A lot of people are thinking that the Oakland Athletics are going to be in the running for the AL West, in my book the A's will be left running for their lives.
Even with Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi, the Athletics have the worst offense in the MLB. You can't win the World Series using long balls and one ace, just ask the 1990's Seattle Mariners. They need more hitters hitting for average besides Holliday.
The pitching staff has changed drastically in the last year, trading Dan Haren, Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton.
Now they have one ace and four guys who could do better selling hot dogs on a deserted island. The ace is Justin Duchscherer and even he went just 10-8. But his 2.54 ERA is one of the best in the MLB. But don't forget how in his last 10 starts he lost four and won only two.
The A's also have the Angels, Rangers, and Mariners in their division. The Mariners and Angels are contenders after the M's offseason dealings and the Rangers only need to sign Ben Sheets and Oliver Perez to be a very serious contender for years.
Erik Chavez's numbers are going down and many are wondering if he will even hit 20 home runs and bat .240. In my book I am questionable about even a .230, 15 home run season.
Unless the A's can create a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox for young pitching, it looks as if they will not be walking the stairs of the AL West basement.
Ben Brown is a writer for Bleacher report. All the skepticism in this article is based off of facts and Ben is willing to answer any question you write in the comment section of this article.
27 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Mike Kent 5 months ago
Nice article, i think the A's could win the wast. The angals lost both K-Rod and Mark, i guess i still think the LA is going to win the west but it should be a close race
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
Don't forget the Mariners. If Vladamir Guerrero gets injured, right field would go from .303, 27 home runs to .194 with probably three home runs. That's an open door for the Seattle Mariners if the Angels don't get another outfielder.
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Mike Kent 5 months ago
true. Well, lets be optimistic :-)
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
I could make it happen. I would just need to jump out of the stands and land on Vlad. lol JK. But The Mariners have the potential up the Ying Yang. Injuries and Clubhouse poision killed them last year. Plus weight gain. Expect them to be back to form and then some.
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Mike Kent 5 months ago
It could happen. if you heart Vlad you will go to jiall but that is what you need to do, takeone for the team
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
haha. Unless I fake getting pushed by an Angels fan at the game. lol
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KOSTAS EVANGELIOU 5 months ago
I think the A's have a good chance on winning the west. Its a weak division and they have proved they can win with a less fortunate offense. They always have a pitcher who comes out of nowhere and does well USUALLY!. Al though as a red sox fan I would love to see us give some prospects up for matt holiday. Something tells me that wont happen though
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
I think Holliday will be in a red Sox uniform after the 2009 season when he and Jason Bay are free agents.
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Ben Ernst 5 months ago
First off, they aren't the ones climbing out of the AL West cellar, our M's are. Secondly, Giambi doesn't just hit home runs, he also takes quite a few walks, and if you haven't noticed lately, walks are very good. Cust walks alot, and Holliday should have won the MVP back in 07. Chavez has been working out and seems to finally be healthy, and a healthy Chavez has just as much offensive potential as ANY player on the M's. Also, wins are probably the worst stat to use to define a pitcher's talent. But while we're talking about them, the reason why Duchscherer had so few in 08 was because of a then-anemic offense. He had the same misfortune of Hernandez, who had a poor record due to lack of run support as well.
Look for the A's to give the Angels a run for their money.
Oh, and I wouldnt place our hopes on a player getting injured on another team, the same could happen to Ichiro.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
If Ichiro gets injured Mike Morse would take his place. Morse led the majors in BA during spring training with .492 so i wouldn't be mad at all if Ichiro gets injured.
Chavez bats around .240 last few seasons and his power is lower than the 2008 version of Adrian Beltre. I'm not saying Duchscherer's bad at all I think he would have a legit chance at the Cy young if on the Cubs, Rangers, Red Sox, yankees or any team that's not the Nationals, A's, Pirates or Padres.
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KOSTAS EVANGELIOU 5 months ago
HOLLIDAY COULD VERY WELL END UP WITH THE RED SOX MID SEASON IF OR WHEN THE A'S DONT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
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Ben Ernst 5 months ago
You're going use spring training stats to say that Mike Morse is going to come back from a season-long injury to replace Ichiro? His injury is going to limit his throwing strength, thats why he's a first base canditate.
Chavez has batted around .240 the last few seasons because he's been plagued with injury. And since you like to mention people working out in the offseason, reports are that his swing looks incredible and that he's looking better than anyone expected. A healthy Chavez hits .300, hits 30 hr and 100 rbi.
The A's are and on-base machine with 4 players that can exceed 30 hr a year. Last year they were leaning on Jack Cust, who is a poor mans Ryan Howard. He hits home runs, he walks, he strikes out. Now that they have him, plus 3 other sluggers in their order, I'd go ahead and say they have the best offense in the West.
Think about it, they did better than the M's last year WITHOUT Holliday, Chavez, and Giambi.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
Chavez hit over .300 once in his career, when he played 16 games his rookie season. He has not hit 30 home runs since 2002 and only hit 30 two times. You need real stats to back up your work.
