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Power Outage: Oakland Athletics Search for Power

By Dan Fappiano

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Billy Butler, Designated Hitter

Mar 5, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Billy Butler against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training baseball game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In 2014 the Athletics deployed twelve players in the DH slot ranging from Alberto Callaspo to Adam Dunn. They had no true “designated hitter.” Even without any player specifically designated to the spot in the lineup, they were still able to find production from the position.

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4 under the radar Phillies prospects named Organization All-Stars by MLB Pipeline
4 under the radar Phillies prospects named Organization All-Stars by MLB Pipeline /

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    • This year they took the opposite route, adding Billy Butler to primarily fill the DH spot. Butler doesn’t offer much benefit in the field, and has molded himself into the “traditional” designated hitter. Being strictly the DH does bring additional pressure as your only true job is to hit.

    Butler has to step up big time in terms of home run hitting and slugging percentage for the A’s in 2015. In 2014 he hit for a .271 average, had nine home runs, and 66 RBIs. While Butler’s 2014 was underwhelming, he is a career .295 hitter, with 127 home runs and 628 RBIs. That averages out to Butler being likely to hit around 16 home runs per year.

    He is only 28 years old and is an eight year veteran. He provides a good veteran voice in the clubhouse, and a good middle-of-the-lineup bat. He will need to perform better than he did in 2014, but as past results show, if Butler stays healthy, the Athletics should get a nice return on investment in their DH spot in 2015.

    Next: Ike Davis

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