Hey guys and gals. I don't usually do fanposts but I found something interesting after a thought I had last night. Is Wallace a better bet going forward than Barton?

I was thinking about the implications of the Taylor for Wallace trade and came to the conclusion was that Taylor fit better in the A's future OF than Wallace did in the A's future infield (since his defense is suspect). The main reason is that Barton is potentially a better bet than Wallace.

Barton stats

Wallace stats

Quick stats analysis:

From the minor league data it seems that Barton has had much better strike zone control while Wallace has had more HR. Barton put up a better OPS in the minors at younger ages than Wallace. Barton is almost exactly one year older than Wallace and has shown better K/BB ratios in the big leagues than Wallace has at any stop in professional baseball.

Verdict: Barton will be better overall.

Barton is a safer bet since he has no questions defensively and has kept his K/BB ratio solid while in Oakland. I think that Wallace has more upside due to his power potential but he will have to prove himself even at 1B (which he hasn't played much).