Check out eDraft Radio's "Timeout" with a full one-hour Oakland Athletics Season Preview. Jessica Kleinschmidt hosts with Ben Chistensen and Vincent Frank chiming in.
Every team in Major League Baseball has keys to their season. A list of things that have to happen if they are going to finish the season holding the trophy while everyone else watches.
Some teams need a lot of things to go right, and some only need a little, but in this article we will look at the top five keys to success. In this case we will look at the back-to-back AL West Champion Oakland Athletics and what they must do to take the next step.
5. A Healthy and Productive Josh Reddick
After a 2012 season that was all-star worthy and eye opening Reddick was one of the most disappointing stories in baseball. He was swinging and missing at way too many pitches and ended the season dropping in every major statistical category except one (He increased his OBP by only .02 percentage points).
Some of that can be attributed to an injury of his wrist he suffered early in the season against the Houston Astros as the injury nagged at him for the entire season, but in the end he let his struggles get into his head and never could recover. If the A’s are going to return and take the next step in the playoffs and further on to the World Series Reddick is going to have to be a big part of it.
Recently has said that he was watching too much video of himself last season because of his struggles, and if that is true and the offseason surgery worked well he will be back to his 2012 form. That bat back in the lineup could be a bigger gain than anything Billy Beane added in the offseason.
4. Offensive Depth Outperforms 2013
It is no secret that role players Chris Young and Adam Rosales failed to live up to expectations in their roles and both catchers, John Jaso and Derek Norris struggled with injuries late in the season.
Both catchers will be healthy heading into the season and a new and improved group of back up roles players are ready to break into the season give the team exactly what they need. They reloaded in the infield with veteran Nick Punto and the returning Alberto Jose Callaspo, who they got in a trade near last season’s deadline, and they made moves to get Craig Gentry and Sam Fuld to fill in as the backup outfielder.
If these players can succeed where Rosales and Young failed last season the team will be better as they will allow manager Bob Melvin to rest his everyday players keeping them healthy and fresh for the playoff run.
3. Sonny Gray Continues Where he Left Off
The former first round draft pick out of Vanderbilt broke into the big leagues in 2013 in a relief role and was electric in two appearances, and that earned him a spot in the rotation where he had an above-average ten starts.
Coming out of spring training Gray will not have to worry about making the big league club or what minor league team he’ll be on this season as he is a lock to make the big league team, and possibly be the number-one or number-two starter.
The rotation took two big hits in the offseason, but those losses won’t hurt if Gray can be even close to what he was in 2013 as he looked Cy Young worthy in his short time. In the last two years this team has not had that clear cut number-one guy, but with Gray they may just have that guy and he could be even better with experience.
2. Keeping Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp Healthy
It isn’t a secret that the team has a much better record when either Crisp or Cespedes is in the lineup, but the record when both of them are in the lineup is extraordinary.
The key to keeping both of them in everyday will be getting them regular rest. This will happen if Gentry and Fuld can properly fill in as backups throughout the season allowing Melvin to give Cespedes and Crisp regular days off and half-days by using them at the designated hitter position.
If they can keep them both healthy and fresh into the playoffs there is no telling what they can do, especially if Cespedes can keep up the streak of a hit in every playoff game he’s appeared in.
1. The Bullpen Pitches Up to Talent Level
The biggest key to the A’s 2014 season will be the biggest improvement that Beane made this offseason. Beane makes more moves than you can keep track of each and every year, but the moves this offseason may be some of his best as he has compiled one of the best bullpens ever on paper.
He filled the role of closer that was left when Grant Balfour entered free agency in a trade with Baltimore for Jim Johnson who was quite possibly the most productive closer over the last two seasons. In addition to the best closer available he added accomplished set-up men Eric O'Flaherty and Luke Gregerson to take some of the pressure off of Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle and added Josh Lindblom and Drew Pomeranz who can fill in as long relief or in the rotation.
All those names create an amazing bullpen on paper, but if they can perform on the mound they will not only help this team win, but could be the catapult them to the World Series.