Oakland Athletics Poised to Make Strides in 2011

Despite being nine-and-a-half games out of first place with a .500 record at the time of this article, the Oakland Athletics season should be no surprise.

Over the past couple of seasons the A’s have been called “light-hitting”, casualties of the Moneyball era, and a team out of touch with the current pace of the game.

When evaluating the club you recognize that the A’s are on the verge of competing with the very best in the American League.

It is unknown whether the Texas Rangers, in a resurgence of sorts, can continue at this pace. The acquisition of Cliff Lee more of less solidifies their spot atop the division for this year.

The Rangers gave up four top prospects, including Justin Smoak, their prize jewel, is the one who garnered the most attention. 

The difference between the Rangers and the Athletics in this pitching oriented season is their stockpiling of talent.

The Athletics have two players ranked in Baseball America’s top 50 prospect list, and rightly so.

Michael Taylor has been consistently improving since 2007. While he has had a drop-off in OBP of almost 50 points from ’09—most likely due to the talent in the PCL—he has averaged almost 13 home runs, 66 RBI, .300 batting average, and an OBP of over .400 in two previous seasons.

Chris Carter on the other hand could be the big bat at first that the A’s have been lacking since the departure of Jason Giambi.

Carter, to keep it simple, averages 24 home runs a year (six minor league seasons) and 81 RBI. Even though Carter’s average has taken a hit (.241) he has a career batting average of .282. His slugging pct. is always near or over .500.

Jemile Weeks is another prospect to keep your eye on. Weeks was the 12th overall pick in the 2008 draft and is, by all means, a player that can contribute if his pattern of improvement continues.

Over his last 10 games, Weeks is batting .341 and seems to be heating up at the right time.

Career highs in all offensive categories has been an increasing trend, yet Weeks appears to be improving in more specialized categories such as on-base and slugging percentage.  Injuries have curved the development process. Nevertheless, Weeks’ estimated time of arrival in the big show is mid-2011.

All these legitimate prospects can only improve a club that has undoubtedly bucked the odds in 2010.

A stigma has followed the A’s around the past couple of years with light-hitting and all pitching. But not in 2010.

Oakland currently sits in seventh position in the American League with a team batting average of .261, placing them behind the sixth ranked juggernaut Boston Red Sox.

The belief is that the A’s lack the power to hit for extra-base hits. On the contrary, they have two less hits than the perennial powerhouse Los Angeles Angels and the same number of doubles (169) and triples (22) as the New York Yankees.

When all is said and done this team shows the capability to change with the times and keep up with the rest of the league. Though they might not be fully loaded at present date.

With reduced scoring and an emphasis on defense and pitching, the A’s have half of the puzzle solved.

The club’s pitching staff ranks second in the American League and sixth in all of baseball.  With the addition of three top prospects, the growth and development of their current roster, the tide of power could be shifting again in the AL West.

For more information regarding the refocus from power hitting to defense and pitching please view “At The Forefront Of Change You Will Find The Oakland Athletics"

This article can also be found on The GM's Perspective