Good morning everyone and welcome to the first Friday of the year!

The A’s have made no secret that they intend to have young defensive whiz Denzel Clarke begin the season as the starter in center field. His first action in the big leagues was a clinic in outfield defense as the 25-year-old made near-daily highlight reel catches, including one that was arguably the play of the year:

And he made plenty of other jaw-dropping catches in the short time he was with the A’s. That alone should make Clarke a productive player for the Athletics, the Yadier Molina of the outfield. The starting pitchers will come to love their Gold Glove capable center fielder making insane plays that save them from giving up runs. Momentum can shift when a web gem is made and Clarke’s rookie season gave us all a glimpse of the game-changer the 25-year-old can be in the outfield. And that defense will soon be on the big stage when Team Canada is playing during the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

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That said, the Athletics will be hoping for more out of his bat than what we saw in his first 47 games. The right-handed swinger slashed a measly .230/.274/.372 with three long balls. His OPS+ was just 78, with 100 being league average. He did chip in six steals without getting caught once, but overall Clarke was a far below-average batter in his first taste of The Show.

Clarke was never especially known for his bat coming up through the system thanks to a swing-and-miss tendency, something that he worked very hard to fix last winter. He seemed to have turned a corner as he punched out just 30 times in his first action in Triple-A compared to a healthy 23 walks. That plate discipline almost immediately disappeared when he got called up to the big league team as he struck out 61 times against just six free passes with the A’s. That should be a major concern and is something we will all be watching closely during Spring Training and the first couple months of the regular season.

If June comes around and Clarke is hitting below the Mendoza line and getting frustrated in the batter’s box, and the A’s are hanging around in the standings, the team may elect to begin cutting into his playing time. He could win the Gold Glove this coming season but you can’t be an obvious and massive black hole in the lineup, even if you’re an elite defender at a key position. The Athletics need to have a backup plan in case Clarke isn’t as ready as the team believes.

The most obvious option would be repeating what the team did when Clarke went down to injury late last year. Right fielder Lawrence Butler slid over to center for the majority of the rest of the season. He is a better defender in right but did come up through the farm as a center fielder and looked comfortable back out there when called upon. That’d just shift the hole to right field, but that would at least be an easier fix than center.

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The other in-house option currently on the roster would be Colby Thomas. The right-handed hitter has more offensive potential than Clarke but is nowhere near the defender. And like Butler he’s got experience in center but would be best in a corner outfield spot. He also didn’t impress at the plate in his debut season and there’s a decent enough chance that he’s going to start the year in the minors if he doesn’t have a great spring. Another option currently on the roster could be Carlos Cortes, a switch-hitting right fielder that hit well in his first big league action this past year.

If the A’s wanted to get aggressive with one of their top prospects, they could dip into the minor leagues and promote Henry Bolte. Currently ranked as the organization’s #5 prospect, Bolte impressed last year at the final two stops on the minor league ladder. A speedy defender in center with a strong arm, promoting Bolte would keep Butler in right field while replacing Clarke’s amazing defense with someone who is just a small step below Clarke’s genius with the glove. It’d also add a different element to the Athletics’ lineup; Bolte stole 44 bags last year and 46 the year before. Only Butler had double-digit steals for the A’s last year.

Just something to think about. Clarke will hopefully be able to grow more as a hitter in his first full year in the big leagues but if he severely struggles against major league pitching the A’s need to have an idea of the backup plan. Whether that’s sliding Butler from right field or giving a different young outfielder a chance is something the front office should be thinking about during the lead up to camp getting started.

Have a great Friday everyone!

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