Oakland Athletics
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The Oakland Athletics haven't been much a factor in the AL West the last few seasons, but are coming of a 81-81 season where they finished second the division behind Texas. It was the first time in four seasons the A's didn't finish below .500. Oakland's pitching staff finished with an MLB-best 3.47 ERA, but the offense was one of the worst in all of baseball, and kept this team from the making the playoffs. The Athletics are hoping some nice off-season additions will help the offense bounce back and have the A's contending for the division title. Here is a closer look at the A's starting starting lineup and starting rotation for the 2011 season, plus our MLB predictions on where they will finish the year in the AL West.
Starting Lineup
For Oakland to really get take off offensively this year, they need center fielder Coco Crisp to find a way to stay on the field. Crisp has totaled just 124 games over the last two seasons. In only 75 games last season, Crisp hit .279 with eight home runs and 32 stolen bases. Oakland went out and added right fielder David DeJesus from the Royals, and he could really make a difference if he too can keep from getting hurt. DeJuses was hitting .318 before his season was ended with a thumb injury in 2010. Left Fielder Josh Willingham comes over from the Nationals and is projected to hit third in the lineup. Willingham hit just .268 last year, but his .389 OBP and .848 OPS have us thinking he could really help this team score some runs. The Athletics are taking a gamble on DH Hideki Matsui, with the thought he can give them some much needed power. Matsui hit .274 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs last year with the Angels. Oakland is depending on catcher Kurt Suzuki to really be a force offensively this season, after hitting just .242 with a .303 OBP in 2010. First baseman Daric Barton hit .273 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs, easily his best year in the majors. What really has us liking Barton is the 110 walks he totaled. Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff led the Athletics with just 16 home runs last year, but hit just .247 with a .283 OBP. Hard to expect much more than an average home run total in 2011. A guy to watch out for is veteran Mark Ellis, who put together a solid 2010 season with a .291 average and .358 OBP. Don't be surprised if he puts similar or better numbers this season. Cliff Pennington did a respectable job in his first full season as the starting shortstop, but has to improve on his .250 average.
Starting Rotation
While the Athletics appear to have improved their offense, if they are going to take over the AL West this year, it will be because of their starting rotation. It all starts with 22-year-old Trevor Cahill, who went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2010. If the offense improves, Cahill could easily win 20 games this season. Gio Gonzalez really got it going in 2010, after going just 6-7 with a 5.75 ERA in 2009, he went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA. Dallas Braden might be the most recognizable starter in the starting rotation thanks to the perfect game he threw last season, but he went just 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA. A lot of that has to do with terrible run support, which has us thinking he should put up a much higher win total in 2011. Brett Anderson is another young arm the A's are really excited about. Anderson went 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA in just 19 starts, but did miss some time because of elbow problems. The last spot in the rotation figures to belong to Brandon McCarthy, who went 7-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 17 starts.
2011 Projections: 3rd Place Al West
If The A's can get a jump offensively from their new pieces and a couple of breakout seasons from their young stars, Oakland will without question contend in the West. They pitching staff is very underrated, and could even improve off their strong 2010 season. While we didn't pick the A's to win the division, they are a sleeper worth watching out for.
Jack Jones breaks down the baseball odds each day of the season, but before the first pitch is even thrown is available to produce articles on MLB predictions for your site.
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