The Oakland Athletics haven’t been much a factor in the AL West the past few seasons, but are coming off a 81-81 finish where they ended the year second in the division behind the Rangers.
It was the first time in four years the A’s didn’t finish below .500. Oakland’s pitching staff finished with an MLB-best 3.47 ERA, but the offense failed to deliver, and kept this team from the making the playoffs. The A’s are hoping some nice offseason additions will help the offense bounce back and have the A’s contending for the top spot in the West.
Here is a closer look at the A’s starting starting lineup and starting rotation for the 2011 season, plus our MLB predictions on where they will finish the year in the AL West.
Starting Lineup
For the Athletics to really get take off offensively this season, they need center fielder, Coco Crisp, to find a way to stay on the field. Crisp has totaled just 124 games over the last two years. In just 75 games in 2010, Crisp hit .279 with eight home runs and 32 stolen bases.
The Athletics went out and added right fielder, David DeJesus, from Kansas City. He can really help this team if he can stay on the field. DeJuses was hitting .318 before his season was ended with a thumb injury in 2010.
Left Fielder, Josh Willingham was also added this offseason and is projected to hit in the middle of the lineup. Willingham hit just .268 last year, but his .389 OBP and .848 OPS have us thinking he is primed for a big turnaround in 2011.
The Athletics are taking a shot on DH Hideki Matsui, with the thought he can give them some much needed power. Matsui hit .274 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI last season with the Angels.
Oakland is counting on catcher, Kurt Suzuki, to really be a force offensively this season, after hitting just .242 with a .303 OBP in 2010.
First baseman, Daric Barton, hit .273 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI, easily his best season in the majors, and his 110 walks has us thinking he could be in for a breakout season.
Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff led the Athletics with just 16 home runs last season, but hit just .247 with a .283 OBP. Hard to expect much more than an average home run total in 2011.
A guy that could really get this offense going is veteran Mark Ellis, who put together a solid 2010 season with a .291 average and .358 OBP. We see no reason why his number won't be even better with the improvement that is expected around him in the lineup.
Cliff Pennington did a respectable job in his first full season as the starting shortstop, but will need to improve on his .250 average.
Starting Rotation
While Oakland appears to have improved their offense, if they are going to win the AL West this season, it will be because of their pitching staff.
It all starts with 22-year-old Trevor Cahill, who went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 2010. If the offense starts scoring more runs, Cahill could easily win 20 games this year.
Gio Gonzalez really got it going in 2010, going 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA, after posting a 6-7 record with a 5.75 ERA in 2009.
Dallas Braden might be the most recognizable name in the starting rotation thanks to the perfect game he threw last season, but he went just 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA. A lot of that has to do with little run support, which has us thinking he should put up a much higher win total in 2011.
Brett Anderson is another young arm Oakland is really excited about. Anderson went 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA in just 19 starts, but has to show he can stay healthy after dealing with elbow problems last season.
The last spot in the rotation figures to belong to Brandon McCarthy, who went 7-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 17 starts.
2011 Projections: 3rd Place Al West
If The A's can get a jump offensively from their new additions and a couple of breakout campaigns from their talented prospects, Oakland will without question contend in the division. Their pitching staff is as solid as they come, and could even improve from their strong 2010 season.
While we didn’t pick the A’s to win the division, they are a sleeper worth watching out for. The Athletics' MLB odds to win the AL West are currently listed at +180.
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