Oakland Athletics: Mark Canha as Designated Hitter in 2016?
Oakland Athletics’ young slugger Mark Canha has been pushed out of a starting fielding position for 2016
After acquiring outfielder Khris Davis from the Milwaukee Brewers last week, General Manager David Forst told the media he is happy with the team they have now. However, this latest move bumps Mark Canha from playing regularly in left field. Additionally, with the acquisition of first baseman Yonder Alonso earlier this offseason, Canha’s two primary positions are currently filled by veteran players.
It became clear last season that the A’s rookie players excelled when they received regular playing time. This was true for Canha. Unfortunately, it seems as though his playing time will be limited this upcoming season due to the fact that Davis and Alonso will be starting in left field and at first base respectively. However, Forst seems to believe that Canha is “going to find ways to get at-bats”.
Besides filling in for Davis and Alonso on their days off, there does not seem to be many options for Canha – expect if Billy Butler’s production continues to decline in 2016. This leaves the designated hitter position wide open for the taking. It has been stated before that Coco Crisp was see some time at DH, but probably not on a regular basis. This leaves some DH at-bats open for Canha.
During the second half of last year, Canha proved to be a true slugger. From the All Star Break to the end of the season, Canha hit 37 RBI, eight home runs and batted over .300 for the month of August. For the year, Canha collected 70 RBI – the third most on the team behind Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt – and 16 homers, which tied with Brett Lawrie for third most among the A’s players. Additionally, throughout these last two and a half months, he did not play in only five games. It was clear that the regular playing time helped improve Canha’s bat in the big leagues. If Canha can produce the same numbers he did during the second half of 2015 in this upcoming season, he would be a great designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics.
Manager Bob Melvin is the king of platoons and makes sure that players with hot bats are always in the lineup. This bodes well for Canha this upcoming season seeing as he has no defined starting position. If he is able to prove that he still has a powerful bat and Butler continues to falter at the plate, Canha may have the opportunity to take over the DH position at least on a semi-permanent basis.
Next: A's 2016 Preview: Starting Pitcher Kendall Graveman