When the Oakland A’s are hot they’re hot, and when they’re cold, they’re cold, but the back-to-back AL West Champs have maintained their lead in the West this year, despite the Angels making a run. The A’s have some concerns as the season moves forward, but they’ve been able to overcome their troubles and now have a six game lead in the division. Not only do they lead the West, but all of baseball with the league’s best record of 46-28.
The Oakland starting rotation has only recently become a concern as Drew Pomeranz fractured his right hand after a rough start against the Texas Rangers. Billy Beane then acquired Brad Mills from the Milwaukee Brewers for $1, that’s right $1. Mills immediately joined the A's rotation taking over for Pomeranz for the time being. His first start for the green and gold resulted in a no decision Friday night against the Boston Red Sox. Luckily for the A’s, the rest of their rotation isn’t too bad with Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir paving the way. Kazmir is second in the AL in ERA at 2.08 right behind Yankees star Masahiro Tanaka. Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone have also been phenomenal for the A’s thus far.
Up until recently the bullpen situation was somewhat of a concern for the A’s, especially with the struggles of Jim Johnson. However, with Sean Doolittle taking over the closing role, the ninth inning has become a quick one for the A’s. Doolittle has a remarkable strikeout to walk ratio of 50:1, and is arguably the best closer in baseball right now.
When it comes to the A’s offense, it seems they either score a ridiculous amount of runs or are cold at the plate. They have an MLB-best run differential of +135, which is a little over triple the second best run differential of +44 by the San Francisco Giants.
Josh Donaldson is quickly making a name for himself with his stellar play at third base as well as his production at the plate. He is currently leading all AL third basemen in the All Star vote and deservingly so with 18 homeruns and 55 RBI. His average recently took a hit and is now .255 after a short slump, but he is swinging the bat well again for the green and gold.
Brandon Moss and Yoenis Cespedes also supply some power in the lineup. Moss has 17 homeruns with 55 RBI to accompany his .259 batting average. Cespedes is batting .267 with 14 homers and 49 RBI. Along with some impressive hits, Cespedes has shown off his arm in left field with a few unbelievable plays. He has a league leading nine outfield assists thanks to his cannon of an arm.
The A’s have so many hot hitters that they have repeatedly had three catchers in the starting lineup. Derek Norris and John Jaso split time behind the plate and as designated hitter while Stephen Vogt has found himself in right field.
As the grueling season of 162 games progresses, an area of concern for the A’s is the production at second base. They have Eric Sogard and Nick Punto platooning at second, while also seeing some time at shortstop, but neither has had much production at the plate. Sogard is batting .199 with only nine RBI in 50 games, while Punto is hitting .240 with one homerun and 10 RBI in 41 games.
Right now, the A’s are the best team in baseball. They have a 46-28 record and are cruising along the AL West. The second place Angels closed in on the division for awhile, but the A’s now have a six game lead. Unlike years past, the A’s haven’t gone through a long slump, they’ve had some struggles, but have recovered quickly.
The A’s shouldn’t have any concerns in the AL West. They continue to impress and improve this year while showing why they are the best team in all of baseball.