After a blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 2015 starting infield players are finally becoming more clear. And, with spring training just around the corner, the Oakland A’s will now start to solidify their roster for the upcoming season. When looking at the infield players for the 2015 season, it is almost completely different than the lineup in 2014. The Athletics have been very active this offseason and were able to acquire and trade for players that have strengthened the infield overall. Lets take a look at the potential infield starters for 2015.
Catcher – Stephen Vogt
Stephen Vogt
Right now, due to Josh Phegley‘s inexperience as a catcher in the majors, it is expected that Vogt will be the Oakland A’s everyday catcher in 2015. Last season, Vogt dealt with a foot injury that restricted him from catching, but he underwent foot surgery this offseason and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Even though he started out the season in Triple-A last year, Vogt still batted .279 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 84 games played. As long as he is not needed to sub for a player in the outfield or at first base, fans will be seeing Vogt back behind the plate for the majority of the 2015 season.
First Base – Ike Davis
Davis was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Oakland A’s in November of 2014 and is expected to be the starting first baseman for this upcoming season. In 2014, Davis struggled offensively and only batted .233 with 51 RBI. However, he is great defensively and he had a 10.59 Range Factor (RF) / 9 Innings, which was the best out of all major league first basemen last season. Let’s hope that Davis can boost his offensive production in 2015.
Second Base – Ben Zobrist
The Oakland A’s just acquired Zobrist from the Tampa Bay Rays in a huge trade that sent Athletics catcher John Jaso and two minor leaguers to the Sunshine State. Zobrist is two-time All-Star who is a true utility man and will provide solid defense in the middle infield. In 2014, he had a .990 fielding percentage and only committed eight errors even though he played at five different positions throughout the season. Offensively, Zobrist hit .272 with a 5.0 WAR. Additionally, he led the majors in 2011 with an 8.5 WAR, which is a higher WAR than this years MLB leader Mike Trout. Many are excited about the Zobrist acquisition so hopefully he can impress the fans once the season starts.
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Shortstop – Yunel Escobar
Escobar was also acquired in the transaction with the Rays and will most likely be the starting shortstop due to his experience. Escobar has seven years of experience as an MLB shortstop and leads the majors with the most starts at that position from 2008 to 2014. Even though Escobar will provide some veteran leadership in the middle infield, this shortstop did struggle offensively last season. He batted .258 last season with a .664 OPS. Additionally, Escobar hit 17 less RBI in 2014 than in 2013. It will be interesting to see if the Oakland A’s decide to platoon Escobar and infield youngster Marcus Semien if Escobar fails to produce offensively.
Third Base – Brett Lawrie
Brett Lawrie
Even though it was extremely disappointing to see Josh Donaldson go, many believe that Lawrie will easily win over the fans since he is such a dynamic player. Some scouts believe that Lawrie even has Gold Glove potential. Lawrie is extremely strong defensively – even better than Donaldson. He only committed two errors at third base in 2014 while Donaldson had 23 errors. However, Lawrie has had some trouble staying healthy. Last season, he battled numerous injuries throughout the later part of the season. Throughout the 70 games in which Lawrie did play in 2014, he hit .247 with 12 home runs, which was a career high for him. If Lawrie can hit a career high number of homers while only playing for less than half the season, he should be great offensively in 2015 – if he can stay off the DL.
DH – Billy Butler
The Oakland A’s signed Butler to a three-year deal in November 2014 and many were confused by this. Butler is not your typical Athletics player. He is not versatile defensively, he is not the fastest runner, and the Oakland A’s do not usually have an appointed designated hitter. Yet, they signed Butler and he will most likely be the everyday 2015 DH as well as a backup first baseman. Butler is solid offensively. He has a career batting average of .295 with a .808 OPS and an average of 78 RBI per season. Even though 2014 was an off season for Butler, perhaps he will benefit from a change in scenery since up until this point he has spent his entire MLB career with the Royals.
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Reserve – Marcus Semien, Eric Sogard and Josh Phegley
Semien, Sogard, and Phegley will provide depth in the infield. Semien can play numerous positions including second base, shortstop, and third base. The only reason he will probably not earn a spot on the starting lineup in 2015 is because of his inexperience. He has only played a total of 85 games in the majors. Like Semien, Phegley only has played 76 games in the MLB and does not have enough experience to make the starting lineup. Lastly, Sogard just does not produce offensively to earn a starting spot in the infield even though the fans love him and he is great defensively.
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This article Oakland A’s: Predicting the 2015 infield starters appeared first on isportsweb by Sam Riley