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dave Caron 5 months ago
I think you would have to say the A's improved more than the mariners this year and the Angels got worse. Texas has not done much. Oakland has a lot of pitching talent coming up this year and I would not be surprised to see them at most a few games behind the Angels and Texas right there as well. The Mariners have a long way to go, but good luck.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
The Mariners improved greater than the A's this offseason. Branyan> Giambi in power and even has a better average. Who was more expensive, Giambi. Holliday is one start to a major offensive overhaul. They have one player who hits for average. The Mariners are probably going to have at least four players hit over .300 (Lopez, Betancourt, Ichiro and Clement). The Mariners don't have a long way back and the M's have the youth to contend now and for years to come.
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Joseph Lopez 5 months ago
Dude, what's wrong with you? I know it's been a rough couple of years, but the A's are a potential winner of the west. The Angels have lost not only their closer, but an offensive player who helped them secure the West, and Garret Anderson as well. I'm not saying the A's are the team to beat, but I wouldn't say they will be running for their lives. I mean the A's upgraded this year, big time with Holliday and Giambi. I know the pitching has a ton of question marks but they're young and talented. With an offensive attack that provides runs, the pitching will ease into the majors. As for Chavvy, I think he'll hit around .270 with about 26 homers and about 76 RBIs. I mean as a fan of the A's, (and i live in Anaheim) you have to remain optimistic. The A's are much better this year, still not an elite team, but good enough to compete and possibly win the weakened AL West division.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
You are going to be greatly dissapointed. Chavez doesn't hit like that anymore. Expect 17 home runs and a batting average of around .250. The Angels have had enough losses in the roster to possibly make them a .510- .520 team. The Mariners have improved greatly. Beltre played last season with three injuries. Imagine what he can do without them. Felix and Bedard were injured for a number of starts and the Mariners have the youth coming up the Yahoo. Clement is becoming a great hitter and then there is still many other young, ripe players.
I think the M's are going to have a better season than the A's.
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Joseph Lopez 5 months ago
Well, that's your opinion. But I still say your deeply mistaken. The M's are far from a contender. If you say the Halos are a .510 - .520 team, then the A's can easily overtake them in the west. You know, I can't imagine the A's doing worse than the M's. The M's won like 60 times last season right? Well you said that they'd do better than the A's this year, well for them to do that they're gonna have to improve by at least 20-25 games. I just don't see that happening. The A's will score much more runs this year. Oh yeah they did have one of the best ERA's in the league..Granted they had Harden. But they do have a very potent middle-of the order lineup now. Chavez may not hit 30 homers, but he will be much more productive than you think.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
Without Harden and Blanton that kills the rotation. Last season Adrian Beltre played with three injuries during the season until the end of September. A healthy Beltre can be a 2004 Beltre. Jose Lopez with his progression can hit .305, 23 home runs. Ichiro is a guarunteed 200 hits. The M's have improved there offense, defense to the best in the majors and their rotation should be coming in healthy this season.
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Steven Resnick 5 months ago
This was meant to be as a joke right? Sure Eric Chavez may not be able to come back and be that defensive third basemen but he could take over at first base if Daric Barton continues to struggle. The fact is the A's have improved their team more than any other team in the AL West.
What did the Angels do they signed Brian Fuentes? Good pick up but still Vladimir Guerreo is aging, Garrett Anderson is gone and he could sign with the A's, the Angels a a team that has a bunch of speed but very little power in the lineup.
The A's have more power than they did last year. Giambi is a veteran knows the strike zone is going to be under way less pressure then he was in New York and he's going to have a solid year. He's also going to help Jack Cust become less patient and hit the good pitches he was caught looking at last year.
The A's will always have a solid pitching front they have a ton of talent in their farm system and their pitching is what helped them have a pretty good record considering the lack of offense they had. The best news though was that Ty Van Burkleo left to go coach the Mariners.
The Mariners are going to be in last place again. They may improve their record but you have to be on drugs to believe the Mariners are going to give the AL West a run for its money. Ok maybe not on drugs but they are nowhere near being close to vying for the division title.
It's again going to come down to the A's and Angels for first place in the AL West. Hate to burst your bubble, but the additions of Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi have made the A's a lot better whether you agree or not.
You also realize the Mariners lost their best offensive player in Raul Ibanez to the Phillies. Ichiro remains the self centered man in the outfield. Jose Lopez is definitely an underrated second baseman. Beltre is liable to be traded for some young talent and the Mariners again will find themselves in the cellar of the AL West.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
The Beltre trade talks are virtually gone now. He played last season with three injuries until the end of September. A healthy Adrian Beltre dominates the league. The A's still have a horrible offense whether you agree or not. Branyan is going to have a monster of a season when he can play everyday.
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Steven Resnick 5 months ago
A healthy Beltre dominates the league. When was the last time he dominated anything was in 2004 with the Dodgers. He's never been dominating in the AL. His best season hitting was 58 percent lower than his dominating season for the Dodgers.
