Chad Pinder

Pinder's defensive versatility has helped keep him in the majors for parts of the last six seasons, but he could finally find an everyday role in the lineup with Oakland in complete rebuild mode. He has hit .241/.294/.412 with a 91 wRC+ in 223 games over the past three seasons. Pinder played more than five games at five different positions last season, with the bulk of those coming in the corner outfield spots. He could get a chance to win the starting third base job this spring. Pinder has power and always features above-average exit velocity, so it's possible he could thrive in regular duty and be a late bloomer at age 30.

We should appreciate players for what they are rather than lament what they are not. Pinder has versatile skills at the plate and in the field, and comes into 2020 with 2B and 3B eligibility in many formats and will gain OF eligibility in-season in one-to-five-game eligibility formats. The righty has been an above-average offensive producer against lefties, setting aside the 26 PA from last season where he was rather unproductive but salvaged it by doing better against righties than previous efforts. He has improved his strikeout rate each of the past four seasons, although he has not been rewarded by any batting average improvement. Still, Pinder hits the ball hard (career 90.6 mph exit velocity) and he had the highest gain in max exit velocity from 2019 to 2020 in the majors, besting Teoscar Hernandez.

Pinder's bat has upside, but health is an issue as he once again failed to reach 400 plate appearances. In his defense, Oakland's roster was deeper in 2019 than it had been in previous years, so once someone went down with an injury or was in a slump, they could stay down awhile. The other strike against Pinder is that he is better on the short side of a platoon as his OPS against lefties is 77 points higher than it is against righties over the course of his career. He retains his position flexibility in 2020, and has three-position eligibility in some formats, but the platoon splits will always put a cap on his potential as an everyday player. If he gets over 400 plate appearances, he has either had a huge breakout at the plate, or Oakland has had several players break down at once. He is not mixed-league relevant, but handy for AL-only rosters since you can move him around in-season.

Pinder began 2018 in a utility role before missing 10 days in April with a hyper-extended knee. When he returned, Pinder saw some time at second but played primarily in left field. He and his fiancee were in a car accident in late July and Pinder was sent to the DL with a lacerated elbow. Upon returning, Pinder resumed his utility role. Pinder improved his on-base skills but fell back in power, with his flyball rate and HR/FB both dropping a little. Alone, neither inflicted much damage, but in tandem they cost Pinder a few long balls. Statcast data bodes well with Pinder checking in above average in both exit velocity and barrel rate. Oakland likes to get everyone involved, so regardless of whether he wins a starting job, Pinder will get plenty of action.

Pinder didn't make the big club coming out of camp, but an injury to Marcus Semien resulted in his callup from Triple-A Nashville in mid-April. Pinder spent the rest of the season with the Athletics, though he did miss a little more than five weeks mid-season with a hamstring before having his season truncated via a concussion in late September. All told, the utility man appeared in 87 games, playing second base, shortstop and all three outfield spots, along with a handful of games at designated hitter. That's Pinder's likely role heading into 2018, offering a power bat off the bench while giving one of the regulars a day off a couple times a week. Pinder hit double-digit homers at three levels in the minors, so popping 15 in 208 plate appearances wasn't a shock. However, a 29.8 percent strikeout rate tempers his average, exposing him when playing full time. Pinder is the ideal endgame play in AL-only. He'll get his at-bats, but without a regular job, he won't draw much interest.

Pinder scraped out 22 major league games last year and failed to make a major impact. Though he had an encouraging stint at High-A Stockton in 2014 and has smacked double-digit homers in his last two minor league years, although he has often been taking advantage of very favorable hitting conditions. He occupied the bottom half of an A's platoon with Joey Wendle at second base near the end of 2016, but with Jed Lowrie presumably fully recovered from toe surgery, Pinder may open 2017 as a bench bat. He has enough defensive versatility and may display enough offense across the board -- including sneaky stolen-base ability -- to gain fantasy value as a compiler if he is ever given a regular role. However, he may need an injury ahead of him to receive that shot, and it would have to happen fairly quickly, as top prospect Franklin Barreto is nearing the majors and figures to slot in alongside Marcus Semien to form Oakland's double-play duo of the future.

Pinder built on his success at High-A in 2014 with another strong season at Double-A Midland. Pinder finished the year at .317 with an .847 OPS with 15 homers and 86 RBI over 477 at-bats. Back-to-back years with an OPS over .800 has elevated Pinder's stock within the A's system, especially with the trades of other shortstops, Addison Russell and Daniel Robertson. Even more exciting is how Pinder improved as the year progressed, hitting .340 after June 1st with a nearly .900 OPS. The 2013 2nd round pick out of VPI was rewarded for his season by being named the 2015 Texas League Player of the Year. Pinder had one of the best years in the A's farm system and could make an appearance in the Majors in the second half if he continues hitting.

Pinder, a second-round pick in 2013, spent his first full professional season at High-A Stockton in 2014. He had a nice first year, putting up a .824 OPS with 13 homers, 12 steals and 32 doubles over 403 at-bats. The extra-base hits were very nice after he managed only seven of them in 140 at-bats with Low-A Beloit in 2013. The A's front office has indicated that Pinder played though multiples wrist injuries in 2014, so it is possible that his offensive production could jump yet again in 2015. He moved to second base in 2014, likely because the A's already had stud shortstop prospect Addison Russell in the system, but it is possible that Pinder could be moved back to shortstop since the A's have since dealt Russell to the Cubs and Daniel Robertson to to the Rays.