Why The Oakland Athletics Are Good For Major League Baseball

Every year you can count on big-market teams in Major League Baseball such as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox to be at the top of MLB’s list for the highest team payrolls. A high payroll doesn’t always guarantee success on the baseball diamond which brings me to the Oakland Athletics. The A’s began this season with a payroll of $83.4 million which was the 25th highest in Major League Baseball. But for the majority of the season Oakland has been in first place in the American League West and currently they have the best record in MLB. The A’s have won the AL West in the last two years and since 2000 they have had eight seasons in which they have won at least 90 games. But the Athletics tend to get lost in the shuffle.

Since moving to Oakland in 1968, the Athletics have won four World Series Championships including three consecutive titles from 1972-1974. But there is a huge financial divide in the Bay Area between the A’s and the San Francisco Giants.  Whereas the Athletics began the season with a payroll of $83.4 million, the Giants began the season with a payroll of $154 million which was seventh highest in Major League Baseball. The Giants enjoy more financial security as they have the territorial rights to Northern California’s Silicon Valley which is literally a gold mine. In spite of all of their trips to the postseason since 2000, Oakland has only advanced to the American League Championship Series once without making any appearances in the World Series. The Giants on the other hand have had five trips to the postseason since 2000 and they have claimed a pair of World Series Championships.

When Billy Beane took over as Athletics general manager in 1997 he took the tools that he learned from his predecessor Sandy Alderson of sabermetrics which concentrated on walks and on-base percentage as opposed to just batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. The formula became known as “Moneyball” which was turned into an award winning book by author Michael Lewis. Sabermetrics have worked for the A’s in the regular season, but not in the playoffs which could change this season.

Aside from the sabermetrics, small-market general managers like Beane have concentrated on developing talent in their minor-league systems. In the past teams such as the Yankees and Dodgers that have lucrative television deals could swoop in at any time with a bag of money and poach the best players from teams like the A’s. Beane is savvy in developing players and trading them when their stock is high. Beane’s system led the A’s to their run in the early to mid-2000’s. From 2007-2011, the Athletics had four losing seasons, but Beane re-tooled Oakland’s minor-league system and he is reaping the benefits now.

The name of the game in baseball is pitching. The old adage is that good pitching will trump good hitting any day of the week and twice on Sunday. With a current team earned run average of 3.10, the A’s have the best staff in MLB. The Athletics are set to hit the All-Star break with three of their starting pitchers (Scott Kazmir, Sonny Gray, and Jesse Chavez) all with at least 7 victories this season. Beane pulled off the shocker of the baseball season so far last week when he made a trade with the Chicago Cubs to acquire starting pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija. In 17 starts with the Cubs this season Samardzija was only 2-7, but he had an earned run average of 2.83. Samardzija made his first start with the Athletics last Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays and in seven innings of work he struck out five batters while only allowing one run.

With Samardzija and Hammel in the fold for the Athletics, their pitching staff is so deep right now that Beane actually had to demote starting pitcher Tommy Milone who is 6-3 with a 3.55 earned run average this season to the minors. Milone will eventually rejoin the big club, but with Gray and Samardzija, the A’s have power arms that can carry them deep into October.

Moneyball is the name of the game for the A’s, but they have some big boppers in their lineup as well. Infielders Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss are tied for the club lead in home runs with 19 while outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has 14 and all three players are on pace to hit 30 homers this season.

Donaldson was drafted by the Cubs in 2007, but he was traded to the A’s in 2008. Donaldson has developed into a fine Major League Baseball player. Last season Donaldson finished fourth in the American League MVP voting and this season he has been selected to his first All-Star team.

After stints with the Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies, the A’s brought Moss in off of the scrap heap in 2012 and he has finally found a home. In two-plus seasons in Oakland, Moss has 70 homers and 202 runs batted in.

When Cespedes defected from Cuba he was a relative unknown when the Athletics signed him in 2011, but he is making a name for himself with his bat and his defense as well. On the season Cespedes is batting .257 with 14 homers and 56 runs batted in while defensively he is daring runners to try his cannon of a right arm.

This Athletics team is littered with guys that were castoffs and afterthoughts by other baseball teams. Once you sprinkle that in with Beane’s ability to draft and develop talent, the A’s have a great formula that is proving to once again be successful.

As a team that A’s play baseball like they are in the backyards having fun as kids and the same passion is illustrated by their fan base when they come to the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s appear to be a team of destiny and this time around they have their eyes on a deep postseason in October.

Source: Baseball-reference.com