I have a statement to make, and it might come as a surprise: Billy Butler is having a decent year for the Oakland A’s.
It doesn’t even take any squinting to see it. If you like to keep it simple, he’s batting .292/.342/.431. If you want to know more, he’s got a 113 OPS+, a 110 wRC+, and his lowest strikeout rate since 2011. He’s valued at 0.3 bWAR, which is the first time since 2013 that either WAR scale has given him a positive value.
He’s still no star and he provides nothing outside of the batter’s box, but for the first time during his three-year contract he actually kind of has something to offer.