I know a 1 for 6 night with a double and 1 RBI doesn’t sound like much of a debut for a rookie and that is exactly what Tommy Everidge did in his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics. But, if you take into consideration the circumstances, it was a pretty impressive double. Two outs in the 9th inning facing Jonathan Papelbon All-Star closer for the Boston Red Sox, down by three runs. First pitch fastball laced off the Green Monster, about a foot shy from being a homerun.

I knew Everidge in college so this is kind of a proud moment for me. I watched Everidge tear up Division 2 pitching at Sonoma State and I was ecstatic when the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the 10th round of the 2004 draft. The funny thing is that Tommy grew up a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan. Either way he’s up in the Majors and we should be able to get a pretty good look at him. Daric Barton was put on the 15 Day DL and Everidge was called up to take his place. Now, on July 9th I wrote keep an eye on him on because he could be making his MLB debut pretty soon.

Now Everidge has arrived and has shown that he can handle the pressure situations that MLB players have to face. I mean c’mon, his first hit was off Papelbon to keep a two out rally going in a game which the A’s wound up winning in extra innings. Everidge showed good plate discipline and a good knowledge of the strike zone which is what he will need to keep doing if he doesn’t want to get sent back down when Barton is ready to come off the DL. Tommy has the makeup to be a mainstay at first for the A’s.

Everidge could develop into a .280+ hitter with 30 HR potential. I know this sounds crazy but the guy is an offensive beast and he has had to prove himself time and time again at every level. He works hard and is a student of the game and will see playing time for the next few weeks. Now, I’m not saying you should use a roster spot and stash him on your fantasy team but don’t forget about him. He could turn into a major sleeper for next year. Just don’t forget about where you heard of him first.