Fantasy baseball: 2020 Oakland Athletics fantasy preview
By Mike Marteny
2020 Oakland Athletics projected starting lineup:
Marcus Semien, SS (.285, 33 HR, 92 RBI, 10 SB in 657 AB)
Ramon Laureano, CF (.288, 24 HR, 67 RBI, 13 SB, 434 AB)
Matt Chapman, 3B (.249, 36 HR, 91 RBI, 1 SB in 583 AB)
Matt Olson, 1B (.267 ,36 HR, 91 RBI, 0 SB in 483 AB)
Mark Canha, LF (.273, 26 HR, 58 RBI, 3 SB in 410 AB)
Khris Davis, DH (.244, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 0 SB in 481 AB)
Stephen Piscotty, RF (.249, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB in 357 AB)
Sean Murphy, C (.245, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB in 53 AB)
Tony Kemp, 2B (.212, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 4 SB in 245 AB with HOU/CHC)
Semien was among the league leaders in runs last year and the nice power with a nice average will go a long way in the second tier of shortstops. He may be the best fantasy commodity on the team.
The power numbers for the Matt’s are nice, but Chapman hurts your average. 3B is loaded, so don’t reach of the power unless you have to. Olson is a solid first base candidate. Due to the scarcity at the position, his value might even be higher than Semien.
Laureano could be a bit of a hidden gem batting second in this order. He is probably the best SB threat outside of Kemp and he’ll score quite a few runs. That gives him more value than Canha who is better suited to round out your outfield. I’d be comfortable with Laureano as a third or fourth OF.
At this point, I see no reason to reach for Piscotty or Khris Davis. Piscotty is at least a candidate for a bounce-back season. Davis’s power was gone last year and the average stayed the same. Not only that, but in most leagues Davis is only eligible at UTIL. There are much better candidates for your UTIL slot.
Sean Murphy put up nice September numbers last year, but I’m not sure that means he’s a top catcher just yet. I love him as a backup or if you wait on a catcher. If you’re streaming catchers, you can do much worse than Murphy.
Prospects to watch:
Sheldon Neuse has shown pop in the minors but was underwhelming in his callup last year. Unless he can learn to play 2B at a high level, Neuse is a man without a position. Semien and Chapman aren’t going anywhere. If an everyday slot does open up for Neuse, I like him as a prospective add.
If Piscotty struggles again, the A’s are loaded on OF prospects. Socrates Brito and Buddy Reed for power, Greg Diechmann and Luis Barrera for speed. Keep an eye on them depending on what your team needs.