Beltre is great defensively, but even with tha and playing through injuries it's a good story, yet Eric Chavez had his best year defensively when he was injured. So, yeah if Chavy can remain healthy and if he can comeback and make the plays at third the A's get that much better.
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Kevin Shiraldi 5 months ago
This Ben guy is hilarious. He is clearly an idiot.
He has said so many stupid things I don't know where to start...
OK....If you think a "healthy" Beltre will be what he was in 2004, then you are sorely mistaken. He has never proved he can hit in the AL, and has never been even close to what he was in that ONE SEASON with the LAD. There is no way he hits over .270 or more than 25 HR. You have to face it, he had one good season and you guys overpaid for him. He is not the player we saw in 2004. Nothing points to him having that type of season again.
Next...Russell Branyan? Really...? He is a guy who over the last 6 years has averaged 12 HRs a year, with an AVG usually around .230, with most of those in the NL. There is no reason to think he is going to do better than .230 15 HR in the AL. You clearly don't know what you are talking about if you expect big things from him because I doubt he even starts all next year...
On top of all this... The M's lost their best player to the phillies in Ibanez. If anything, the M's have gotten worse since their abismal 60 wins last year. They are going to have to play Gutierrez or endy in their OF, both of which are backups at best.
I since i'm NOT an A's fan, i dont really care how stupid your comments are about them, but I'm sure you said some moronic stuff about oak too.
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Ben Brown 5 months ago
why do you doubt he starts? you need to look at what the Mariners were doing towards the end of the year. Defense is under rated, i think thats something you have forgot to look into
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Joseph Lopez 5 months ago
A healthy Beltre can produce like he did in 2004?!! What!? In that case a healthy Chavez equals a 2002 Chavez. The A's are certainly better than the M's, and are better than the Rangers. Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi and Eric Chavez are three very explosive players, capable of leading any team into the playoffs. I agree with Steven, the A's have a great farmsystem and are a lot better than they were last year. I know you may be rooting for the Mariners, or at least it sounds like it, but look at the numbers. Defense does win championships remember? Pitching is considered DEFENSE. Without Pitching, you have a team like the Rangers. But, I respect your opinion. I just disagree on the fact that you say Chavez will hit .250 with about 17 HR. Chavvy is healthy this year, he's really due for a big year. And so are the A's.
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Phil Hoops 5 months ago
Sadly, I have to agree with you about the As. While they definitely improved their ball club by signing Giambi and Holliday, I don't believe they have the pitching talent to contend with the high powered offense of the Angels or the Rangers.
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Kevin Shiraldi 5 months ago
The Angels hardly have a high powered offense Phil, I wouldn't be shocked if the A's end up having a better O then LAA, however the Angels pitching is what makes them the favorite to win the divison. And the rangers do have an amazing offense, but they still lack the pitching it takes to win the West, they didn't improve their ball club, so they cant look to improve on last year. They did however, lose their best hitter from all last year, Milton Bradley. This will hurt them, they will only contend if they sign ben sheets.
Lets just look at this in Overview to see who will really compete this year:
Angels :
Lost - Anderson, Teixera, Garland, and KROD, while Vlad is not getting any younger and still have unproven pitching.
Added - Fuentes.
Verdict - Clearly the favorite to win the West once again, but they have holes this year.
A's :
Lost - Street, Greg Smith, and while they do have the talent to replace these players, talent does not always translate into immediate success. They have holes in the pitching, but the talent they think will fill them
Added - Giambi, Holliday. The offense will be much better, but still not great. If chavez is healthy, he can still hit, but that is a giant IF. Jack Hannahan at 3rd really hurts their offense.
Verdict - Have added pieces and will contend in 09. They have done what other teams havn't, improved their weakness. They needed hitting they got it, and as usuall for OAK, will expect young pitchers to come up and perform. They have a lot of ?s, but will be a decent team.
Rangers
Lost - Milton
Added - Nothing, but are interested in Sheets
Verdict - If they get sheets then they will be a contender, but as of right now, they still have the worst pitching the MLB.
Mariners:
Added - Russel Branyan
Lost - Raul Ibanez, JJ Putz, something not many M's fans are mentioning, who is going to replace him? It looked promising with Morrow, but they want him starting. That will be a huge ?
Verdict - They do have talent down on the farm, but nothing that will greatly impact them this year. They won 60 games last year, it is improbable to think they will contend after losing their most productive hitter and adding a guy (branyan) who is considered a power hitter, yet averages 12 HRs a year for the last 6 years in the NATIONAL LEAGUE. No reason to think he will do any better coming over to the AL.
No team has adressed their issues, the Marines didnt add anybody from their terrible season, and the rangers still have no pitching. Except, the a's. They needed hitting, they got hitting, Matt Holliday was an mvp canditate in 2007, and Giambi hit 33 HRs last year. Thats hitting.
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