The Bay Area’s New No-Frills Team

The Oakland Athletics are one of Major League Baseball’s oldest franchises. The Athletics have been playing baseball since 1901, and prior to moving to Oakland in 1968, they also called Philadelphia and Kansas City home. The A’s have had their share of ups and downs, but they along with the New York Yankees are the only two Major League Baseball franchises that have won three consecutive World Series Titles. However unlike the Yankees, the Athletics have not had the same consistency.

The A’s are one of Major League Baseball’s smaller market teams which is evident by their home stadium of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as it is a dinosaur going back to the days when MLB franchises shared venues with National Football League teams. The Athletics have been trying to get a new stadium for years and it is finally starting to gain some traction which could lead to a rejuvenated fan base. But the play of the A’s this year has definitely sparked some interest from the fans in the Bay Area.

This year Oakland currently has a record of 57-43 which in most years would be good enough to lead the American League West, but so far this season they’ve had to settle for third place in the division. The A’s are doing this in spite of the fact that their team payroll which is just a shade under $72 million as it is the lowest in Major League Baseball.

For 21 years Billy Beane has worked in the Athletics front office; first as the team’s general manager, and now as the executive vice president of baseball operations. From day one Beane recognized that his small market A’s were always going to have a tough time competing with big market teams such as the Yankees in regards to signing the top free agents, which led him to focusing on drafting and developing players, along with his “moneyball” system.

Beane’s process has seen the A’s build a contender, quickly trade away the talent prior to free agency, and consistently repeat the cycle over again. This has led to Oakland winning six American League West Titles since 2000, while becoming the champions of the underdogs. And after three consecutive last place finishes in the A.L. West, these Athletics appear ready to contend again.

Under the guidance of manager Bob Melvin, these A’s have once again become a thorn in the side of the other teams in the division since they are once again contending. And the A’s are doing it with a no-frills team that is not raking in the dough. No current Athletics player is earning more than $10.5 million this year as this is a club comprised of players who are either attempting to make a name for themselves, or are trying to make the most of possibly their last shot in Major League Baseball.

Infielder Jed Lowrie has bounced around with several clubs throughout his career as this is his second stint with Oakland. And at the age of 34, Lowrie is putting together a career year as he’s batting .279 to go along with 16 home runs and 62 runs batted in. Lowrie’s big year has not gone unnoticed as he just participated in his first All-Star Game last week.

Outfielder Khris Davis was initially drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. In 2015, Davis belted 27 homers for the Brewers, but that didn’t prevent him from being traded following the conclusion of that season to the A’s. In each of Davis’ first two years with the Athletics, he has launched at least 40 home runs, and he’s poised to make it three seasons in a row as he’s currently sitting on 23. Davis has never been a player who is going to hit average, but he knows how to get on base which is evident of on-base percentage of .326 this year which fits right in to Bean’s “Moneyball” philosophy.

During the off-season, Oakland acquired outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the St. Louis Cardinals after he wanted to be closer to his ailing mother. Unfortunately since then Piscotty’s mother has passed away, but he is still putting together a quality campaign as he’s on pace hit at least 20 homers for the second time in his career.

In 2013, starting pitcher Sean Manaea was a first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals; but in 2015, he was included in the trade that saw the Royals land utility man Ben Zobrist. Zobrist was able to help the Royals win the World Series that year, but now Manaea’s career is beginning to take flight in Oakland. Manaea is not a big strikeout pitcher, but he is on pace to win 15 games this year, while also posting a sub-3.50 earned run average.

Manaea has been one of the few Oakland starting pitchers who has been able to remain healthy this year which led to the club recently signing veteran starting pitcher Edwin Jackson. The A’s are the 13th different Major League franchise that Jackson has pitched for, and he still has some life in his 34-year old arm as in four starts he is 1-2 with an earned run average of 2.93 in five starts for Oakland.

But this is what the A’s do as there is hardly any year where they are expected to contend, yet they find a way. The Athletics are ensuring that this year won’t be a runaway for the Houston Astros in the American League West as they’re not only looking to repeat as division champs, but also as World Series Champions. And even if the Athletics are unable to win the division, they still have their sights set on getting a wild card berth into the postseason. Oakland’s main competition for a wild card berth appears to be the Seattle Mariners who themselves are seeking to end Major League Baseball’s longest current playoff drought which dates back to 2001. The A’s are currently three games behind the M’s for the final spot, but these two division rivals are still scheduled to face off 10 more times this year as there is still plenty to be decided.

Beane feels that this team can make a playoff push which led to him acquiring relief pitcher Jeurys Familia from the New York Mets last week in a move which will give the A’s more depth in their bullpen. And I have a funny feeling that Beane is not done in regards to making some moves that’ll fly under the radar in order to keep Oakland in contention.

This is what the A’s have done for years; small market baseball at it’s best as nobody knows how to build a contender on a budget in baseball better than Beane.