Phegley paying dividends for A's in part-time duty
Josh Phegley was acquired by the Oakland Athletics from the Chicago White Sox in the Jeff Samardzija trade prior to this season - but he wasn't exactly considered by many to be a key part of the deal.
So far for the A's, though, he's done an admirable job backing up Stephen Vogt at the catcher position, despite getting limited playing time.
Athletics Nation put together a thorough look at Phegley's impact on the A's, and it's really quite something: heading into play on Thursday, Phegley ranks eighth among all qualifying MLB catchers with a 1.5 WAR in 105 plate appearances.
How good is that, exactly? Well, here's a visual:
How does Josh Phegley have 1.5 WAR in 105 plate appearances? #Athletics http://t.co/fWtCIDD22U pic.twitter.com/IbydC0sKuJ
— Athletics Nation (@athleticsnation) June 25, 2015
Of course, this has to come with a bit of a caveat, given that Phegley mostly only plays against left-handed pitchers (or on days Vogt is too banged up to catch).
For comparison's sake, Phegley slashed .207/.221/.332 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs in two seasons of limited playing time (251 plate appearances) with Chicago, while with Oakland he's hitting .305/.362/.568 with five homers and 15 RBIs in those 105 plate appearances.
This could be a case of 'small sample size', to be certain, or it could indicate that Phegley, 27, could be experiencing a 'breakout' season. Time will tell, but for now the A's have to be happy with what they've seen out of their new backup catcher.
