Athletics’ Josh Reddick Off to Fast Start
With all the changes the Oakland Athletics experienced in the offseason, there weren’t a ton of familiar faces on the 25-man roster. As it stands now, 14 players on the active roster were with the team last year, and nine of those 14 are pitchers. Of those five position players, one of them is Josh Reddick.
Reddick started the year on the disabled list, as he strained an oblique in Spring Training, but he missed just the first six games of the 2015 campaign. Since returning, Reddick has played in 13 out of 14 games, and he has made an impact.
Reddick is currently boasting a very impressive .348/.412/.522 slash-line, and has three doubles, a triple, a home run, and is tied for fourth on the team with eight RBI. He’s driving the ball with authority to both gaps, and has come through with clutch hits one more than one occasion in the young season.
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The former Gold Glove right fielder has committed two errors already, but he seems to be getting his feet back underneath him in the outfield again. He’s made a couple of diving, tumbling grabs, looking more and more like the Reddick of 2012.
For the Athletics, getting Reddick back to the level he reached in 2012 would be, quite possibly, the biggest boost of all. After playing parts of three seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Reddick was acquired by the A’s, via trade, for closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
From 2009 to 2011 in Beantown, Reddick played a total of 143 games in the crowded Boston outfield. When he played, he played pretty well, hitting .248 with 25 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and 37 RBI. But following the trade after the 2011 season, Reddick finally found an everyday job, and he took advantage of it.
In 2012, Reddick broke out. He played in 156 games, with a .242/.305/.463 slash-line. He bashed 66 extra-base hits (29 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs) and drove in 85 runs while scoring 85 runs. He also earned his first, and thus far only, Gold Glove, and totaled 15 outfield assists.
After that season, injuries plagued Reddick, as he played in just 223 of the 324 games over the next two years. He did hit 24 home runs, 25 doubles, and drive in 110 runs, proving that when he plays, he can make an impact.
In 2013, the major ailment for Reddick was his wrist. He was placed on the disabled list twice throughout the season, and after the season concluded, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage. That seemed to solve the problem for Reddick, as his wrist was a non-issue in 2014.
Unfortunately, the injury problems still persisted in 2014, as Reddick’s knee became the problem. He again found himself on the disabled list twice throughout the season.
When he’s healthy, Reddick is an impact player. He hasn’t been healthy for the past two seasons, but right now, Reddick is healthy, and his bat is showing it. He’s driving the ball to all fields, and even though the power isn’t quite there right now, it will come as the season continues.
The Athletics aren’t off to a great start, as they hold an 8-12 record, and are 4.5 games back from the first-place Houston Astros. Yes, the FIRST-PLACE Houston Astros. That right there shows that this early in the season, anything can happen.
If Reddick can continue to hit, it will be a big boost to the Athletics as they try to climb out of this early season hole. He’s proven before just how good he can be, and he’s looking to prove it again.