This is the followup to the article on the A's opening day pitching staff.
The A's are carrying 14 hitters to start the year. Here is my take on them:
Catchers:
Kurt Suzuki
Pros: Suzuki is a smart player who does well under pressure. He has a balanced line-drive stroke and decent plate discipline. He projects to hit about 10 homers a year. Defensively, he has shown he is good at working with pitchers and calls a good game.
Cons: Suzuki is well-rounded offensively, but he isn't about to excel anywhere. He likely will never hit .300, hit 20 homers, or draw 70 walks in a year, so while he is solid, he would have to show some extraordinary growth to become an upper-echelon offensive catcher. Suzuki struggles to block pitches in the dirt and his receiving skills need some polish, although he is noticeably better now than he was when he broke into the majors.
My take: Suzuki is a decent enough starter, and the Haren trade will actually help his defense because Haren's two-strike splitters in the dirt are almost as disconcerting to a rookie as Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs. You could sure do worse than Suzuki, but at least this year, he may well be the worst starting catcher in the division.
Rob Bowen
Pros: Bowen switch hits and has a bit of power. He is considered an average to above-average defender.
Cons: Bowen isn't a good contact hitter, and he strikes out in almost 30% of his plate appearances, a rate which his power doesn't justify. His arm isn't very good.
My take: I guess Bowen's decent enough as a backup, but it's a shame Jeremy Brown retired, because he was better than Bowen. Ideally, Bowen is a third, organizational catcher who you call up in case of injury. If Landon Powell (also a switch-hitter, but much better all-around) is healthy through May, he should get this job.
Infielders:
Daric Barton, 1B
Pros: Barton is a very selective hitter, consistently walking more than he struck out in the minors. He hit .347/.429/.639 in 84 MLB plate appearances last year, so he adapted to the majors quickly even though he had just turned 22. He is an average defensive first baseman but also has experience at third and catcher. He may have the best plate approach of any rookie in the last five years.
Cons: Barton hasn't shown a ton of power in the minors, putting up ISOs consistently below .200 and just a .145 mark in Sacramento last year. At first base, power is a must, not just in the form of doubles but also in home runs. Many people believe Barton will not develop 25+ HR power, although some do.
My take: Here you have a downside of Sean Casey and an upside of Todd Helton, so all that remains to be seen is where on the spectrum of high-average lefty 1Bs Barton will be. Casey, Lyle Overbay, Mark Grace, Helton, or even Jason Giambi are all possible outcomes. No matter what, he should be good, especially if he hits anything like his callup last year.
Mark Ellis, 2B
Pros: Ellis has good line-drive gap power and a good approach at the plate. He is a consistent hitter who rarely slumps and offers slightly above-average hitting at the keystone. Ellis is possibly the most underrated defensive player in the game today, and has the highest 2B fielding percentage in history.
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7 months ago
I agree with just about everything you said, but I think I might be a little higher on the Sweeneys.
I think Crosby's new open stance (as opposed to his ugly, ugly stance last year) has really opened him up and allowed him to see the ball better. Also he's biting his tongue on those outside sliders and has proven to be the A's best hitter so far this year, so maybe he'll finally live up to Peter Gammons' MVP status that was bestowed upon him in 2006.
Also, I've heard scouts say (and you probably know more about it than me) that Buck's swing is about where Jason Giambi's was when Giambi was fresh out of college. Steroids aside, many think Buck can develop into a 25 HR a year guy. I think he's going to power his way out of the leadoff spot within a year or two and perhaps hit third with Barton hitting second.
from 7 months ago
Yeah, Crosby has looked much, much, much better this year with his discipline. Hopefully he stays healthy.
Actually, surprisingly enough, Ellis has been the best hitter this year, according to this stat I made called UVI. Crosby has done fine though.
Buck's power is usually rated by scouts a 65 on the 20-80 scale, so yes, many people think it will come. He's always hit a ton of doubles and had a decent .189 ISO last year, so hopefully it comes. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Buck's hitting mechanics--his swing seems really loopy to me, almost like a glorified slap--but it seems to work for him. Interesting you mention Giambi, because now that I think of it, Giambi's swing is a bit shorter but has a similar plane. Buck has a bit of an Ichiro-like step in the bucket, though, where Giambi stays balanced. Buck looked awful the first couple weeks because he was throwing his body over the plate, but he looks better now. If Buck just works on staying back on the ball, his swing still won't be pretty, but the power could well come.
from 7 months ago
No Ellis doesn't surprise me at all as the team's best hitter so far. Looking at his stats, I didn't realize quite how high his SLG was so far this year.
What is UVI?
from 7 months ago
It's a stat I made--called Ultimate Value Index--that basically just condenses everything into one stat.
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