A’s shortstop Andrus looking to bounce back again
MESA, Ariz. — Michael Young wanted to check on Elvis Andrus. The two had once shared the left side of the Rangers’ infield. They had played together in two World Series. Now, a retired Young had just watched Andrus endure one of his lowest moments in baseball.
In Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS between Texas and Toronto, Andrus made two seventhinning errors at shortstop that preceded the Blue Jays scoring four runs. Toronto won the game and the series. Andrus sat alone in the dugout after the final out. Then he returned to the clubhouse with emotions evident.
“The following day — we were neighbors in Dallas — I went over to his house to kind of just see how he was doing,” Young, now a special assistant with the Rangers, said by phone. “He was fine. Obviously disappointed that they’d lost, but you could see it in his eyes right away: ‘I’m going to take this one on the chin but turn the page as quickly as I can and focus on making sure this isn’t what defines me as a baseball player.’
“I think the next two years after that he had the best two years of his career. And I think a lot of it was making sure he could prove to himself those kind of moments aren’t going to be what define him as a player. If anything, I hope that kind of rings true this year. He’s had a couple of disappointing seasons by his standards. He wants to come back and prove he can bounce back.”
For Andrus, the new A’s shortstop, the parallel fits.
His truncated 2020 season was an extended trial. Back problems limited him to 29 games and unsightly numbers: he hit .194 and slugged .330. After the season, the Rangers said they planned to move Andrus from shortstop. Instead they traded him — in the deal that sent Khris Davis to Texas — leading Andrus to pursue his resurgence with Oakland.
“I think this year is a great year for me to go out there and give all my abilities to the team and show them there is a lot left in the tank,” Andrus said after the February trade.
This challenge is also distinct. Andrus followed his nightmare 2015 playoff game with career bests in OPS the next two seasons. He’s returning this time not from one bad game but several trying years. A fractured elbow cut his 2018 season in half. After a better 2019, he played last year with his litheness hampered.
Andrus debuted with Texas in 2009 at age 20 and quickly became a study in consistency. He played 145 or more games and averaged 30 stolen bases each of his first nine seasons. He was a Gold Glove finalist multiple times, though he never won. Upon acquiring him, the A’s stated a belief that Andrus can be an effective fulltime shortstop in their attempt to defend the AL West title.
Andrus’ back issues in 2020 led him to treat this offseason differently. He shed 10 pounds and changed the way he worked out. He scrapped squats and lunges in favor of plyometric and agility work and has said he’s moving “like when I was 20 again.” He also “went into detail” on ways to be more consistent defensively, citing changes to footwork and throws.
Asked how Andrus has looked this spring, one AL evaluator said: “Haven’t seen a ton but what I’ve seen looks encouraging. Made plays all over the field, taken good (at
bats) and has added some energy to the team. Not an upgrade over (Marcus) Semien but a serviceable replacement. Definitely seems a bit more lively than last (year).”
Said another AL scout: “I don’t see it being a big deal as far as, ‘Oh this guy has short range’ or ‘he can’t move like he used to.’ … He still has the same life to his body, the energy. I think he ends up playing every day. I think he can still get back to what he had done in the past. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and just letting his instincts and joy of the game take care of it.”
Shortstop is largely a younger man’s position. In 2019, Andrus was the only AL shortstop 30 or older to start at least 100 games. Now 32, he again projects as the AL’s oldest fulltime shortstop. The flip side is that sagacity could help mitigate any loss of range.
“There’s not one detail you can afford to miss when you’re an older shortstop,” said Young, the AL Gold Glove winner in 2008 at 31. “You have to pay attention to positioning, what pitch is being thrown, speed of the runners everywhere. … Knowing (Andrus), that’s where his instincts kind of come into play. Elvis is one of those guys who’s going to be able to stay at shortstop as long as he possibly can because he’s going to make sure those kinds of details are covered.”
Instinct is one oftcited trait of Andrus. Joy is another. Andrus’ exuberance endeared him to teammates and fans alike in Texas. Changing teams for the first time appears not to have changed him. Andrus has shadowed Chad Pinder fielding a groundball in a game and lauded third baseman Matt Chapman’s defense as “poetry in motion.” Manager Bob Melvin noted “how well (Andrus) has fit in with our group of guys.”
Andrus’ predecessor, Semien, fit the A’s uniquely as a Bay Area native, 2019 MVP finalist and de facto captain. Upon arrival, Andrus said he
was “not trying to fill anybody’s shoes” and would “be myself.” Semien and Andrus are different players and personalities. Still, Mitch Moreland, a former teammate of Andrus in Texas who signed with the A’s last month, said he sees the potential for a similar impact.
“Elvis was kind of that guy in Texas,” Moreland said. “He was big in the community, he was very popular in the clubhouse, among the people in the stadium. Elvis has a lot of the same characteristics that from what I saw Marcus had. Marcus is kind of that guy, like a glue guy, and Elvis is the same way.
“He keeps it fun, he keeps it light. He’s so smart on the field it seems like he’s two plays ahead of what’s going on in the game. Elvis has always had that. He’s a complete ballplayer.”