Willingham has spent seven years in the big leagues with the Marlins and Nationals. He was acquired in a trade with Washington this off season and the 32-year-old is happy to be in Oakland.
"I feel like I bring some leadership to the team. I feel like I can bring a little punch to the lineup and help them produce a few more runs. I'm not going to try to do anything that's out of my capabilities. I'm going to go in there and play my game and try to help the team win," said Willingham.
Oakland A's General Manager Bill Beane claims Josh is just what he was looking for.
"Josh, that type hitter, was badly needed, a right-handed hitter with some power and good on base percentage and he will help a lot," said Beane.
Willingham has a career .265 average with 103 home runs and 336 RBI. Josh along with David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui, add some much needed punch to the A's lineup and he was amazed at what a rock star Matsui was when he arrived.
So what did Willingham first think of Matsui when he saw him in the batting cage?
Willingham says he's "just a professional hitter. When he's up there, he knows exactly what he's doing, he's been around the block obviously, and he knows what it's going to take to get him ready for the season. You can see that in the way he approaches batting practice."
Add these three hitters, along with the A's pitching staff and defense, and this could be a fun season in Oakland.
