Vogt as leading (off) man in 2017?

SEATTLE — The A’s don’t have an obvious leadoff man to hand as they did when Billy Burns and Coco Crisp were around. Joey Wendle, who’d spent much of the past few weeks there, hit ninth Saturday, while Marcus Semien was atop the order.

Next year, the team has an unusual potential candidate for the job: Manager Bob Melvin has spoken to catcher Stephen Vogt about the possibility, and Vogt is all in if Melvin decides he wants to do it.

“I’d love it,” said Vogt. “I feel like I’m someone who can adapt to any role I’m put in. If my job is to see pitches, get on base, I can adapt my game to do that. I hit leadoff all through high school and a couple games in the minors, it’s something I’m comfortable doing and it’s the only spot I haven’t hit in the big leagues.”

Vogt doesn’t fit the prototype — he’s fairly fast for a catcher, but he’s not a speed-burner a la Burns or Crisp. But he is a smart hitter and he can put the bat on the ball. It’s not the craziest of ideas. If Jed Lowrie is back, he’s a good No. 2 hitter, especially considering that he switch hits, and Ryon Healy and Khris Davis look firmly set in the No. 3-4 spots. However, the best scenario might be for Oakland to get a speedy leadoff-type outfielder — adding an outfielder or even two is a priority for the team this winter — so that Vogt can stick in the middle of the lineup.

Vogt’s numbers are not, perhaps, what he’d wish this year. He was batting .250 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs entering Saturday. His defense is better, however; he’s framing pitches better, his throwing is better. And he’s unquestionably the team leader, a role that weighed on him at times. In addition, Vogt was dealing with the death of his mother, Toni, in July.

“It was a very trying season for me, as far as mental stuff,” he said. “I learned a lot about myself through it, good and bad. I put a lot of stress on myself early in the year to try to lead the team on the field, in terms of performance, instead of just playing how I normally play. I tried to do more, and that’s my fault.

“I kind of set some unrealistic expectations for myself and when I wasn’t meeting them I didn’t forgive myself. I kind of beat myself down for it. At the same time, we went through a lot of struggles as a team and I wore those very hard. I feel like this is my team and when things aren’t going well, a lot of that rests on my shoulders.”

Vogt will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, and, as a two-time All-Star, he will be starting to be a little pricey. He knows that sometimes that’s when the A’s move players, but he has a huge desire to remain in Oakland.

“Obviously, I don’t know what the winter is going to bring,” he said. “I hope I’m in an A’s uniform next year. But I want to be here and I think we have the group to turn this around. I want to be here for the turnaround because I was here when we were at the top and I want to help bring this team back.”