Looking at infields on each side of bay
A’s: Corner spots are set with Matts, but there’s uncertainty up the middle
The A’s strongest position group is also the source of several pressing questions going into this offseason.
Shortstop and impending free agent Marcus Semien’s future is the main uncertainty facing the A’s infield, which in recent years has been among the majors’ best defensively. But second base is also fluid. And even Gold Glove winners Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are coming off unusual seasons: Chapman from hip surgery and Olson a down year offensively.
The corners are set, at least — as is catcher, thanks to strong debuts from two rookies — but that
doesn’t mean the infield is settled for 2021. 2020 review: The A’s hitting struggles during the 60game season were nowhere more evident than among their infield starters.
Semien, whose 33 homers and .892 OPS put him third in AL MVP voting in 2019, finished this season with a .679 OPS. Olson, a year after hitting .267 with 36 homers, batted .195 — though he led the A’s with 14 homers and 42 RBIs. Chapman, a year removed from slugging 36 homers, batted .232 with 10 homers and 54 strikeouts in 37 games before a seasonending hip injury.
Defensively, the group remained solid — Olson had an especially strong year at first base — even as metrics deemed it less spectacular. Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average metric ranked the A’s infield 14th in the majors in 2020, down from ninth in 2019 and fourth in 2018.
Chapman’s absence factored into that, requiring the A’s to change their defensive strategy and shifting without the Platinum Glove third baseman, although lateseason acquisition Jake Lamb provided a spark down the stretch.
Tommy La Stella, acquired at midseason, immediately became the regular second baseman and a steadying, contactheavy presence atop a lineup who struck out less often after his arrival. It relegated Tony Kemp to a reserve role and Chad Pinder, the righthanded half of what had been a secondbase platoon, played sparingly before a September hamstring injury.
The catching situation, meanwhile, became a highlight of the A’s season. Rookie Sean Murphy drew rave reviews from pitchers and manager Bob Melvin for his handling of the staff and improved as a hitter, finishing second on the team in OPS (. 821). Fellow rookie Jonah Heim proved a capable backup after replacing Austin Allen on the roster at midseason.
Rising prospects: Several of the A’s top prospects happen to be shortstops, but it would seem a lot — if needed — to ask any to replace Semien immediately.
Nick Allen, a touted defender and 2017 thirdround pick, and Logan Davidson, Oakland’s firstround pick in 2019, are both 22 and haven’t played above Aball. Robert Puason, the 18yearold touted Dominican prospect, is even less experienced.
All three worked at the A’s alternate training site this season and are on Oakland’s roster for Arizona instructional league but, like other prospects, lost a full year of minorleague games because of the pandemic.
Longtime system infielders Franklin Barreto and Jorge Mateo are gone — both traded in 2020 — but the A’s do return Sheldon Neuse, a career .294 hitter in the minors who played briefly in Oakland in 2019.
Catcher Tyler Soderstrom, the A’s firstround pick in this year’s draft, was at the alternate site but with Murphy and Heim in place, he won’t be rushed. Key question for 2021: Who’s the shortstop?
The A’s have made it clear they’d welcome Semien, a Bay
Area native and team captain, back with open arms. They could make him a qualifying offer, valued at $ 18.9 million, or try to reach a oneyear deal, especially given the uncertainty of the freeagent market following such an odd season, giving Semien a chance to reestablish his value before testing the open market.
The question is whether a deeperpocketed team will offer Semien, 30, a deal the A’s can’t match. If so, the A’s would have to replace a fixture atop their lineup, a 2019 Gold Glove finalist and their player representative.
Among returning players, Pinder has played some shortstop, though he might be a solution at second base. The A’s could take a chance on a prospect or look outside to bolster the position, though they figure to be strapped this offseason with 10 impending free agents and another group of arbitrationeligible players that includes Chapman and Olson.
As executive vice president Billy Beane said this month: “I don’t feel good about anybody better than Marcus at this time, let’s put it that way.”
Potential free agents: Along with Semien, La Stella and Lamb are also poised to hit the market. The A’s could stabilize second base by resigning La Stella ( they’ve openly stated a desire to do so), but the caveats with Semien also apply here.
If unable to resign Semien, the A’s might be unlikely to pursue other bigname shortstops such Andrelton Simmons ($ 15 million salary in 2020) or Didi Gregorius ($ 14 million). Jose Iglesias would be intriguing, but the Orioles would have to decline his club option after Iglesias hit .373 this season in 39 games.
Brad Miller has played both shortstop and second and posted an .807 OPS this season for the Cardinals, as has former Giant Joe Panik, who hit .225 for Toronto this season but rarely strikes out — and both are lefthanded hitters, a type that could help balance out the A’s lineup.