Lost in the quagmire of suck that was the A's offense early in 2016 is Billy Burns' slow-ish start. Judgment is relative, of course, so Burns taking a slight step back from last year is overshadowed by performances like that of Yonder Alonso or Chris Coghlan. By wRC+, Burns has been about 20% worse than last season with the bat, down from 102 to 80. His OPS is down over 100 points and any way you slice it, Burns has been worse with the bat in the early goings of 2016. His fWAR has stood up thanks to improved defensive numbers, but those are even more subject to small sample noise than offensive numbers.
On Billy Burns, his new approach, and first pitches
