Winter Meetings interview with Bob Melvin

Q. How do you see the club coming off the finish you did and what you’re expected to do roster-wise off-season? BOB MELVIN: Obviously we’ve been talking about center field quite a bit. We made an acquisition in right field, a good fit for a number of reasons, Matt Joyce. Just the amount of injuries we had last year had a lot to do with where we were and how we went about things, certainly in the second half of the season, with trading Reddick and trading Rich Hill. So, you know, we’re comfortable with our young starters and we feel like we have quite a few of them. We like our bullpen, our bullpen depth, the emergence of guys like Ryon Healy, certainly the year Khris Davis had and Marcus Semien at short. So Yonder Alonso is solid for us, Stephen is an All-Star again. The positions that we’re potentially looking at are center field, maybe second base, depending on Jed Lowrie’s condition, but Joey Wendle did a nice job, too. I don’t feel like there’s too many pieces we’re looking at trying to add, even though we’ll probably be looking all the way up until the end of Spring Training.Q. You mentioned center field, and of course there’s a name that is around, I know you can’t talk about because he’s not an Oakland A, but what are things you see of Jarrod Dyson that you like? BOB MELVIN: You look at for us, we’re lacking potentially a lead-off hitter with Coco no longer there, Billy Burns no longer there, the speed dynamic, we didn’t steal too many bases toward the end of the season, as well. When you’re looking at potential-type fits, lead-off guy that plays good defense in center field, we’ve got a big park, and can run a little bit, certainly he’s a guy that’s being talked and we’re looking at him right now. Whether that happens or not, I’m not sure, but potentially he would be a good fit for us.Q. Last year on base percentage was a real problem. When it comes to improving that, how much can you improve, whether it’s through current acquisitions, or changing the approach? BOB MELVIN: I think everybody can get a little bit better incrementally. Now, to an extent, you are who you are, especially if you’re been in the Big Leagues for a few years. Some of the veteran guys you’re not going to try to completely tweak and give them a different approach at the plate. It’s going to be more addition of guys, like a good starter is Matt Joyce who gets on base. You know, it’s something we’ve been good at in past years that last year we fell completely off the map as far as on-base goes. It’s definitely a focus and a focal point this off-season to try to increase that.Q. If, for whatever reason, you get a center fielder who is not a lead-off hitter, what are your options? BOB MELVIN: Doesn’t mean that’s the only spot we’re looking at this year but I thought Joey Wendle did a nice job last year in a short period of time. He had one stretch where he struggled a little bit, and he’s not really known as a guy that draws a lot of walks or an on-base guy, but if you hit close to .300, you’re going to run into at least .330 on base. Jed Lowrie gets on base but might not be the speed guy you’re talking about, and Marcus Semien is more of a power guy and his on-base we feel like will get better, as career goes along. He’s another option. Right now it’s a hole for us.Q. Is Pinder a conversation, or do you see him needing more time? BOB MELVIN: He really started to get a little comfortable towards the end of last year and he’s been a guy that’s been a hitter. I think it’s acclimating to different positions playing both short and second. He’s been mostly shortstop in the Minor Leagues and played some second for us, and we feel comfortable with Marcus at short. Depending on what we do here the rest of the off-season, he’s a guy that certainly has got a chance to make the team. Once he settles in, looks like at every level, once he gets comfortable, the bat starts coming around. He’s got some pop in his bat, too. There’s definitely potential for him to make the team.Q. There are a lot of home runs this year; did that have any impact on how you managed? BOB MELVIN: Oh, definitely. You manage the strengths of the team. So we flipped it around here the last three or four years on how we tried to do some things. But, you know, it’s always nice to be one swing away of scoring a couple runs. I think it’s more the on-base thing that we are looking at than potentially trying to add power. We feel like incrementally we have some power throughout the lineup like you talked about.Q. What about defending against home run lineups? BOB MELVIN: Defending against them?Q. The added power throughout depth of lineups, do you need to manage differently? BOB MELVIN: Depending on the club, when you go over your scouting report, you are aware of teams that hit the ball out of the ballpark. We feel like we have some guys that are good sinker ball guys; we have some guys in the bullpen that are swing-and-miss guys. You have what you have as far as how you defend against that, the personnel you have. And it has a lot to do with how you set up your scouting reports on guys, whether guys are pull guys or you try to stay down in the zone or whatever. But I don’t think particularly we’re looking to defend the home run. You’re just trying to make good pitches.Q. Who do you like hitting three and who do you like four and who do you like hitting five right now? BOB MELVIN: I think as far as four goes, Khris Davis is probably the natural for that. And then we’ll just see what the roster looks like. Stephen Vogt did a nice job in the 3-hole. He can hit anywhere in the lineup. You know, Jed can hit anywhere in the lineup. I think it has a lot to do with what we’re looking at in center and at second base. Ryon Healy is going to hit in the middle of the order somewhere. He ended up hitting third for awhile last year, too, so we have some options for that.Q. You mentioned Khris Davis. We talked a lot in the season about the possibility of him playing the World Baseball Classic and now we talk with the people of México, they are very excited about this possibility. BOB MELVIN: They should be.Q. What are your thoughts about him playing the Classic and how much will it help him towards next season with the A’s? BOB MELVIN: I think more than anything, he’s just excited about doing it. Any time you have a chance to play in a WBC — and he’s close to his mom, and I think that’s the reason. He was actually reached out I think by both U.S. and México, and I think he’s taken some pride in playing for México and his mom’s heritage. I don’t know that that lends to him, you know, during the season, getting more at-bats in the spring. I think where he is right now, I don’t know that incremental at-bats in the WBC is going to be good for his development or whatever. But I think it’s more just the pride of playing and playing for a country.Q. Do you have anybody else in the WBC? BOB MELVIN: I think Ax is going to play for Canada. Hendriks is going to play for Australia. Might be a couple more. Not sure.Q. Coming out of last spring, you were talking so much about Matt and your young third baseman — regardless of whether he stays there long term? BOB MELVIN: You know, one thing when you get to the Big Leagues for the first time, it’s a little bit uncomfortable. It’s another thing when you’re playing a position that you haven’t played for very long, and that just kind of shows his tenacity. He really feels like he can play anywhere, if he had to. He just wants to get his bat in the lineup. He’s a tough kid. And to take to third base, which is not an easy position, as well as he did, you know, speaks to how hard he works. If Chapman ends up being there at some point in time, his natural …

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