Nick Allen

Allen began last year in a platoon role with the A's, but he was quickly sent down following a 1-for-16 start. He would go on to bounce between Triple-A and the majors for most of the season before settling in with the big club for the final two months. The patience he had shown during his time at the Triple-A level was not there in his time with Oakland, but Allen was at least able to make contact and hit for a palatable batting average down the stretch. Listed at 5-foot-8, 166 pounds, Allen is severely lacking in the power department, as he's never once reached double-digit homers in a professional season. If he's to ever make an impact in the fantasy realm, he will have to do it with steals and batting average. While not a burner, Allen has shown good efficiency on the basepaths in the minors over the past two seasons. The 25-year-old tentatively projects as the starter at shortstop for the A's entering 2024.

Allen almost earned an opening day roster spot but began in Triple-A Las Vegas. Soon, the rookie made his MLB debut, then shuttled between the majors and minors until late June, then played regularly the rest of the season. The slick-fielding infielder played both sides of the keystone, spending a more time at shortstop which is where he's earmarked for the upcoming campaign. Allen is a defense-first player with good contact skills, but he's not patient, nor does he hit the ball with much authority as his 84-mph average exit velocity indicates. Allen has speed but stole only three bases. If his defense weren't superb, he'd be a candidate to platoon as the righty swinger had much better splits against lefties. From a fantasy perspective, the fact he'll play a lot is detrimental, since his limited counting stats won't be enough to mitigate the batting average damage.