In a year where Josh Reddick was arguably ousted from the American League All-Star team, Oakland Athletics fans can eat the chip on their shoulders—as the right fielder did against his former employer. Reddick was named American League player of the week due in large part to his first career grand slam against Bobby Valentine's struggling Red Sox in the 20-2 massacre in Oakland. The Athletics' OF accounted for three home runs, 10 RBI, 12 hits and scored six times over their flawless week that left the Red Sox and Cleveland Indians winless against Oakland. The American League is no ...
When people mention the name of Oakland A's general manager, Billy Beane, many adjectives follow: Overrated, brilliant, shrewd and ring-less are a few. And while there are those who may never give Beane the credit he deserves for having built a solid small-market playoff contender during the 2000s, the job he has done in 2012 simply cannot be overstated.Understand, the A's were simply supposed to be a bad rebuilding team working towards a new stadium in Oakland or elsewhere. It was expected that their nucleus would not be solidified until at least 2014, and this was supposed to be the ...
In March of this year my nine and 11 year old sons said to me, “Dad, we think the A’s are gonna be pretty good this year.” I smiled at the innocence of youth and thought to myself that the national pundits might know a little more than a couple of kids. A mathematician from NJIT used carefully constructed algorithms and thoughtful mathematical theories to predict a 68-94 record. National scribes from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others predicted no better than a third place finish for the Green and Gold. Even as recently as last Monday, the team with ...
WhatIfSports.com utilizes its award-winning baseball simulation engine to present the most comprehensive and unbiased ranking possible of all 30 teams in baseball each Monday during the regular season. To come up with the rankings, using only their statistical performance to date this season, each team is simulated against every other team 100 times – 50 at home and 50 at the opposing ballpark so that all five pitchers in the current rotation start ten times at each location. (Note: This means that if a pitcher who was in the rotation was recently put on the DL, ...
The Oakland Athletics go into action today with a 76-51 record, identical to that of the New York Yankees.The A's sit a mere three games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West and are the proud owners of the first wild card slot in the American League. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games and that nine comes in the form of a nine-game winning streak.To say that the A's are red-hot is an understatement.Not a single member of the team has a batting average over .300 (though rookie Yoenis Cespedes is the closest at .297), and ...
Every once in a while, you get a story in sports that defies all methods of logic. I am hard pressed to find one more illogical than the 2012 Oakland A's.Picked for last by most prognosticators and projected to lose anywhere from 85 to 100 games, the A's sit in prime position for not only a playoff spot, but possibly a run to the American League West title. The last time they were a playoff team as the month of September started, the A's went to the American League Championship Series in 2006.However, that team had a superstar having one ...
Before the second of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin sat down to speak with reporters about his message to players, what it will take to secure a playoff spot and a few other notable roster issues. One month away from the postseason, the A's find themselves as the front-runners for a wild-card spot come October. As of September 1, MLB teams are allowed to expand from a 25- to a 40-man roster. Typically, September call-ups act as time to scout for next year. But this year is different. Charging hard into the ...
It is hard to believe that in mid-June, the Oakland Athletics were nine games under .500. Or maybe it is hard to grasp that the A's have a playoff spot as of Labor Day weekend.One thing is certain. The Athletics, who were nine games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers on July 17th and were six games back as recently as August 25th, are only three back.Today they increased their winning streak to eight games with yet another victory over the Boston Red Sox. They did not pour on 20 runs as they did on Friday. Today's game was a much ...
As the 2012 MLB season trickles down to the final stretch, a handful of teams are seeking playoff berths, while others seek vacation destinations following game 162. For the first time since 2006, the Oakland Athletics are putting their postseason paradises on hold. Oakland's midseason surge peaked in July during the 19-5 stint and has yet to fully subside. Boasting a 31-14 record since the All-Star Break break, Bob Melvin's Athletics have patched up their 2012 season quilt with variations of miscellaneous fabrics—and boy, is it warm. Following the series-opening 20-2 demolition of the Boston Red Sox, the A's preserve the top spot in the ...
Baseball is so unfair. How can a small-revenue team like the Boston Red Sox hope to contend against a big-market team like the Oakland Athletics?Yesterday was an example of how momentum in baseball is not always simply seeing who the next day's pitcher is. Sometimes, it is a direct reflection of the team.The Oakland Athletics are a team that, against all odds, have arrived at September in the lead for a playoff position. They are doing it with deep pitching and power from multiple sources. Seven Oakland hitters are in double digits for home runs.And it seemed like they hit ...