The Oakland A’s had some high highs and some even lower lows last season. Even though they led the American League West for the first half of the season, they famously imploded in August. They were able to claw their way into the postseason AL Wild Card game, but ultimately lost the game to the Kansas City Royals. Last season was suppose to be the year the Athletics made it to the World Series. They had all the tools, but they did not use them correctly. In the end, it was an extremely disappointing season.
To say the Oakland A’s offseason was busy would be an understatement. The Athletics made nine transactions involving 27 players. Even though this involved trading away the majority of the A’s All-Stars, the end result was positive overall. The A’s were able to acquire some power bats as well as improve the defense. They were also able to add some young arms to their bullpen.
The success of this season will be determined by how well all of these new players collaborate as a team. Many of these players have not played together in their careers and they will have to learn to work together in order to win games. With a good mix of veteran players and rookies, the team should be able to learn from one another and have a successful, yet fun, 2015 season.
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Best Case Scenario for 2015
The Oakland A’s made a lot of changes to their roster during the offseason, which included trading away the majority of their All-Stars. If the Athletics could make it back to the postseason for a fourth year in row, that would be the best case scenario for this team. Reaching the postseason this year is not unrealistic because all of the new acquisitions strengthened the Oakland A’s defense and added more depth at each position. Additionally, the Athletics are spending more money on their relievers than their starting pitchers this year – demonstrating that they are in each game for the long haul. However, all of these new players will have to come together as a team in order to be successful.
Most Important Athletics
Ben Zobrist was a key acquisition this offseason. Zobrist is a dynamic player who rounds out an infield full of new faces. Additionally, the utility man can basically play any position on the field, which makes him incredibly valuable. For example, even though he normally plays as a middle infielder, the Oakland A’s are considering him for right field now that Josh Reddick and Coco Crisp have incurred injures.
Skipper Bob Melvin told the press that Zobrist is the perfect example of a versatile player who provides depth to the team. In a sense, he is the quintessential Athletic. With many of the Oakland A’s 2014 infield All-Stars now gone, Zobrist will easily step into a leadership role not only because of his veteran experience but because of his adaptability and skills as a baseball player.
Then there is Sonny Gray who was a staple in the Athletics’ starting rotation last year. Gray pitched his first full season in 2014 and was part of an All-Star rotation that included Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija. However, this 25-year-old was still able to shine even when pitching alongside some veterans.
In 2014, he had a 3.08 ERA and finished with a 14-10 record and was one of the Athletics’ more reliable pitchers – especially during the first half of the season. Even though Gray ended up as the Opening Day starter in 2014 due to Jarrod Parker’s injury, Gray has earned the right to be the starting pitcher on Opening Day this year due to his success in his first year and half in the major leagues. After losing Lester and Samardzija this offseason, Gray needs to be the ace pitcher leading off the starting rotation, and he has the determination and dedication to do so.
Potential Breakout Players
Brett Lawrie came to the Athletics in a trade that sent Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays. Because many were not happy about the Oakland A’s trading away their best player, the fans did not welcome Lawrie with open arms. However, Lawrie is proving to be a dynamic player at third base as well as an improvement defensively over Donaldson.
On the field, Lawrie is energetic, quick, focused, and powerful. As long as he can stay healthy, his all-out playing style will provide great defense at third as well as a power bat in the lineup. Off the field, he loves interacting with fans and is a big on social media. With over 257K followers on Twitter and 61K followers on Instagram, it is clear that Lawrie is an entertainer and a likeable person Even though he has large shoes to fill this season, his bright personality and passion for the game will make him one of the Athletics’ 2015 breakout stars.
Even though Marcus Semien is only 24-years-old with a meager 85 MLB games played under his belt, he has been proving himself during spring training this year. Down in Mesa, AZ., he has a .381 batting average with two homers and 7 RBI in 21 at bats. Additionally, he has shown solid defensive skills at shortstop. The Oakland A’s may have once questioned Semien’s ability to be the everyday starting shortstop for 2015, but those questions have since dissipated and fans should expect to see Semien in the middle infield a lot this season. If this spring training success continues into the regular season, Semien will provide a much needed upgrade in the middle infield.
Lastly, there is Mark Canha who was acquired in the Rule 5 draft from the Colorado Rockies this offseason. Back in late February, Melvin told the press that Canha was ahead of Nate Freiman on the depth chart at first base. Additionally, with quite a few injuries plaguing the outfield, it has also become apparent that Canha may also see some time in left field – a position he played in Triple-A last year.
Canha is a power hitter and batted .303/.384/.505 with a .889 OPS in the minors last season. In early spring training, Canha ripped a quick two home runs and a pair of doubles. For a player who has a power bat and can field at first base, third base, and in the outfield, it is likely fans will see of lot of Canha this season. If he can make an easy transition from the minors to the pros, he could be another breakout utility man for the Athletics this year.
[Oakland A’s: Tye Waller is a first base coach with a Silicon Valley twist]
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Worst Case Scenario
The worst case scenario is that Billy Beane’s wheeling and dealing this offseason does not pan out as planned. This would include injury-prone Lawrie landing on the DL for at least half the year, first baseman Ike Davis not improving on his last two disappointing seasons, and a handful of the young and inexperienced pitchers not being able to handle the pressure of the major leagues. The Athletics are known for majorly overhauling their team in between seasons, but this year Beane’s acquisitions and trades were particularly confusing and everyone questioned his usual rebuilding tactic. If the team performs poorly this year, Beane will definitely be blamed for trading away all of the Oakland A’s All-Stars.
Areas of Concern
Last year it was the infield, but this season it is the outfield. Currently, both Crisp and Reddick are injured and could miss Opening Day. Since both of these players tend to be injury prone, it is not good that they are already injured before the season has even begun.
The Oakland A’s usually have three starting outfielders with one backup outfielder. For 2015, it was going to be Crisp in left field, Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry platooning center, and Reddick in right. With the recent injuries, it is clear now that Fuld and Gentry could both be starting in the outfield on a regular basis instead of platooning centerfield. Even though they are both great defensively, their bats lack power and they will not provide much help offensively if they are both in the lineup.
If Crisp’s and Reddick’s injuries persist into the regular season, an additional player will have to be designated to the outfield and that could be either Zobrist or Canha. Both are pretty solid defensively in the outfield however their absence from their usual positions could stretch the infield pretty thin. For one, Eric Sogard would have to field at second base in place of Zobrist thus adding another weak bat to the lineup.
Then, with Canha in the outfield, Ike Davis and Billy Butler would platoon first. This does not seem like a huge issue, but, as of late, Davis has been experiencing some back spasms which could limit his playing time if this issue continues throughout the regular season. If Canha had to play in the outfield and Davis was on the DL, then Butler would be the only starting first baseman on the roster.
Needless to say, the injuries in the outfield alter the entire lineup since the Oakland A’s have numerous players who can field multiple positions. Right now there are a lot of moving parts and it is unclear as to who will be able to start come Opening Day. However, all of the recent injuries currently plaguing the outfield are concerning.
Who Needs to Bounce Back From a Down 2015
Ike Davis was plagued with Valley Fever in 2013 and it greatly affected his game. This disease, which produces extreme fatigue, fever and muscle and joint pain, lingered in Davis’ system during the 2014 season as well. Even though these last two seasons have been a struggle, Davis is looking to come back stronger in 2015.
Davis had his best MLB season back in 2012 when he hit 32 home runs and drove in 90 runs. Now that he is healthy, many are hoping that he will be able to duplicate that season with the Oakland A’s. Even though he was scratched recently from the lineup on Wednesday due to back spasms, Davis will likely be back in the lineup this upcoming week.
