Five minor leaguers who could be part of an A’s playoff push
OAKLAND >> Marcus Semien, Matt Olson and Mike Fiers led the way two years ago when the A’s caught fire in the second half of the season and clinched home-field advantage for the American League Wild Card game.
But rookies such as Sean Murphy, Seth Brown, A.J. Puk and Jesús Luzardo also played a role in the post-All Star break surge.
Murphy was a September call-up and had a .916 OPS in 19 games, Brown batted .293 in 26 games, and Puk and Luzardo combined for 29 strikeouts over 23 innings. The A’s went 4624 after the break to finish at 97-65 — good enough to make the playoffs for the fifth time in eight years.
The A’s (52-40) open the second half of the season at home tonight against
Cleveland, one of the teams they’ll have to hold off in the Wild Card race if they can’t catch Houston for first place in the AL West.
It remains to be seen what moves general manager David Forst will make before the July 30 trade deadline. But considering some of his team’s injuries and other shortcomings, the A’s, even if they do add someone via trade, still might need a minor league player or two to come up and make an impact down the stretch, just like they did in 2019.
Luzardo and Puk, both currently at Triple-A Las Vegas after struggling in the majors, are good bets to be called on as reinforcements again season if they can work through their consistency issues. Here are five other players who could join the A’s for their stretch run as they try to make the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
GREG DEICHMANN,RIGHT FIELDER
The A’s could use a little more production from their outfielders and Deichmann, 26, might be of some service. In his first full Triple-A season in the hitter-friendly PCL, and buoyed by his league-leading 42 walks, Deichmann has an OPS of .905 to go with 27 RBIs and six stolen bases.
The A’s outfield has a few question marks right now. It’s unclear when exactly Mark Canha will return from a left hip strain and Chad Pinder (hamstring) could be out another two or three weeks. Also, Stephen Piscotty hasn’t found a rhythm since his return from a wrist injury earlier this month. In case he doesn’t find a groove and other options aren’t terribly appetizing, perhaps Deichmann gets a look.
DOMINGO ACEVEDO, RIGHTHANDED PITCHER
Acevedo struggled in two of
his three appearances for the A’s this season, but he seems to have righted the ship a bit in recent games for the Aviators, striking out eight and walking just two in five innings over his last four games. In 19.1 innings, Acevedo’s WHIP in Triple-A is a tidy 0.938.
Maybe Acevedo gets a shot if he builds up some trust with the A’s braintrust and Oakland can’t get the bullpen help they want at the deadline.
DAULTON JEFFERIES, RIGHTHANDED PITCHER
Jefferies’ one appearance for the A’s last September was a nightmare, as he allowed five earned runs to the Texas Rangers over two innings. He hasn’t seen the big leagues since.
Although the A’s do not have
a need for a starter at the moment, their bullpen might require some reinforcements at some point and if Acevedo doesn’t get a shot, maybe Jefferies does. Oakland’s bullpen has been saddled with five losses over the last 19 games (after taking just four losses over the first 71 games).
Although Jefferies’ ERA for Aviators this season is an unsightly 5.93 over 41 innings, he’s still considered the A’s secondbest pitching prospect behind Puk. He has 38 strikeouts and eight walks in nine games.
VIMAEL MACHIN, INFIELDER
Hasn’t had much success at the plate when he was with the A’s last season and earlier this year. But he’s a reliable and versatile infielder who could be
called up in a pinch. So far in 11 games this month in Las Vegas, he’s hitting .271 with six RBIs. CODY THOMAS, LEFT FIELDER
Thomas has obstacles to be called up since he’d have to be added to the A’s 40-man roster, but his numbers so far this year have been outstanding. Through 50 games in his first full season in Triple-A, Thomas, 26, right now owns or is tied for the Las Vegas lead in home runs (16), RBIs (47), slugging percentage (.667) and OPS (1.021).
Although Canha will likely get the lion’s share of time in left field upon his return, maybe Thomas gets his chance in September to play somewhere if the A’s are able to make a roster move and his solid season continues.