Editor's note: Over the next few weeks, NBC Sports California will be analyzing a different A's player each day to project their numbers for next season.
It remains to be seen if the A's will add another catcher this offseason, but as of right now, the team would feature a Chris Herrmann-Josh Phegley platoon behind the plate.
Herrmann, 31, signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Oakland last month after playing for the Mariners in 2018. A left-handed hitter, Herrmann played just 36 games for Seattle, slashing .237/.322/.421 with two home runs, four doubles, and seven RBI.
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Herrmann has never put up big numbers at the plate, hitting just .205/.282/.351 in seven career seasons. He did perform well in Triple-A last year, however, posting a slash line of .257/.416/.426 with six homers and 24 RBI in 42 games.
Defensively, Herrmann has a career fielding percentage of .993 behind the dish and has thrown out 32 percent of attempted base stealers, four points higher than the league average. The A's said they were impressed by his pitch framing and pop times.
Baseball Reference projects Herrmann to hit .227/.306/.399 with nine home runs and 30 RBI next season. If he does end up platooning with Josh Phegley, he figures to get the majority of starts since he is the left-handed bat.
We still think the A's would be wise to add a true starting catcher before the start of the season, but if Herrmann ends up being the de facto starter, he could certainly challenge his previous career-highs in both home runs (10) and RBI (28).
Oakland Athletics
Projection: .235/.309/.398, 8 HR, 31 RBI