3rd Base Has Been an Absolute Mess for the A’s. Here’s the Minor Leaguer Who Could Change That.
Before the A’s got swept out of New York on Wednesday afternoon, Jace Peterson drilled a 410-foot home run into the second deck at Yankee Stadium in the second inning. The 110.1-mph blast was about as mathematically perfect as a home run gets with a .990 expected batting average.
If you are feeling bullish, perhaps it’s a sign of what is to come. What it is most certainly not a sign of is what has been. Third base, where Peterson has started 27 of the club’s 38 games, has been an absolute mess. Here are the collective stats for the guys (also Aledmys Diaz, Kevin Smith and Tyler Wade) who have played the position:
.173 AVG, .242 OBP, .245 SLG, .487 OPS, 2 HRs
That average, slugging percentage and OPS all rank second-to-last in baseball. The on-base percentage checks in at third-to-last. It’s not just the bats that have underwhelmed. The gloves have too.
On Tuesday, in the third inning of the 10-5 loss to the Yankees, Peterson kicked what could have been an inning-ending double play, as Drew Rucinski (a topic for another day) flipped a 1-0 lead into a 5-0 deficit.
The A’s have bigger problems than the hot corner. There is absolutely, unequivocally no doubt about that. For instance the pitching staff, currently lugging around a 7.43 ERA. But unlike that mess, the one at third base might actually be solvable.
That’s where Brett Harris enters the frame. The 24-year-old third baseman has a .337 average, a .995 OPS, 3 HRs, 2 triples and 6 doubles 25 games into the Double-A season. If history is any indicator, Harris is on the verge of a promotion to Triple-A. Last year, Harris, originally selected in the seventh-round of the 2021 draft, spent the first 29 games with the High-A Lansing Lugnuts before getting pushed up to the Midland RockHounds.
I first speculated about Harris hitting his way to Las Vegas (and then Oakland) at the end of April. I’m revisiting the topic now because it seems like Harris could get sent to the Aviators any day now — even if his promotion would necessitate some lineup creativity with incumbent third baseman (and 40-man player) Jonah Bride already in Las Vegas.
Keep an eye on Harris (and shortstop Darell Hernaiz who’s now hitting .348) because it would be stunning if he’s not in the Pacific Coast League by the end of the month.