The A’s were a surprise team last season, and their team has loads of power that shows up in the stat books despite them playing in one of the worst hitters parks in baseball. Oakland didn’t make many moves in the offseason, as they are never really a team to spend, but they bring back the same strong core that can keep them competitive. Matt Chapman is a young third baseman who has a ton of pop. Khris Davis hitting third seems to be guaranteed for 40 HR and 100 RBI. Matt Olson is also a powerhouse first baseman, and will hit cleanup. One of the surprises was Stephen Piscotty, who we have seen hit well, but his time in Oakland brought him some consistency. The back half of the lineup has some right-handed bats that hit lefties well, like Chad Pinder and Mark Canha. They might miss the production of Jed Lowrie, even replacing him with Jurickson Profar.
2019 Oakland Athletics Pitching Analysis
Oakland’s rotation is not in a good spot heading into the season, and the chance of recreating a 90+ win season from last year is going to be tough. Sean Manaea, Daniel Gossett, and Jharel Cotton are all injury names that will have a shortened season, or if any season at all. Their younger arms are not quite ready to be called up, so it leaves a lot of average to below average arms starting in the rotation. Oakland also lost Trevor Cahill, and when he was healthy, Cahill was an excellent option. He is now in Los Angeles, so he didn’t move far. Oakland is simply in trouble, and there is really no quick fix for them right now. They will have to rely on the names in the current rotation, and hope for the best. Oakland overachieved with their rotation last season, owning the 11th best team ERA in baseball. This year is going to be tough to try and repeat that. Heading into the season, it looks like Mike Fiers is going to be their number one pitcher. Fiers flashed some potential, but overall is a league average right-hander that is not expected to carry a 3.56 ERA again. He is just the beginning of the A’s regression.
Daniel Mengden is another regression candidate, who had a 4.05 ERA last season. He has below average strikeout stuff, and it will be tough for him to last long in most games with his inability to get guys out the second time through the order. Mengden would need to make a change to his arsenal and elevate some of his off-speed stuff if he wants to take another jump. If that does happen, he is an interesting name to keep an eye on. Frankie Montas has a blazing fastball, but not much more. He had some success last season, but also had some good luck, and teams trying to figure him out. He is expected to take a major drop in production when you compare seasons. Chris Bassitt pitched limited innings last season, and the A’s will rely on him a bit more with all the injuries. He isn’t the worst fourth or fifth starter, but the names around him just add to why we aren’t buying into the Oakland rotation this season.
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