The Oakland Athletics, who were 22-30 on June 1st, making the playoffs. It would probably be one of the biggest surprises in the recent history of MLB. Just think about it for a second. Their season started out on Manny Ramirez watch, a nine-game losing streak and Oakland was nine games out of first place in the AL West through just one-quarter of the season.
Their roster was, and is still, filled with veteran cast-offs and unproven rookies. They were relying on Yoennis Céspedes, a 26-year old rookie from Cuba to his cleanup. There was no way this was going to work.
Wrong.
Oakland is 63-34 since that putrid start, and are currently 4.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the final wildcard spot in the American League. More importantly, Oakland is only a handful of games behind the Texas Rangers with seven games remaining against them.
Could this team surprise the baseball world and make it to the playoffs?
Bartolo Colon was suspended for 50 games last month for violating MLBs Steroid Policy, Dallas Braden hasn’t pitched all season, Brandon McCarthy was hit in the head by a liner a couple weeks ago and will not return. Then Brett Anderson went down yesterday with a strained oblique and will not be available for the remainder of the season. Lose 80 percent of your starting rotation and there is no way you are going to contend. Right? Wrong again!
The A’s starting rotation now consists of Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily, who combined for a grand total of six MLB starts prior to the 2012 season. You got that right, six. This doesn’t even take into account a No. 5 starter they have to call upon to replace Anderson in the rotation.
Offensively, it is more of a mix of youngsters and marginal veterans. Coco Crisp, Stephen Drew and Johnny Gomes have been nothing to write home about in their MLB careers, but have stepped it up since joining the A’s this season. Chris Carter was quickly become a bust prior to a breakout campaign that has seen him become a much more disciplined hitter at the plate. Meanwhile, the likes of Cliff Pennington, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss and Seth Smith have exceeded any previously set expectations.
More importantly, Oakland has that thump in the middle of the lineup. Josh Reddick and the aforementioned Cespedes have combined for 48 homers thus far. In total, Oakland has a surprising 171 dingers, which ranks them right in the middle of the pack in the American League. Overall, Oakland has eight players currently with double-digit homers. That is simply crazy considering they hit 114 as a team last season.
Is it Sustainable?
This is the bigger question. Oakland has 12 rookies on their roster that have contributed in a big way to their success this season. Their payroll of $55 million and change is the second lowest in MLB, about $150 million lower than the New York Yankees, who the A’s have nearly an indentical record as.
This is, by pure definition alone, “Moneyball 2.”
That being said, no one can realistically believe that Oakland has a shot at winning the World Series this season. In fact, a shot at a one-game wildcard playoff would probably considered a success for this team. Anything after that would be considered gravy at this point.
Oakland is currently 4.5 ahead of their nearest competitor for a playoff spot with only 13 games remaining. Simple match suggests they are nearly a lock to make the postseason....That is just on the surface. 10 of the A’s final 13 games are against the aforementioned Yankees and Rangers. Tough road ahead to say the least.
One thing is a certainty. If Oakland does make it through these final 13 games and into October baseball, no one can say they backed in and they won't be an easy out when all is said and done.