Best Of The Oakland Athletics: Top 10 Utility Seasons
By Phil Watson
8. Yoenis Cespedes, 2012
| Year | Age | G | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 26 | 129 | 540 | 70 | 142 | 25 | 5 | 23 | 82 | 16 | 4 | 43 | 102 | .292 | .356 | .505 | .861 | 139 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/16/2014.
STARTS: 56 in LF, 46 in CF, 26 at DH
GAMES: 56 in LF, 28 in CF, 26 at DH
September 30, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) slides into home during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The Cuban rookie was runner up to Mike Trout of the Angels for the Rookie of the Year award and also finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting while helping Oakland to the AL West title.
Cespedes was ninth in the AL with a 18.9 Power-Speed number and 10th with a 139 OPS-plus.
He heated up in the second half, hitting .311/.376/.533 in 75 games after the All-Star break, with 51 runs, 14 doubles, four triples, 14 homers and 46 RBI. He hit seven homers in the final month as the A’s overtook the Texas Rangers for their first division title since 2006.
Cespedes started 102 times in the cleanup spot, hitting .289/.356/.469 with 16 homers and 63 RBI and made 23 starts batting third, where he hit .301/.353/.602 with five homers and 15 RBI.
In the ALDS against the Tigers, Cespedes was 6-for-19 with a run, a double, two RBI, two stolen bases and two walks, but Oakland went down to Detroit in five games.