In the court of public opinion, consider Daric Barton the most
polarizing player on the Oakland Athletics roster. Some view him as
an on-base machine who fits perfectly as the team’s No. 2 hitter.
Others see Barton as a square peg the Athletics are trying to fit
in a round hole
— a light-hitting first baseman on a team that has badly lacked
power.
PHOENIX
In the court of public opinion, consider Daric Barton the most polarizing player on the Oakland Athletics roster.
Some view him as an on-base machine who fits perfectly as the team’s No. 2 hitter.
Others see Barton as a square peg the Athletics are trying to fit in a round hole — a light-hitting first baseman on a team that has badly lacked power.
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Barton bristles at the notion that he doesn’t provide the power needed at first base, a position teams generally look to for big homer and RBI totals.
He hit .273 last season with 10 homers and 57 RBI. The homer total ranked 15th among all American League first basemen, and the RBIs placed him 11th.
“I think if people look past that they could see I have a (.393) on-base percentage, I draw a lot of walks, I’m on base a lot,” Barton, 25, said. “I hit at the top of the order. I like where I’m at, I know my job.”
Indeed, Barton led the American League with 110 walks last season, and his on-base percentage ranked fifth. He led the A’s in hits (152), doubles (33) and slugging percentage (.405), though the slugging percentage was the lowest by a team leader in Oakland history.
And he’s developed into one of the American League’s better defensive first basemen.
“He’s going to be our most disciplined hitter and probably our highest on-base percentage guy,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. “He’s gotten stronger this year, and I think he’s going to have a few more extra-base hits.”
Geren pointed out that Scott Hatteberg — who played first base with the A’s from 2002-05 — never hit more than 15 homers with Oakland but played on teams that made the postseason twice.
However, Hatteberg was surrounded by hitters such as Miguel Tejada and a healthy Eric Chavez through much of that tenure, so his modest power numbers weren’t as glaring.
That’s what should make this season telling as far as Barton’s value to the A’s.
Newcomers Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham should provide power for a team that ranked 13th in the AL in homers last season.
That should allow Barton’s best attribute — the ability to get on base — to help the team more than in past seasons.
How he impacts the team offensively is crucial, as the A’s decided to shift Chris Carter — their best power-hitting prospect — to left field to keep Barton at first.
If his offseason dedication is any indication, good things could be in store for Barton.
He spent six weeks working with personal trainer Brad Davidson — who has trained Olympic athletes — and says he added 15 pounds of muscle while shedding 10 pounds of fat.
“I feel stronger. I did get stronger,” Barton said.
Barton laid down 12 sacrifice bunts last season — several of those without getting the bunt sign — the most by a major league first baseman since Rod Carew had 16 in 1982.
Geren said he talked with Barton midway through last season about being more aggressive with runners on base.
Barton, who hit just .233 with runners in scoring position, acknowledged he needs to be more aggressive in those situations.
“That’s something I need to improve on, and I think being more aggressive is going to help that,” Barton said. “Those RBIs are money, man. If I get a knock with two outs and a guy in scoring position, that one run can win some ballgames.
— Story by Joe Stiglich, Contra Costa Times
