A’s hope Lamb is a diamond in the rough
Jake Lamb had only known one team in his big league career. For six seasons the 29-year-old suited up for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and for some of those early years he was one of the game’s best young hitters. He was a 2017 All-Star, owner of a .248 average, .843 OPS, 59 home runs and 196 RBIs over the 2016 and ’17 seasons.
In 2018, the injury bug bit. He endured shoulder injuries that hampered his production at the plate. Things spiraled, to put it mildly, resulting in the Diamondbacks unceremoniously designating their veteran for assignment in mid-September.
“The Diamondbacks were the only team I’ve ever been with, and the DFA was a bit of a surprise,”
Lamb said. “But I got the call that this team needed someone.”
The A’s were all over it, signing Lamb almost to the minute he cleared waivers — there was little chance Lamb would be claimed given the claimer would absorb Lamb’s $5,515,000 contract. With Matt Chapman having undergone season-ending hip surgery and Chad Pinder hitting the injured list with a Grade 1 strained hamstring, the A’s were down to Vimael Machín and a little bit of Tommy La Stella as third base options with designated hitting depth against right-handed pitchers. Lamb just needed another opportunity.
If you open up Lamb’s indexed statistics online and take a quick scan, his last few years will give you pause. What are the A’s doing with a player who slashed .178/.308/.313 with 72 strikeouts and six home runs over his last 96 games? What can the A’s get out of a player with a -0.6 WAR and 14 wRC+ with the Diamondbacks in a handful of games this year?
In his first three games with the A’s, Lamb has five hits, including two doubles and a home run with three strikeouts.
Strikeouts were an issue for Lamb this year in Arizona; he struck out in 31 percent of his atbats. Among qualified players, that would rank him among the top 15 for highest strikeout rate.
What matters is that he’s shown the power potential he proved to have with the Diamondbacks. In 2019 and 2020, he’s averaging a 90.2 mph exit velocity; in 2016 he averaged 91.3 and 88.2 in 2017. That 90 mph average is about league average, and Lamb could find more success with that kind of contact.