2011 Oakland Athletics Predictions
After winning 93 games and an AL West title in 2006, the Oakland Athletics couldn’t do better than 76 wins any of the next three seasons. The 2010 campaign, however, finally gave A’s fans reason for hope. The team made a leap from last (in 2009) to second while winning 81 games. MLB odds makers have listed the Athletics at +3500 to win the 2011 World Series.
Pitching: Believe it or not, the A’s starting pitchers boasted a major league-leading 3.47 ERA in 2010. All-Star Trevor Cahill heads up a rotation which also features Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson.
Cahill went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA last season. It was the best season by a player 22 years old or younger since 1985 when Brett Saberhagen went 20-6. Braden went 11-14 with a strong 3.50 ERA. His most memorable moment was a Mother’s Day perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Gonzalez went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA and Anderson finished 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA.
The fifth spot in the starting rotation could go to former A’s starter Rich Harden. Brandon McCarthy will also get a look.
The Oakland pen came back down to earth in 2010 after leading the AL with a 3.54 ERA the year before. Still, its 3.83 ERA was a solid figure. Part of the drop off can be explained by the injury of closer Andrew Bailey. The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year spent some time on the DL and underwent elbow surgery in September. Bailey recorded 25 saves on an 89 percent conversion rate.
Lineup: While the pitching staff is still the strength of this club, the lineup is expected to be bolstered by the arrivals of Hideki Matsui, David DeJesus and Josh Willingham.
The A’s are in need of big production from Matsui in the DH slot. He hit .274 with 21 round trippers and 84 RBIs for the Angels last season. DeJesus had his 2010 campaign cut short by a thumb injury, but he was hitting a career-high .318 in 91 games before going on the shelf. Willingham gives the A’s some much-needed power from the right side at the top of the order. He hit 16 home runs and drove in a total of 56 in just 114 games for Washington a season ago.
Switch-hitter Coco Crisp will play center, joining DeJesus and Willingham in the outfield.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki could benefit as much as anyone from Oakland’s offseason additions. He managed 13 jacks and 71 RBIs without much protection in the lineup.
First baseman Daric Barton, second baseman Mark Ellis, shortstop Cliff Pennington and third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff are the projected infield starters. Barton is starting to become the player the A’s had hoped for when they landed him in the 2004 Mark Mulder trade. He hit .273 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs last season.
Ellis continues to be one of the most underrated at his position in the game. His .990 fielding percentage is good for top five in major league history.
The A’s want more offense from Pennington. If they don’t get it, we could see 2009 top draft pick Grant Green sooner than expected.
Kouzmanoff led the A’s with 16 home runs in 2010 and tied for the team lead with 71 RBIs.
Prediction – 3rd Place AL West: I like Oakland’s starting rotation, but I’m still not convinced this team has enough offense to win the West. The A’s made some decent deals this offseason, but I’m not sure Matsui, DeJesus and Willingham can provide quite enough to get them over the hump. The A’s are listed at +250 to win the AL West.
