Oakland Athletics

Blue, Hunter and Fingers. Hudson, Mulder and Zito. Gonzalez, Cahill and Bailey. Parker, Griffin and Straily. Who's next?

The Oakland Athletics are known for bringing pitchers up through the minor leagues, and they have a group of future stars waiting for the next promotion.

When Michael Lewis' best-selling book "Moneyball" hit the market in 2003, baseball was changed forever. Lewis chronicled the inner workings of the Oakland Athletics, the team that somehow managed to turn bands of rejects into playoff contenders.

Since joining the A's in 1998, general manager Billy Beane has sent the team to playoffs six times despite continually having one of the league's lowest payrolls. 

Even as the Oakland A's fight for their second consecutive American West League Championship over the last six weeks of the Major League Baseball season, there is a truth that should hearten fans in the East Bay and everywhere else: This team is built to last. They are young and—although inconsistent at times—this team's core is full of talent. 

Billy Beane is doing it again. He's putting together a roster of misfits that are doing nothing but win baseball games. And it's all being done with the fourth lowest payroll in the majors, and a bunch of guys the casual fan can't name.

The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is approaching, and the Oakland A's are in a position similar to where they were at this time last year.  Back then, the A's were just in the playoff hunt, but this year, they find themselves as division leaders at the deadline.

I think I'm supposed to write something like, "And so the legend of Yoenis Cespedes grows" here.

The Oakland Athletics, which are currently tied for first with the Texas Rangers in the American League West and also have the fourth most wins in the majors, only have one All-Star representative: Bartolo Colon.

Entering the second half of the 2013 season, the Oakland A's sit at a very respectable 47-34, good for second place in the American League West. The A's are on pace to match 2012's 94-win total in spite of some very key components either being injured (Brett Anderson) or flat out underwhelming (Josh Reddick). 

It's likely that at the beginning of the 2013 season, no one would have assumed that starting pitchers Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics and Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners would be anchoring their pitching staffs.

The Oakland Athletics have won 10 of their last 13 games versus National League opponents, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday, as they take on the San Francisco Giants at the O.co Coliseum.