The Oakland A’s made numerous moves this offseason including the acquisition of first baseman Ike Davis. Davis was traded to the Athletics by the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for bonus slots used for signing international free agents. At the time, many were not expecting Davis to be the A’s starting first baseman, as Brandon Moss was still on the roster. However, once Moss was traded, it became more clear that Davis would at least be used in a platoon at first base with Billy Butler.
So what would be the benefit of platooning Butler and Davis? The main reason is because Davis is a left handed hitter while Butler bats right handed. Davis an extremely more effective hitter against right handed pitchers while Butler finds success against lefties. Since the Oakland A’s like to construct their lineup based on the opposing pitcher, this platoon at first would work nicely.
Additionally, both are pretty good defensively at first base with career fielding percentages of .992. However, Davis has already played more games at first base than Butler despite Butler being in the big leagues longer. Additionally, Butler has seen less playing time in the field in the recent years since he was regularly used as a DH for the Kansas City Royals.
Even though Davis’ success has significantly dipped over the last two years, it was not because of a traditional baseball malady, but rather due to Valley Fever – a fungal disease that produces extreme fatigue, fever and muscle and joint pain. This caused his production to be way down and his playing time to be limited in 2013 and 2014. It is not clear if he is fully recovered from the disease, but Davis has told the press that he feels stronger and is ready for the 2015 season. If Davis is feeling healthy, why can’t he be the Oakland A’s starting first baseman and play on a regular basis?
This poses a complicated question for the Oakland A’s. Although they would not mind having Davis as their starting first baseman, the fluidity of the A’s infield rotation and daily lineup would be marred by designating a single player at any one position. Additionally, since it is possible that other players will DH throughout the season as they recover from minor injuries, such as Coco Crisp did last year, Butler will likely be pushed to first base since the Athletics will want his bat in the lineup. Additionally, the Oakland A’s still have Nate Freiman – the 6 ft 8 in 28-year-old who is a right handed hitter like Butler. Even though he has has only played 116 games in MLB, Freiman has shown that he has the potential to be successful.
If Davis can come back completely healthy and play like the way he did in 2012, then he will earn a spot as the Oakland A’s starting first baseman. However, if he continues to struggle like he did the past two seasons, then Davis made find that his playing time will be limited. It will be interesting to see how he plays during spring training and if he is able to prove to the coaches that he has completely recovered from the Valley Fever.
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