A's hoping to strike Brandon Moss-like gold again with Andrew Lambo
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 25: Andrew Lambo #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates prepares to bat against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning of a MLB game at Chase Field on April 25, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
The 2012-2014 Oakland Athletics reached the postseason three consecutive years thanks in part to contributions from players like Brandon Moss.
A career journeyman before Oakland took a flier on him, Moss thrived in the Green and Gold for those three seasons, swatting 76 home runs, driving in 220 and making the All-Star team in 2014. He was an under-the-radar power hitter that came 'out of nowhere', so to speak.
The A's may be trying to do that again with Andrew Lambo, a 27-year-old who has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (59 games and 99 plate appearances from 2013 to 2015).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group pointed out in a recent piece that Lambo and Moss have some interesting parallels. Both are left-handed hitters, both were overlooked and/or underutilized by their previous clubs and both were signed by the A's.
Lambo admitted to Hickey in the piece that he does understand the similarity between himself and Moss:
Hickey also details a bit of roster crunch that might force Lambo to play his way into plate appearances. Oakland already has Mark Canha, Yonder Alonso and Coco Crisp on its first base/left field depth chart, so Lambo might have to slug his way into playing time. If he truly will replicate Moss's career trajectory, he'll find a way to do that in 2016.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With the A's always on the hunt for affordable, productive hitters, giving someone like Lambo (who has hit .280 with 100 home runs in eight minor-league seasons) makes perfect sense.