Oakland Athletics: Picks to Click Heading into 2016
By Casey Witt
Aug 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Mark Canha (20) celebrates with team mates after hitting a walk off double against the Cleveland Indians during the tenth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Cleveland Indians 2-1 in extra innings. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
What can the Oakland Athletics takeaway heading into the 2016 season?
After three consecutive playoff appearances for the Oakland Athletics, the green and gold looked poised to make another strong run despite dealing several of their All-Stars prior to the 2015 campaign. With the departures of Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris and even Jeff Samardzija, A’s general manager Billy Beane assured his fan base that his ball club would remain competitive even with a massive overhaul to their 25-man roster. Instead of holding onto his “aging stars”, Beane made the decision to turn-back-the-clock and acquire up-and-coming talent that could flourish in the organization for many years to come.
However as the season progressed, it would soon become clear that the term “competitive” is simply the front office’s way of politely saying, “We will do our best to field a good team with the intention of making another run at the postseason. Although, we are not optimistic about our chances and if we for some reason are in the race heading into June or July, well that would be just swell!”
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The home opener against the Texas Rangers proved to be promising; a stellar start from Sonny Gray, along with notable home runs from Stephen Vogt and Oakland’s newest acquisition, Ben Zobrist, ultimately brought life back to the Coliseum in hopes that another solid season would mask the pain of Beane’s wheeling and dealing, along with the dreaded 2014 American League Wild Card game.
Albeit, as the schedule progressed, the Athletics as a unit proved to be very inconsistent when putting together a winning streak in April, May, June, July…well you get the idea. The main culprit is the lackluster performance from the bullpen, who accounts for the majority of Oakland’s one-run losses associated with their dismal 13-26 record. The offense has had its share of ups-and-downs, ultimately putting them in a hole to deep to dig out of as the calendar turned to July.
Instead of dwelling on “what could have been”, lets shift our focus to three unlikely players who have shown promise in 2015 and look only to get better for the foreseeable future.
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