AL West preview: Oakland Athletics
Ok, let’s take a look at our second of three season previews for the Ranger’s AL West opponents:
What’s good
Pitching, pitching, and pitching. Oakland has the starters, the middle relievers and the back end bullpen guys to win the AL West. Three of their first four starters- Trevor Cahill, Dallas Braden, and Gio Gonzalez- had ERAs under 3.50 in 2010. Cahill’s ERA was fourth in the American League at 2.97, Braden threw a perfect game, and Gonzalez led the team in strikeouts with 171.
And neither of those three could even be the best pitcher in the rotation.
Brett Anderson, perhaps the organization’s most highly touted prospect, will be back healthy after starting only 19 games in 2010 due to an elbow injury.
Their strong starting rotation is anchored by a bullpen that only got better in the offseason with the additions of Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes. Fuentes is the perfect guy for lefty on lefty situational hitting and both him and Balfour could easily setup men for closer Andrew Bailey who had 25 saves and a 1.47 ERA in 2010.
What’s bad
As good as their pitching is, the A’s could be slowed down and taken out of contention for the AL West by their offense. In 2010, Oakland ranked in the bottom half of the American League in all the major offensive categories and was second to last in home runs. The addition of Hideki Matsui could offset the loss of Jack Cust but the A’s still don’t have a productive power hitter or, for that matter, a productive hitter period in their lineup. Rajai Davis had the highest batting average on the team last year at .284 but after trading him to Toronto, Oakland will have to rely a lot on Daric Barton to produce runs. Barton definietely doesn’t have the speed of Davis, but he’s an excellent on-base guy who can also drive in runs.
Who’s new
Hideki Matsui- Oakland’s signing of Matsui was a bit of a surprise but also a nice addition to a depleted offense. He’ll replace Jack Cust as the primary DH and, if he has one left in him, should be able to give the A’s a 20-HR season.
Grant Balfour- Balfour is the perfect short relief/setup-type guy to further strengthen an already strong Athletic bullpen. If Oakland goes into the seventh inning with a lead, it’ll be hard for any team to get past what looks to be a combination of Balfour, Brian Fuentes and Andrew Bailey.
Brian Fuentes- Fuentes might not be the same closer-caliber pitcher he was in Colorado or even in Anaheim, but he’s the perfect matchup-type pitcher to bring in the seventh or eighth inning of a close game especially with a lefty at the plate. He’ll provide that ever so valuable flexibility aspect all great bullpens have.
Who’s gone
Jack Cust- Not quite sure why Oakland decided not to re-sign Cust. The 32-year-old was injured for a portion of last year but has been a steady producer, at least home run and RBI wise, for the A’s each of the last four seasons. The Oakland offense was depleted enough as it was in 2010, but unless Matsui can make up for the loss of Cust, it’ll be even more depleted in 2011.
Rich Harden- Harden will have a chance to compete for the fifth spot in the Oakland rotation and, if he stays healthy, could make a positive impact on the Athletic pitching staff. Last year, when he wasn’t hurt or walking people, he had success as the number two pitcher, momentarily, in the Texas rotation. He’ll return to some level of comfort in his original team in 2011 and could very well have a decent season.
Prospect Watch
Chris Carter- The second key part, along with Brett Anderson, in the Dan Haren trade a few years back will have a chance to make the opening day roster and could end up making an impact on the Oakland offense in 2011. Carter struggled after coming up in early August last year, but could be the missing power piece in a powerless Athletic offense.
Projected finish
Oakland won 81 games in 2010 with a young pitching staff and seemingly no offense. The offense won’t be much better in 2011, but the pitching staff will be a year older and should have a healthy Brett Anderson the whole way…88-74…2nd in the AL West