Athletics' Matt Olson: Candidate for No. 3 spot in order
Olson is one of the primary candidates for the No. 3 spot in the batting order during the regular season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "I'm fine with anywhere, but I'm pretty comfortable in the third spot," Olson said before going 0-for-2 with a walk in the Athletics' 11-2 loss to Milwaukee. "Growing up, that's where I hit, and even in the minors I was there a lot with Renato Nunez hitting behind me. It should be nice to have KD [Khris Davis] behind me and maybe get more pitches to hit."
Jed Lowrie saw an appreciable boost in production while logging 653 plate appearances out of the No. 3 hole last season, slashing .275/.361/.461 with 59 extra-base hits (35 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs) and 96 RBI in that slot alone. With Lowrie now a Met, Olson is a fitting candidate to slide into that spot after making just 17 plate appearances there in 2018. The 24-year-old racked up 84 RBI last season while hitting behind Davis in the lineup, but as he noted, Davis often did a good job clearing the bases ahead of Olson while driving in a career-high 123 runs. Manager Bob Melvin will likely continue to evaluate different scenarios ahead of the team's season opener March 20 in Japan versus the Mariners, and Slusser also notes that Stephen Piscotty, who's hit third for most of spring, would likely see his fair share of time there over the course of the season versus right-handed starters.
