How Good Will Trevor Cahill Be In 2011?

Last season, the A’s got a pleasant surprise in the form of pitcher Trevor Cahill. In his sophomore season, Cahill went 18-8 with 2.97 ERA in 30 starts. Compared to his rookie season, where he went just 10-13 with a 4.63 ERA, his sophomore season comes off as stellar.

The 22-year old Cahill will be an integral part of Oakland’s young rotation in 2011, and he’ll definitely look to build upon his 2010 campaign. He led Oakland’s staff in wins last year, and he and fellow pitcher Gio Gonzalez combined to win 33 games for the A’s last year.

But just how good will Cahill be in 2011?

Well, according to a lot, and I mean a lot of skeptics out there, Cahill’s bound for a bit of a downfall in 2011. Cahill was considered a very lucky guys last year, as skeptics will usually point to his .238 BABIP(batting average on balls in play), which was indeed, lucky.

Cahill’s ERA, according to most, should have been a little higher than the 2.97 mark he compiled. While BABIP does indicate a cause for concern, the A’s still have a valuable pitcher in Cahill. He does find a way to induce ground-balls, and he is still just 22-years old.

Cahill has some potential to become a very good pitching in the league, but he’ll have to prove that his success last year wasn’t based solely on luck.

He’ll have to find a way to strike out a few more batters this season, but I still see Cahill performing well in Oakland’s young rotation. He might not have a sub-3.00 ERA this year, but I wouldn’t expect a huge regression this season. Look for Cahill to have a solid campaign for the A’s in 2011.