Power Outage: Oakland Athletics Search for Power
By Dan Fappiano
Ben Zobrist, Second Baseman
Mar 7, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Ben Zobrist (18) swings at a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training baseball game at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Zobrist was the highlight of the deal that sent John Jaso to the Tampa Bay Rays. He has been known to play all around the field, and is considered a very talented utility player. But he will most likely see most of his playing time at second base in Oakland.
Going on age 33, Zobrist is an aging veteran, but he should still be able to provide a nice power boost in the middle of the A’s lineup. In all but the first 2 years of Zobrist’s career, he has hit for double digit home runs. In 2011 and 2012 he had back to back 20 home run seasons.
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Another facet of Zobrist’s game has been his ability to stay healthy. He has had at least 600 at-bats over the past five years — and the year before that he had 599 plate appearances. Zobrist’s ability to stay healthy while aging will be key for the A’s. His long ball chances only improve if he is able to stay on the field for longer stretches of time.
Zobrist was arguably the A’s biggest offensive haul from all their offseason trades. Coming off a ten home run season, he will need to continue his hitting ways in the middle of the A’s lineup and prove that even though he is 33, the two time All Star can still be an offensive force.
Next: Josh Reddick