RADIO
Sheldon Neuse 2020 Outlook: Lots of Power with No True Defensive Home
5 years agoWith Matt Chapman manning third base in Oakland, it might take a pry bar to get Sheldon Neuse onto the A’s roster in 2020 but he’s shown that his bat is ready. A natural third baseman, this solidly-built infielder has also seen time at both middle infield positions. He won’t play much shortstop in the Majors but second base is a possibility if he can beat out Chad Pinder for playing time. The designated hitter slot could also provide him an avenue to at-bats if Khris Davis’ offense continues to slide. Neuse has now spent the past two seasons in Triple-A. He exploded in 2019 for 27 home runs and a .317 batting average in 126 games. The power is real as he’s physically strong and hits balls really hard as witnessed by the strong line-drive rates throughout his pro career. There is a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, and he’s not that fast, so a lower batting average should be expected in the Majors as his BABIP rates normalize. As mentioned, Neuse doesn’t have the clearest path to playing time so keep that in mind when acquiring him but the bat is MLB-ready and he could offer multi-positional value.
