Despite the additions of some key players like Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, Grant Balfour, and Brian Fuentes, the A’s failed to reach the playoffs for the fifth-consecutive season and finished the season 22 games out of first place in the AL West. Oh, and the whole Bob Geren drama also put a damper on the A’s 2011 season as well.

The offense actually performed worse than it did the previous year in 2010. The A’s mustered up just 645 runs, 210 runs fewer than the AL West leading Texas Rangers and as a team hit just .244/.311/.369 during the 2011 season.

In 2010 the A’s managed to score 663 runs and hit .256/.324/.378 as a team. That’s without David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui, and Josh Willingham. Beane’s offseason additions didn’t help the team, they actually hurt the team’s offense in 2011. … [visit site to read more]

A’s 2011 In Review: The Bad - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Bob Geren was just one problem the A's endured in 2011 (Photo Credit: AP)

The A’s entered the 2011 season with a renewed sense of optimism after posting an encouraging 81-81 record in 2010 under manager Bob Geren.

Following Geren’s first .500 season as A’s skipper, the A’s front office made it a priority to give Geren, a close friend of GM Billy Beane, the tools necessary to compete in the American League West.

The additions of David DeJesus, Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, Grant Balfour, and Brian Fuentes were supposed to help make the Athletics a contender during the 2011 season.

The A’s efforts to retool their team, however, were met with some very mixed results.

Oakland’s additions didn’t pay off immediately and it cost Bob Geren his job as the team’s skipper. Geren, however, should share some of the blame for the A’s tumultuous set-back in ’11. … [visit site to read more]

A’s 2011 In Review: Unorthodox Management - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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).  … [visit site to read more]

A’s 2011 Report Card: Offense - Swingin' A's - Swingin' A's - An Oakland Athletics Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More