A’s mailbag: Will the platoon saloon be open in the postseason? What’s up with Khris Davis and Chad Pinder?

The A’s checked a big “to-do” off their list: win the American League West. They’ll have three games to check another off: Win a postseason series.

There are still a few things to smooth out before Game 1 of the best-of-three wild card series in Oakland. First, we don’t have a clear idea who they will play yet. But here are some questions you had regarding the season we’ve been watching and what’s ahead.

@Jake_Cucarola on Twitter: Will the As platoon once in the postseason? Or will players like Murphy get to play every day?

I’d bet lineups will be tailored a little more carefully to match ups if the opposing pitcher/team mandates. Though, it’s hard to say now that Jake Lamb is a platoon candidate at third. With the A’s, the left-handed batter is hitting .375 with a 1.319 OPS against left handers and .333 with a .980 OPS against righties.

The catcher platoon could be more complicated. Sean Murphy’s defense and framing behind the plate could give the A’s a clear advantage at that position. He’s also become one of the team’s strongest batters.

Then again, Jonah Heim has also been nice at the plate. He’s also become Sean Manaea’s personal catcher, of sorts, during the left-handed pitcher’s current streak of solid starts. So if Manaea starts a game, Heim will almost certainly be behind the dish.

@Tallguystepek on Instagram: Who makes the postseason rotation?

We won’t know for a while. My best educated guess: Chris Bassitt, Jesús Luzardo and Sean Manaea. I wrote that Frankie Montas could get one of the starts, but his mechanical issues since running into a back injury might prevent that from happening.

@kglee on Twitter: What are the team’s plans for Khris Davis this final week of the regular season and into the playoffs?

Khris Davis has been relegated a strange role in which he’s only been penciled into lineups against left-handed starters. At first, this was to help the struggling designated hitter regain his confidence. Davis was strong against right-handed pitchers during his best years, so the role reversal seems odd.

But manager Bob Melvin said the plan in the final week is to have Davis start a few games against right-handed pitching. The A’s would probably be pleased to see Davis get going in the final week.

@SFChiropractor on Instagram: Haven’t heard much about Pinder’s recovery. Does he return anytime soon?

Pinder, who’s been out with a hamstring injury since Sept. 13, said he is starting to feel like he’s turning a corner.

He ran a little bit Tuesday, and is expected to take some grounders and do some on-field work in the next few days if all continues to go well. Pinder would like to play a few games against Seattle, but it’s likely he will, at least, return for the postseason.

KJRamming on Instagram: Who is the A’s MVP?

Maybe it isn’t fair to assess most valuable players in a 60-game season. Marcus Semien — league MVP finalist in 2019 — recently articulated how the team feels about the regular season coming to a close.

“To me, it’s kind of sad that 60 games is already almost up,” Semien said because I feel like we’re just getting started, but that is what it is.”

With that said, Liam Hendriks has been the team MVP this year. And Jake Diekman may be a close second. Wins Above Replacement sums up value in one tidy number. The A’s closer has been visibly impacting the A’s many wins this year, resulting in a 1.4 WAR.

Hendriks this year managed to take a revelatory 2019 season and top it in 2020. No, it turns out, his improved arsenal featuring a newly un-hittable fastball and elusive breaking ball (slider, curveball) wasn’t a one hit wonder.

Here’s a breakdown of his dominance this year: In 21 appearances this season, Hendriks has compiled a 1.23 ERA with 32 strikeouts, three walks and three total earned runs over 22 innings. This means he’s struck out 40 percent of batters he’s faced, which is the league’s top 98th percentile.

Details provide context for the obvious: Hendriks has been one of — if not the — best closer in baseball.

Diekman gets strong consideration because, get this, he hasn’t allowed a single run in 18 1/3 innings. Plus, he’s striking out 36 percent of the batters he faces. Some of that success spawns from a new grip that’s upped the wipeout quality of his slider.

@jmk707 on Twitter: Are the A’s looking at re signing Tommy La Stella? If not do you think (Jake) Lamb an option at second base next year if signed?

He’s the type of player they A’s wouldn’t mind keeping around to have a stable, veteran second baseman for a while. He has the lowest strikeout rate in baseball, which has been a nice complement to a lineup that’s struggled mightily in that category. La Stella seems to be the type of hitter that could very well make the biggest impact, offensively, in a postseason where more economic, productive at bats can make all the difference.

At 31, he may not command a the kind of lucrative contract that’ll put the A’s out of reach. And general manager David Forst has said La Stella’s been on his target list for a long time. I’d imagine they’ll explore this.

Lamb is a different story. The A’s expect Matt Chapman back for next season, so there may not be consistent reps for the 29-year-old at any infield position. With that .346 average in Oakland, he’s been an ideal emergency addition to the team for the postseason.

@RobertEzraStern on Twitter: Thoughts on the uniforms we might see in the playoffs?

If they don’t go with the kelly green uniforms for the postseason then I don’t know what we’re doing here.