Oakland needs an Opening Day leadoff hitter
ucSA, ARIZ. >> Opening Day is just around the corner, which will kick off a season-opening series between the Oakland A’s and the rival Houston Astros.
Just four games remain in Cactus League play and A’s fans have a few questions about how the lineup will look come April 1, how some roster spots will
shake out and how some of the newer A’s arms are looking so far. Here are some answers to your questions.
@JOSiTOO cR ON TWITTcR AS S: WiO WILL Kc LcAb Oee OR WILL (KOK) ucLVIN ROTATc? >> It looks like Mark Canha will be the leadoff hitter you’ll see most atop lineups, at least when the season begins.
With Marcus Semien gone, manager Bob Melvin and the staff lofted Canha as an optimal choice — and now that Canha is more comfortable with the role, it looks like he will be a go leading off.
Why is Canha the optimal choice? Similar to Semien, he gets on base and also has the potential to kick off the game with some power (maybe a little more power than Semien, too). Canha has a career .340 on-base percentage, but his .393 OBP over the 2019 and 2020 seasons (185 games, 601 at-bats) is the statistic that best supports Canha’s fit.
He may not have Semien’s speed, but Canha gets his walks and is one of the team’s best hit
ters — especially for power. Canha has a .876 OPS in the last two seasons and 31 home runs over 185 games.
Canha may be the first choice, but Ramón Laureano may be another option to hit up top. Elvis Andrus stole 31 bases in 2019, signifying he’s dangerous after getting aboard — but stolen bases aren’t preferable to on-base percentage and OPS, and it’s still relatively unknown how Andrus will fare at the plate this year after a back injury sidelined him in 2020. @ARCIERIJOHN ON TWITTER ASKS: DOES TONY KEMP STILL FIT THE TEAM IF JED LOWRIE MAKES THE CUT? >> Yes. They like Tony Kemp’s defensive versatility and left-handed bat. And I would anticipate Jed Lowrie makes the cut — Melvin has said repeatedly that he and the staff are surprised at how quickly Lowrie’s caught up to his old, 2018 self after his knee surgery in October. Lowrie hit a home run on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, his second of spring, and has looked spry at second base.
Lowrie also might DH some during the season, which would open up play at second base. But Kemp’s ability to play second and the corner outfield, particularly left field, will come in handy if and when Melvin is crafting matchup-specific lineups. I would expect both to make the team. @ATHLETICSSTAN4 ON TWITTER ASKS: HOW IS BURCH SMITH DOING? HE WAS PITCHING REALLY WELL LAST YEAR BEFORE HIS INJURY AND HIS NUMBERS HAVE LOOKED QUESTIONABLE THIS SPRING. >> He’s doing just fine. Smith had a rough first outing, which adds up to most of
the six runs he’s allowed this spring. But his rising fastball looks as lethal as ever, and he’s shaken off the rust and fallen into a rhythm. He’s pitched 7 1/3 innings in six appearances this spring and struck out six with one walk.
Smith was one of the A’s best relievers last year, putting together 10 scoreless innings before an arm strain hit during an outing against the San Francisco Giants last August. The A’s are building him up as a long reliever, of sorts, who has the stuff to be used in some high-leverage situations.
TWITTER ASKS: TREVOR ROSENTHAL IS ON THIS TEAM, RIGHT? WHERE HAS HE BEEN? >> The A’s aren’t working closer Trevor Rosenthal too much this spring. He was sidelined with a groin injury early in camp and made his Cactus League debut midway through the month. He’s made three appearances in total, allowing one run total, and worked primarily on his breaking ball in all of them. @BRIAN_C_PALMER ON TWITTER ASKS: PUK: STARTER OR BULLPEN GUY THIS YEAR? ALSO, DOES HE START IN AAA, OR DO THE A’S RUSH HIM INTO THE ROTATION? >> We don’t know yet. A.J. Puk’s start on Saturday against the Texas Rangers should inform us more on who the A’s will go with as their fifth starter. Puk struggled mightily in his last outing, particularly with his command — he lasted all of 1 2/3 innings and gave up a few runs and a lot of contact. That was his second outing of spring since the A’s slowrolled him into the Cactus League play coming off his shoulder surgery.
If Puk can go four solid innings on Saturday, the A’s might nudge him into the rotation’s fifth spot.