With the 2011 MLB regular season finally in the books, the Oakland Athletics can finally move on and begin preparing for the 2012 season. The A’s, considered contenders for the AL West crown before the season, never found their groove and failed to meet those lofty expectations that surrounded them during spring training.

Inconsistencies both on offense and defense killed Oakland this year, as they were never able to strike a balance between solid pitching and solid hitting. The offseason additions, with the exception of Josh Willingham, proved rather ineffective, and wasted Oakland’s offseason efforts. General manager Billy Beane, who entered the offseason with the goal of revamping the offseason, tried aggressively to improve his club, but as Oakland’s third-place finish this season seems to suggest, his efforts were all for naught.

In reviewing what went wrong for Oakland this season, it’s probably best to start with the A’s offensive woes in ’11. Oakland added key veteran players like Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and David DeJesus prior to the start of the season, and had hoped for a better offensive showing this year.  In 2010, Oakland finished 81-81, giving hope to many fans that 2011 would be a big turnaround, especially given the additions of Matsui and Co.

In fact, Oakland’s offense actually underperformed this year compared to last year. The A’s scored a total of 663 runs last season, but managed to score just 645 this year despite having Matsui, Willingham, and DeJesus on the team. Oakland pretty much underperformed in every major offensive category this year, posting a team .244/.311/.369 slash line with just 114 home runs (24th in MLB).  (more…)