is at least close to decent with the bat, he will still be a valuable asset for the Oakland A’s.

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Nick Allen does not need to be anything special with the bat to be a valuable player for the Oakland A’s. A slight improvement might be enough.