Robert Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Athletics have had their fair share of disappointments this season. From bullpen blowups to non-existent run support, it seems as though each player has had his own ups and down. One player in particular who has not lived up to expectations is designated hitter Billy Butler.
Butler was suppose to be Oakland’s slugger in the lineup. The Athletics rarely have an appointed designated hitter, but they felt as though he could fill that role nicely. Thus, the Athletics signed Butler to a three-year, $30 million deal.
But Butler has been underperforming. He is only batting .250, which is the lowest batting average Butler has posted in his MLB career, and has only batted .170 in the last seven days. Additionally, this is the second year in a row that Butler’s WAR has been in the negative numbers. Ultimately, he has not provided the A’s with much offensive power yet this season like he was expected to.
Butler is also not strong defensively. He can play first base but he does not play it on a regular basis anymore, which makes his skills and reaction time a bit rusty. Butler just does not have the same defensive spark that Ike Davis or Mark Canha have at first base.
When the A’s signed Butler, many were worried that his playing ability was declining due to his age, number of years in the majors and his physique. And it is true that his batting average, slugging, and OPS have been steadily declining since 2012. It seems as though Oakland signed Butler at the wrong time in his baseball career.
The Athletics may not be able to trade Butler due to his poor performance this season. However, they should not have him batting in the cleanup spot or even in the fifth spot. The team should move him down in the batting order and have players with hotter bats take the No. 4 spot in the lineup.
Samantha Riley is an Oakland Athletics writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow her on twitter @Riless22.
