RADIO
Teams usually perform close to the expectations they are given at the start of the season.
The Oakland Athletics had few expectations coming into the 2012 season. With a projected 79-win season and third place in the American League West, fans expected another rebuilding year. Even at the All-Star Break, the A’s sat at a 43-43 season. After a 50-26 streak to end the season, Oakland stole the AL West title from the Texas Rangers in the final game of the season. This reinvigorated the fan base and brought the passion back to Oakland.
Lacking expectations in 2012, Oakland snuck up on the league and surprised everyone. Last year, in 2014, Oakland was World Series favorite for most of the season. After a strong first half, the A’s limped into the playoffs only to lose a heartbreaking AL Wildcard Game to the Kansas City Royals.
After an off-season that saw All-Stars Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija, and Derek Norris all traded, Oakland fans weren’t pleased. They resented GM Billy Beane for trading away players in their prime for unknown minor leaguers. And now to the 2015 season, could Oakland shock the league again?
Coming into 2015, the A's are expected to finish third of fourth in their division. While this isn't the strongest Oakland lineup in recent years, they have a solid core of players. It’s going to be up to Brett Lawrie, Stephen Vogt, Ben Zobrist, and Coco Crisp to jump start this lineup. None of those players are big power hitters, which makes the lineup quite different from 2014's which featured sluggers Moss, Donaldson and Norris.
Pitching is what is going to carry the A’s into a possible Wild Card spot. Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester are going to be replaced by A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker, who both missed all of last season with elbow injuries. Griffin pitched well in 2013 with a 3.83 ERA in 32 games. However, there are major questions about how well Griffin and Parker recovered from their major injuries. The Oakland bullpen is one of the strongest in the Majors, and they didn't lose anyone to free agency. The addition of former Nationals closer Tyler Clippard will keep the team in games late in the season.
Overall, the Athletics lost a lot of key players in the off-season. Many analysts have already written off this year’s team. While the A’s won’t come out of the gates at last year’s pace, I expect the team to be in the playoff picture in August. Their pitching staff will keep them in games,but it will be interesting to see how this reinvented lineup will do. Don’t be surprised if we’re still talking about Oakland late into the season.
