Fansided

One September callup we want for each MLB team

By Joshua Sadlock

MIAMI, FL - JULY 9: Brent Honeywell #21 of Team USA pitches during the SirusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by LG Patterson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JULY 9: Brent Honeywell #21 of Team USA pitches during the SirusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by LG Patterson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – JULY 05: Franklin Barreto #1 of the Oakland Athletics goes down to catch a line drive off the bat of Tim Anderson #7 of the Chicago White Sox in the top of the third inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on July 5, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JULY 05: Franklin Barreto #1 of the Oakland Athletics goes down to catch a line drive off the bat of Tim Anderson #7 of the Chicago White Sox in the top of the third inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on July 5, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Oakland Athletics: Franklin Barreto

Billy Beane and his front office have been a tough nut to crack the past few seasons, and the A’s may never fully recover from going all in for the 2014 season and then trading away Josh Donaldson for Brett Lawrie the following winter. Beane and Co. have managed to make a few shrewd decisions to pick up the pieces of the failed attempt at win-now mode a few years back, including flipping Rich Hill, Ryan Madson and Yonder Alonso for solid returns. Jed Lowrie could have been moved at the deadline this year, but the A’s decided to hold onto him and should use his $6-million option for 2018 to their advantage.

The Athletics are looking at a fork in the road up the middle with Marcus Semien at shortstop. Franklin Barretto is their top-overall prospect and should be expected to contend for a starting job at shortstop or second base next year. Semien is still young and hits more home runs than the average shortstop, but he may never develop into a complete hitter and has a poor glove.

Barreto had a brief 11-game stint with the Athletics in June and hit .190 in 46 plate appearances. He has spent the whole season at Triple-A and has a solid .285/.330/.454 line with 15 home runs and 14 steals. None of his tools stand out as potentially elite, but Barreto is a well-rounded player. Second base may be a better fit for him in the future at the MLB level.

Trading Lowrie this summer would have given the Athletics and easier path to finding playing time for Barreto this year and next. It’s still too early to give up fully on Semien considering the 27 home runs he hit in 2016. Both need to play next year and there is no obvious opening at third base. One option to consider for the A’s is allowing Barreto to get his feet wet in center field as this season winds its way to the finish.

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