Luis Barrera
What Should The A's Do About Left Field?
By TC Zencka | November 26, 2020 at 11:19am CDT
The Oakland A's may look to offset the potential loss of left fielder Robbie Grossman with organizational depth. According to MLB.com's Martín Gallegos, the A's suspect 28-year-old Seth Brown could play an important role – but it's now or never for the Oregon native. Brown's combination of power and patience is a skill set the A's have shown a fondness for over the years, and he played well during a 2019 call-up: .293/.361/.453 in 83 plate appearances.
From 2017 to 2019, Brown made the progressive leaps an organization likes to see as he jumped from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A in successive seasons. He earned his time on the big-league roster in 2019 after an impressive .297/.352/.634 line with 37 home runs in just 112 games at the highest level of the minors.
Grossman himself was somewhat of a late bloomer, cutting his teeth on unfortunate Astros squads of 2013 and 2014. He would be released by the Astros and then the Indians before finding a home in Minnesota. After three seasons of part-time work that culminated in a solid 1.7 bWAR season in 2018, the Twinkies cut him loose, too.
Hello, Oakland. Grossman's 2020 output was easily the most productive season of his career, but those considering him in free agency must gauge whether his power display during the shortened 2020 season is the final step of his development or a small-sample burst. His .240 ISO this season far outpaced his career mark of .127 ISO.
All in all, Grossman's skill set isn't flashy, but that hasn't stopped him from posting an above-average wRC+ in four of the last five seasons. If a market doesn't develop for Grossman, the A's could seek a reunion. Grossman and Brown both hit from the left side, of course, making for a ham-handed timeshare between the two.
Enter Chad Pinder, who could be in line for more regular playing time. Pinder has long been a short-side platoon utility player for the A's, but his bat played up in a major way during their playoff run. Pinder was often penciled into the number three spot in the order while standing in for the injured Matt Chapman at the hot corner. Pinder could easily line up with Ramon Laureano and Mark Canha against lefties, but Stephen Piscotty should also be back in the lineup. The A's could be intrigued by the possibility of more face time for the soon-to-be 29-year-old Pinder, but much of that time may have to come at second base, where Tony Kemp currently tops the depth chart.
All of which is to say, expect the A's to slow-play the market this offseason and see where the value play lies. They'd like to explore the possibility of bringing back Tommy La Stella, who would expect a majority of the timeshare at the keystone. A long-time part-time player who almost retired many years ago when the Cubs sent him to Triple-A, La Stella is not likely to cherish a return to diminished responsibilities.
Add to the outfield mix ML-ready prospects Luis Barrera and Greg Deichmann – the latter of whom, Gallegos notes, was just added to the 40-man roster – and the A's could head into 2021 as currently constituted with plenty of options to throw at the wall.
The real issue for the A's is building a bridge between Marcus Semien and prospect Nick Allen at short. Allen's defensive prowess is considerable, but the 5'8″ 22-year-old glove last appeared in High-A with a slash line of .292/.363/.434. Normal circumstances would dictate another year in the minors for Allen, but these days the development curve is more blueprint than model.
If Allen is close, Pinder could hold the line at short, but he's totaled just 34 innings as the infield captain since 2017. Assuming they're not ready to simply hand the keys to the car over to Allen, the A's will focus their free agent energy (aka, dollars) on finding a short-term fix to keep the spot warm.
The A's, like the Rays, are comfortable fielding a dynamic offensive lineup that shape-shifts as needed throughout the regular season. They'll dole out playing time piecemeal until settling on the right mix. That could mean an increased share for Brown, but the A's are sure to have ways to flex the roster if he's unable to claim it.
Chad Pinder Luis Barrera Mark Canha Matt Chapman Oakland Athletics Ramon Laureano Robbie Grossman Seth Brown Tommy La Stella Tony Kemp
Athletics Add Six Players To 60-Man Pool
By Steve Adams | July 1, 2020 at 7:01pm CDT
The Athletics on Wednesday announced the addition of six players to their 60-man player pool: infielders Eric Campbell and Robert Puason, right-handers Wandisson Charles and Miguel Romero, and outfielders Luis Barrera and Brayan Buelvas will all join the group. Campbell will head to Oakland to join the team's big leaguers, while the other five will head to the Athletics' alternate training site.
Campbell, 33, is the lone member of the bunch with Major League experience. From 2014-16, Campbell was an up-and-down utility option for the Mets, appearing at all four infield spots and both corner outfield positions while hitting .221/.312/.311 in 505 plate appearances. Campbell spent the 2017 season in Japan and has been with the Triple-A clubs for the Marlins and Athletics organizations. In all, he's seen action in parts of six Triple-A campaigns and batted a combined .310/.417/.480 in 1880 plate appearances.
