Each and every year, you look at the Oakland As and you see a bunch of no name guys scattered up and down the order, and then somehow, those guys produce, and they win, and thanks to Moneyball, people call Billy Beane a genius.
I look at the 2014 Oakland As, and 97% of me wants to drop them in the 20s in my power ranking, but the As almost always, and notoriously overachieve, not to mention I’ve already established I think the Mariners underachieve.
Other than Yoenis Cespedes and Jarrod Parker, whom I think are superstars ready to break out in 2014, no one else really impresses me. And while they have solid players, the reason I say that is they need more consistency. Josh Donaldson had a tremendous, all-star first half, but could not keep up the pace in the second half. I’m not saying he can’t keep up that kind of pace, but if the As are to be successful, he is one of a handful of guys that needs to be more consistent.
The other guy who needs to, and I think will find it is Josh Reddick. He had a big 2012 with a 32 home run campaign, came back in 2013 and was slowed by injuries. Reddick could be poised for a nice bounce back season.
When I look at this rotation, it truly is representative of an island of misfits. I really like Parker and Sonny Gray at the top of this rotation though, and quietly, Billy Beane brought in a couple lefties that could be impactful arms. Scott Kazmir and Drew Pomeranz are guys I’d keep an eye. After an inconsistent first stint in the majors over eight years, Kazmir came back last year after a two year MLB absence, and wasn’t great, but he was efficient. The As are taking a big risk with him, but it could pay off if the 30-year old can find it again.
As far as Pomeranz goes, he was a key player in the Ubaldo Jimenez move from Colorado to Cleveland, and he never really panned out in Colorado. To me, Pomeranz more so than Kazmir, could be a sneaky great pickup for Colorado. I still believe in the talent of Pomeranz, and if he can work his way through his early career struggles, Pomeranz could revive himself in Oakland.
While the bullpen lost Grant Balfour to free agency, they gained a very solid closer in Jim Johnson. I think he does some great work in Oakland is lights out in the 9th.
Like I mentioned in the opening, I don’t like a lot about the As, but because I think Seattle struggles, Oakland automatically moves up a few spots. While the Angels should be better almost by default, I do wonder if Oakland’s talent can keep up. LA could be the team that keeps the As from getting back to the postseason, or they could be the stepping stone in getting them there.
The As are always intriguing team to keep an eye on. I definitely see them being in the chase for a playoff spot all season.
You are from Illinois so I understand your lack of Oakland Athletics information. This team has a ton of talent but no stars. The starting pitching should be good and the bullpen is amazing. They platoon almost every position so its tougher to become a star. The Texas Rangers are the only competition as Anaheim (LA is 40 min away) cant seem to keep their stars healthy and lack pitching.
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