His season statistics are awesome. A 9-3 record, a 2.66 earned run average, a 1.01 WHIP and 84 strikeouts against just 21 walks in 98.0 innings pitched. Yes, Oakland Athletics lefty Scott Kazmir is off to an incredible first half of the season, ranking among the top five in several major pitching categories. The veteran starter has been all that Oakland could ask for and more, turning into the bona fide ace of the staff just one-and-a-half seasons from being out of MLB for an entire year.
Based on season stats, Kazmir is turning into an automatic starter for fantasy baseball ...
Despite having Major League Baseball's best record at 51-30, the Oakland A's only have one player who is currently in line for a 2014 All-Star Game starting nod.
The simple fact that Josh Donaldson is the lone projected All-Star starter on the roster is the perfect embodiment of the baseball culture that Billy Beane has sought to instill in Oakland: Team first, individual accomplishment second, and most importantly, get on base.
But at the same time, a .630 winning percentage and a plus-135 run differential through the first 81 games of the season do not just happen because a group of players ...
The Oakland Raiders’ 2014 offseason will go down as one of the more crucial in the current regime’s rebuilding efforts.
In a few short months, there has been a significant amount of roster turnover, and talent upgrades have been made across the board.
When players are brought in through free agency or the draft, evaluations are made and expectations are set, but there are always players whose value is either underrated or overrated in that process.
Here is a look at those under and overrated additions for the Raiders this offseason.Begin Slideshow
After a busy offseason, the Oakland Raiders have one of the NFL’s most improved rosters heading into the 2014 season.
The important part—for everyone in the organization—is what that talent improvement will get the team in the win column this season.
Of course, a number of factors play a role in a given team’s success over the course of a season, leaving a relatively sizable gap between projected ceilings and floors.
Here is a look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Raiders' 2014 season.
The Ceiling: (9-7)
There is a very real possibility that the Silver and Black make significant and immediate improvements ...
Bud Selig has finally said something about the Oakland Athletics' drawn-out quest for a new stadium.
In a statement released by the MLB Public Relations account on Twitter, the commissioner dubbed the new 10-year lease at the O.co Coliseum between the club and the Coliseum Joint Powers Authority as a “first step towards keeping Major League Baseball in Oakland.”
Selig also threw his support behind Athletics minority owner Lew Wolff, who has repeatedly stated that he prefers the team's current site to others within the city limits.
“I continue to believe that the Athletics need a new facility and am fully supportive of the club's view that ...
Three months into the 2014 season, it's time once again to check in on the top 10 Oakland A's prospects.
As a refresher, here's how each player looked after one week. The format will stay the same here. I've provided their prior stock watch (up, down or even) and this week's. I've looked at both the last 10 games as well as the season as a whole to see how they're doing overall and how they have been doing lately.
There are a few things you might notice.
For one, the top 10 prospects are all here this time. In the last edition, ...
So close. So exciting. Even in defeat, the Oakland A’s know how to entertain their fans. And more importantly, they know how to keep their opponents from feeling comfortable and confident.
Though Oakland lost 7-6 on Sunday in 10 innings against the Boston Red Sox, the A’s managed to win three of four in the series.
And it was nearly a sweep, as Oakland clawed back from a 6-1 deficit to tie the game in the ninth, only to lose in the top of the 10th when Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz smacked a tie-breaking solo shot off A’s reliever Fernando ...
The Oakland Athletics are sitting pretty with a six-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels for first place in the American League West. At 47-28, they've been baseball's most consistently dominant team and are showing no signs of slowing down.
However, while a six-game lead is nothing to sneeze at, it's far from comfy at this stage of the season. Oakland is notorious for not having the deep pockets to go after hefty contracts at the trade deadline, but it should still look to make an acquisition or two to put itself over the top as the best team in the ...
“The pleasure of rooting for Goliath is that you can expect to win. The pleasure of rooting for David is that, while you don’t know what to expect, you stand at least a chance of being inspired.” — Michael Lewis, Moneyball
It's been 11 years since the publication of Michael Lewis' Moneyball, and three years since the release of the movie starring Brad Pitt.
That means everyone—fans, the media, rival GMs—knows the story, inside and out, of how the Oakland Athletics and their general manager, Billy Beane, became one of the great small-market Cinderella stories in all of sports. How David built his ...
The tight end position is one of several on the Oakland Raiders’ roster that will have a relatively wide-open competition throughout training camp and the preseason.
The current group is without any proven talent, instead featuring a number of high-potential players that could conceivably develop into productive players with some work.
Such a dynamic makes the competition all the more interesting overall, as any one player can make use of the offseason and see significant improvements to their game.
Here is a full position breakdown and depth chart analysis of the Raiders’ tight end position heading into 2014.Begin Slideshow