A’s Chad Pinder states his case for regular playing time (again)
Pinder made some crazy catches on Thursday. Will he play more outfield this year?
Chad Pinder has started his sixth season with the Oakland A’s and remains still a player without an everyday job. Will 2021 be the year Pinder slides into a regular role with the team?
It’s clear Pinder, 29, has the ability to become a solid starter, perhaps even a central figure in the lineup. He was the lone bright spot in the A’s 8-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday night, putting on a show in right field. He also collected two hits, a double and a single.
The outfield heroics came via a catch at the wall, robbing Astros’ Kyle Tucker of an RBI extra-base-hit. He topped that with a perfectly-timed diving catch of Jose Altuve’s potential RBI extra-base-hit. Chris Bassitt had to wait at the mound to give Pinder a pat and a handshake after that one.
“It doesn’t surprise me anymore,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I mean it did, early on, based on the fact that he was an infielder, but he’s just got a great instinct for the baseball, and the ball that was kind of curving away from him on the line, you had a good feeling he was going to get to it. It’s a really tough play, but we’ve seen him do it before. And then the ball in right field, up against the wall … that’s just instinctively wanting the ball, because when it was hit, I didn’t think he had a chance to get it. The ball was carrying pretty good, early in the game. It was just another great play, but it does not surprise us.”
That’s right, Pinder isn’t a natural outfielder. He spent the majority if his days in the A’s minor league system playing the infield, and his versatility has designated Pinder as a jack-of-all-trades who can play virtually any position on the field besides catcher and pitcher. We think. It’s a role not most MLB players want to grow out of, but Pinder has widely come to terms with.
This year, he’s decidedly the go-to back-up shortstop for 32-year-old Elvis Andrus; he has the arm and range next to Matt Chapman to perform well there. He could also play second base — where he started last season’s Opening Day game.
Pinder first started playing some outfield in 2017 out of pure necessity, but proved he had the arm strength and speed to play it well. In the 195 games he’s played in the outfield, Pinder has only improved defensively in the outfield, especially at right field, where he collected two outs above average according to Statcast.
Thursday, Pinder got the right field start because of a strong spring performance that built off of a solid 2020 season. After typical slow start, he batted .356 this spring with power. But the question remains: Is Pinder’s start in right field on Thursday an indication he’s earned an everyday role? History tells us it doesn’t — and that’s no fault of Pinder’s.
“I don’t know if it’s as much Chad as it is just the way the roster works,” general manager David Forst said last week. “We expect to have 13 position players at most times and Bob (Melvin) does his best every night to put together a lineup based on matchups, based on who’s swinging well, so this is not just a Chad question. I mean, Chad’s done really well when he’s been in there. It depends on what the best lineup is that night.”
Everyday playing time for Pinder, particularly in the outfield, runs into a significant roadblock: There’s no clear opening for Pinder to slide into. The typical everyday right fielder Stephen Piscotty had an ice-cold spring, but — similar to most regulars — his bat locked in during the final few games. Melvin said he had Pinder over Piscotty to reward Pinder’s performance of late. If Pinder keeps performing like he did Thursday night, how can they justify switching him out of right field for Piscotty?
Left field is locked up, too. Mark Canha has also struggled at the plate of late, but his approach and penchant for power at the top of the order is irreplaceable. Left-handed batter Ka’ai Tom will surely get plenty of looks in left or right field against right-handed pitching in future lineups.
Ramón Laureano has center field locked up safely.
And even if Pinder isn’t in the outfield, there’s little space for him in the infield. Jed Lowrie, 36, is expected to get the lion’s share of starts at second base. Tony Kemp provides depth there with a left-handed bat.
Simply put, Pinder’s road to more playing time is a little more windy than others’. He’ll have to make it impossible for them to replace him. And so far, so good.