Pinder Good at Spreading his Workload Around

Jack-of-all-trades Chad Pinder has to cover more positions than anyone else in the Oakland Athletics' camp, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Chad Pinder has more work to do during spring training than anybody else in the A’s camp.

Well, maybe equipment manager Steve Vucinich and his crew, who keep the Oakland facilities in Mesa, Ariz. going on a first-to-arrive, last-to-leave basis, have to put in more hours.

But Pinder, who has played every infield and every outfield position on the field the last two years save for pitchers and catcher, has to be ready to go at any one of those spots.

And yes, Pinder said he has his catcher’s gear, so perhaps he’ll be ready to do himself one better in 2020.

“I would prefer not to (catch), but if they need me in an emergency, I’m ready to go,” Pinder said. “I have a catcher’s mitt for the spring. Last year there was one time where it almost happened, and I don’t think I was ready for it.”

Preparing for a 162-game season is no easy matter for someone in Pinder’s position. He can backup at shortstop, where Marcus Semien played 162 games last year. So Pinder, who got in at shortstop as a backup only three times in 2020, could rightly believe that he won’t be needed there. But health is guaranteed to no one, so he has to be ready.

The same is true at third base, where Matt Chapman rarely comes out of the lineup. Pinder made eight starts there last year.

“When you have guys like the Matts (Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson) and Semi (Semien) there’s limited innings there,” Pinder said. “And that’s a good thing, because they are cornerstones there.”

What Pinder has to do is get in time in games at each position – he says he hopes to have two or more starts at each position this spring – and spread his time around on defense during workouts. It’s a ton of work.

That weighs on him.

“It’s also about not wearing yourself down,” he told NBC Sports-Bay Area Monday. “I learned that over the years, that if I’m doing too much, the body starts to break down early. So, it’s about being smart with your workload and where you are going to do your business, and just focus on each each day.”

Pinder, who has played in seven games with a .375 average this spring, had Tuesday off. Hey, nobody can fault manager Bob Melvin for giving him a break during a long spring.

And in the background is the fact that Pinder plays a creditable second base, and the second base hole is one that has the most competition on the roster. Tony Kemp, Franklin Barreto, Jorge Mateo (three hits Tuesday in a 6-5 win over the White Sox), Vimael Machin and Sheldon Neuse are in the competition, but Pinder looms in the background as a fallback position should none of them claim the prize.

“Whatever they want me to do, wherever they want me to play, I’m OK with that,” Pinder said.