A's Defense Still a Concern

At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Athletics GM David Forst mentioned that the club would have to get better defensively during the off-season, with their internal metrics providing similar data to the public-facing data. Those numbers had the A's as the No. 29 ranked defense in baseball by Defensive Runs Saved at -64.

While the club has made some adjustments and we're seeing new players at new positions, the team's overall defense is still ranked among the worst in the game, with their -34 DRS putting them at No. 28 in MLB, ahead of just the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have 17 wins on the year at 17-57, while the Phillies (44-30) make it work thanks to a starting rotation that holds a 3.57 ERA.

The A's staff as a whole ranks as the worst in the game with a 5.55 ERA.

So now the team has a slight chicken and the egg problem. The pitcher's execution has been off for about six weeks, but the team's defense has also graded out poorly. If the defense were to improve, the pitching statistics would also see a jump. The same works in the reverse.

For the defense to improve, that will either take time to build up the defensive skills of some of the young players, or the front office will have to continue to tinker with the roster. One player that has struggled by the metrics is rookie Max Muncy, playing both second and third base, According to Outs Above Average, he has put up a -4 at second and a -2 at third.

In fairness to Muncy, he's still finding his footing at the big league level, and he is a natural shortstop. He also had under 200 innings at each position in the minor leagues. In both instances, he has nearly as much time at those spots in the minors as he does with the A's.

He would be a case where time at a position would be beneficial, and he should be able to learn the nuances of those spots and improve his all-around game.

On the other end of the spectrum is Miguel Andujar, who is a free agent following the season. In the field, he has put up -4 OAA in left and -4 OAA at third base. His bat has been solid for the A's, but how much does that outweigh his glove?

Baseball Savant also has Tyler Soderstrom (-6), JJ Bleday (-6), and Luis Urías (-5) as the remaining defenders that are doing the most damage to the overall defensive numbers.

On the plus side, it should come as no surprise that Denzel Clarke is the best glove on the team in center with a +8, while utility-man Max Schuemann's +5 is the other standout on the club. Lawrence Butler (+1) is the only other positive defender the A's have in the field according to OAA.

Zack Gelof, who had a +2 OAA last season at second base, is on a rehab assignment and will get about 10 days with the Las Vegas Aviators before getting re-evaluated. His addition to the roster would help one issue the team has had.

But looking around the rest of the lineup, the club is going to need to see jumps in defensive performance from a number of guys in order to take that leap from the bottom. On the infield, there's Muncy, Jacob Wilson, Gelof, and Nick Kurtz from left to right, with Soderstrom, Clarke, and Butler in the outfield.

That is a young group that could take some steps forward quickly, but it's not going to happen immediately, either.

The best way for this to all come together for 2026 and have the A's reach their goal of being competitive would be for the defense to rate closer to league average while the offensive production sits around where it is. That would help out the pitching staff a great deal, and shouldn't lead to as many blow up innings, which have been all-too-common in 2025.

At the same time, the Athletics have some highly regarded arms down on the farm in Jack Perkins, Gage Jump, and Luis Morales, and each has shown the ability to collect strikeouts. That means fewer balls in play. Jump's strikeout rate is at 29.5% in Double-A Midland, while Morales is at 29.6 in Triple-A, and Perkins is sitting with a 38.4%.

The young offensive core taking a step forward with their gloves, with the addition of some arms that can miss bats would be the best path forward for this team as they continue to build towards the future. Of course, that would also mean some defined roles for Muncy and Soderstrom, who have floated around the diamond a bit as the team's needs have changed.

The front office will likely take the rest of this season to continue to evaluate which players will be with the club for the long haul, while potentially making some adjustments to address some of the problems that have arisen this season.