Among the prospects, Puason is the most well-regarded of the bunch. The 17-year-old signed with the A's as the headliner of their July 2 class of international prospects a year ago, inking a hearty bonus of nearly $5MM. A switch-hitting, 6'3″ shortstop with plus speed, a strong throwing arm and projectable hitting tools, Puason is a long ways from the Majors and surely won't be considered for a role with Oakland's big league club in 2020. He's yet to even suit up for a game with the Oakland's affiliate in the Dominican Summer League, but the A's clearly want to ensure that his first full season in the organization affords him some game reps — even if only in simulated games — and some time with the coaching and player development staff.
Barrera, though, is a much more near-term option for the A's. The 24-year-old hit .321/.365/.513 in 54 Double-A games last year and ranks ninth among Oakland farmhands at MLB.com. He split the 2019 season between center field and right field and is on the Athletics' 40-man roster, so it's highly feasible that he could get the opportunity to debut in the event of some injuries on the Major League club.
Eric Campbell Luis Barrera Miguel Romero Oakland Athletics Robert Puason Transactions Wandisson Charles
Athletics Promote Jesus Luzardo
By Mark Polishuk | September 9, 2019 at 3:32pm CDT
Sept. 9: The Athletics have formally announced Luzardo's promotion, adding that they've also recalled right-hander Daniel Mengden from Las Vegas. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Luzardo, outfielder Luis Barrera was recalled to the Majors and immediately placed on the 60-day injured list. The 23-year-old Barrera has been out since late June due to a right shoulder issue. He's yet to play in the Majors but will receive MLB service time for the time he spends on the injured list between now and season's end.
Sept. 8: The A's are calling up top prospect Jesus Luzardo, MLB.com's Martin Gallegos reports (Twitter link). The star left-hander is expected to join the team on Monday when they begin a series against the Astros. Another transaction will have to be made before Monday's game to create space for Luzardo on the 40-man roster.
It had been widely expected that Oakland would call on the prized 21-year-old southpaw at some point during the playoff stretch, though had it not been for injuries, Luzardo would almost certainly have made his MLB debut months ago. Luzardo was sidelined by both a shoulder strain and then a lat strain in the early part of the season, and has only 43 total innings pitched in the minors in 2019. After a clean bill of health over the last few weeks of Triple-A action, however, Luzardo is finally ready for the Show.
His solid numbers in those four Triple-A outings (3.19 ERA, 4.25 K/BB rate, 9.9 K/9) have done little to quell expectations that Luzardo can provide an immediate help to the Athletics' pitching mix. All of Luzardo's Triple-A appearances came as a starting pitcher, though since the A's are already using a six-man rotation, it's more likely that the club will deploy the lefty as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.
Oakland has taking something of a patchwork approach to its pitching situation all season, yet the results have spoken for themselves — both the Athletics' starters and relievers rank within the top ten in several major statistical categories among all teams. As the A's continue to fight for a wild card spot, however, the club wants as many arms as possible on hand given the lack of proven and reliable talent on hand. For much of the year, the A's have been playing the waiting game until Sean Manaea, A.J. Puk, and Luzardo have been healthy and ready to contribute.
Though Luzardo hasn't clocked many innings this season, it has done little to dim his status as one of the sport's top minor leaguers, as midseason prospect rankings from Baseball America (9th), MLB.com (18th), and Fangraphs (24th) still placed Luzardo very highly on their boards. Originally a third-round pick for the Nationals in the 2016 draft, Luzardo came to the A's — along with Blake Treinen and Sheldon Neuse — in the trade that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to Washington July 2017. Over 195 2/3 frames in the minors, Luzardo has a 2.53 ERA, 5.44 K/BB rate, and 10.8 K/9, while also showing an ability to keep the ball in the park with only an 0.6 HR/9.
It seems likely that Luzardo would have been more than a third-rounder had he not undergone Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school. Despite that early surgery, however, Luzardo still generate a lot of heat on his fastball, hitting the 97mph mark during Spring Training and routinely reaching the mid-90's. Despite that plus fastball, Baseball America ranks it as only his second-best pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale, as BA's 60-grade for Luzardo's heater was topped by a 70-grade changeup. MLB.com's scouting report also praises Luzardo's curveball, which "has improved and is at least above-average, a pitch he adds to and subtracts from at will."
Assuming good health and a good showing in September (and, the A's hope, in the playoffs), Luzardo projects to join Oakland's rotation in 2020. Veterans Tanner Roark, Homer Bailey, and Brett Anderson are all free agents, paving the way for Manaea, Puk, Mike Fiers, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt, and Luzardo to all factor into the starting picture for next season. It's a relatively inexperienced group with a lot of injury history, though starting pitching certainly looks like it could be a strength for the Athletics going forward, notwithstanding how the team has succeeded despite an uncertain rotation mix over the last two years.
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