Oakland Athletics Report

A team I am considerably excited about going into this 2011 season is the Oakland As.  I've been very impressed with the promptness with which they have acquired players.  A GM being unafraid in his transactions has always impressed me.  I think that after the season they had last year, and after these first few acquisitions have been made, they merit some discussion as to whether they could make a run for the playoffs in 2011.

The As are a team long overdue for some success.  They haven't made the playoffs since 2006, and with the talent they currently have, they are very overdue for a slot in the postseason.  On their current team, they retain an excellent starting rotation, with Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, and Dallas Braden.  Their bullpen is very solid, sporting arms like Craig Breslow, Michael Wuertz, my personal favorite Henry Rodriguez, and of course dominant closer Andrew Bailey.  They round this crew off with players like Jerry Blevins, Joey Devine, and Brad Ziegler, as well as Bobby Cramer.  Their infield is solid, with Kevin Kouzmanoff and Edwin Encarnacion at third, Cliff Pennington at short, Mark Ellis at second, and Daric Barton, one of the best defensive first baseman in the MLB, at least from what I've seen of him, at first.  Jack Cust is at the DH once again, and Kurt Suzuki catches.  Ryan Sweeney is in right, Coco Crisp is in center, and the As have very nice depth in left field, with David DeJesus, Conor Jackson, and phenom Chris Carter sharing time.  That really is an impressive team; it would be doubly impressive if they had retained Rajai Davis, who was recently traded to Blue Jays for prospects.  Encarnacion was gotten off the waivers, and David DeJesus was acquired for Vin Mazzaro, a starting pitcher with solid stuff.

The statistics of the starters are perhaps most impressive.  Trevor Cahill, who was sixth in the Cy Young race, went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA.  Dallas Braden, while throwing a perfect game during the year, went 11-14, albeit with a 3.50 ERA.  Anderson went 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA over limited innings.  Gio Gonzalez, known for a wicked curveball that surpasses Josh Beckett's, (You simply can't hit this one; I mean, really, Josh's you can hit out of the park.  Gio's is a swing and a miss or a ball.), went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA.  These stats mark a positive arrival into Oakland's rotation for all 4 youngsters.  This staff is destined for long-term success.

The offense produced some players with good numbers.  Ryan Sweeney put together an excellent season over 82 games; he hit .294 with 20 doubles, one homer, and 36 RBIs.  Kozmanoff hit 16 homers and batted in 71 runners, but batted a weak .247.  Encarnacion showed real power, hitting 21 home runs while compiling a measly .244 average.  The power, over 96 games, was definitely enough for the As to acquire him.  Somewhere other than the Coliseum, he might hit 30 home runs.  We'll have to see how he adapts to Oakland's ballpark.  DeJesus hit .318 in very limited action with the Royals; with that average and a .384 OBP over 91 games, he's in line to have a solid year.  Daric Barton, while showing excellent defensive prowess, hit 10 homers  while batting in 57 runners.  His average was a solid .273, while his OBP soared, ending up at .393.  He drew 110 walks in 159 games, showing that this man is hear to stay.  110 walks is the real deal, welcome to Oakland Daric.  He remains one of my favorite players on that Oakland team.

So, I pick Oakland.  Keep an eye out for them as your sleeper pick this year; they could have legitimate success.  They certainly have been waiting a while.

Oakland As, 2011.  Watch out!

Sources: mlb.com, used for stats, highlights, everything I could ask for.  Standings, just about any thing I might need.