Coming into spring training, the A’s had five potential starters battling for playing time at second base in 2013. Surely the A’s could find a starter in a pool of players consisting of Jemile Weeks, Scott Sizemore, Jed Lowrie, Adam Rosales and even Andy Parrino.
Yet the A’s find themselves just more than two weeks from opening day and nobody has emerged from the crowd.
Weeks was off to a hot start only to get a shoulder injury to derail his momentum. Sizemore has been in a horrible slump with three hits in 24 at-bats this spring. Rosales is hitting .294 but has been a bench player for most of his career. Parrino is a switch-hitter hitting .333 with a .407 OBP but is in the same boat as Rosales.
Then there’s Jed Lowrie who is perhaps the best-suited man on the 25-man roster for the everyday job but he is likely going to be used as a utility player. His role is giving days off to the rest of the infield as he starts around the diamond.
The A’s were able to make a playoff team out of a group of outcast players and unknown prospects in 2012. Does that mean they would be willing to have Parrino or Rosales as the opening-day second baseman?
Regardless of who is on the opening-day roster, the A’s also relied on frequent calls to Triple-A Sacramento last year for extra players. Brandon Hicks and Brandon Moss are perfect examples of the A’s willingness to promote a player to help the team.
With that in mind, does it really matter who is the A’s opening-day second baseman? If that opening-day starter struggles out of the gate, Bob Melvin and Billy Beane will be quick to make the call to Sacramento looking for an upgrade.
With just a little over two weeks until opening day, the A’s are unlikely to acquire any new players via free agency or trades. The A’s opening-day second baseman is with the team now, but who is it?
It could be anyone wearing green and gold right now.
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