Diekman, a southpaw who re-signed with the Athletics on a two-year, $7.5 million contract this offseason, is expected to frequently work against both right- and left-handed hitters this season, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports. "There are times, especially for a guy like him, he just sees a clear lane against righties," manager Bob Melvin said. "And just sees the plate as opposed to throwing off the hitter."
Diekman arrived via trade from the Royals on July 27 last season and generated a 4.43 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 28 appearances. The southpaw was equally effective against batters of either handedness, holding both to a solid .303 wOBA and actually limiting right-handed bats to a lower batting average (.210) than he did same-handed hitters (.224). Melvin explains that Diekman's across-the-board effectiveness mainly stems from the fact he complements his mid-90s fastball with an extremely sharp breaking ball, a "biting slider" and a deceptive delivery. The 33-year-old could once again be an excellent source of holds, with Diekman having recorded a career-high 31 in 2019 and having produced double-digit tallies in that category in six of the last seven seasons.