Oakland A’s Player of the Day: Josh Reddick

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick was perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season in 2013. A combination of injuries and slumps led to a disastrous season for Reddick. It was especially disappointing when he had an outstanding breakout year in 2012. Today, he is our A’s Player of the Day. Let’s take a look at Reddick’s numbers.

2013 Offense

Josh Reddick was horrible on offense this past season. He was expected to do much better than he did considering he had an amazing 2012 season. In 2013 he hit for an average of .226, had 12 homeruns, and 56 RBI’s. He only played in 114 games due to injury as well. Both trips to the DL were made because of a wrist injury. People think that that is why he wasn’t doing as well. He first injured it when the A’s were in Houston early in April and he ran into a wall trying to get a foul ball. The one thing Reddick did do well on offense was getting walked. He was walked 46 times which bumped his OBP up to .307. His most memorable walk was when the bases were loaded in the bottom of the ninth and the walk resulted in a walk off win. His most memorable moment on offense however, was when he hit 3 homeruns in one game and had the chance for 4. Overall though, Reddick was a disappointment on offense and would have probably been moved down to Triple-A if not for his gold-glove defense.

2013 Defense

Reddick was able to stay in the lineup on a regular basis because of his amazing defense in the outfield. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2012 and was a finalist for it again in 2013. Reddick has a cannon for an arm. Runners don’t go on Reddick because they know he can throw them out at home from the outfield. He had some amazing plays out there and he can leap high enough to steal homeruns even in the outfield of the O.co Coliseum. Reddick may not be the best offensively but his amazing defense and cannon arm will keep him in the lineup for years to come.

2014 Offense

Josh Reddick had a bad year, but I think he will bounce back up. Reddick won’t bhit 32 homeruns again, but he will raise his average to above .250 and he will begin to get more hits. He will be a better, balanced, all around hitter and not just the power from 2012. Reddick won’t be an amazing hitter, but he will be better than last year and that will ne enough to keep him around longer.

2014 Defense

Reddick’s defense is his strength. There isn’t much more that he can do to improve upon what he already does. You’re going to see the same stuff you’ve seen from him in 2012 and 2013. The only new thing that I predict for this season is that we will see Josh Reddick presented with the Gold Glove Award once more. Reddick is a monster in the outfield, a vacuum, and he will continue to impress and have us on the edge of our seats as he makes spectacular plays.