While everyone's attention was focused on Baltimore's shocking ascension in the East, the Athletics were busy making an even-more-stunning push in the West. No one expected anything of Oakland thanks to who they were chasing in their division: the high-payroll and big-expectation teams in Los Angeles and Texas. Despite being 13 games back at one point in June, the A's hosted a walk-off win party in July, pulled to within five games with nine to play, and swept the Rangers in the final series of the season to win the AL West title. Where did this come from?
1. Pitching Depth: Especially young pitching depth. The A's had three veteran starters, but Brett Anderson only made six starts due to injury, Brandon McCarthy was hit in the head by a line drive, and Bartolo Colon was suspended for PED use. So during the final month of the season, Oakland surpassed Texas with a five-man rookie rotation: offseason trade acquisitions Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker, 29-year-old journeyman Travis Blackley, and out-of-nowhere minor league studs A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily. Helped by Oakland Coliseum's friendly dimensions, none of those starters posted an ERA over 4.00. Not many organizations have five rookie starters good enough to pitch in the majors, let alone lead a club to the playoffs.
2. Strong Bullpen: In the final series against Texas, the A's knew exactly what their formula was once they got a lead: their trio of bullpen aces. The first was Sean Doolittle, a hard-throwing lefty who was a minor league first baseman this time last year. The second was Ryan Cook, another rookie acquired over the offseason who was briefly Oakland's closer and put up a 2.09 ERA. And the ninth belonged to Grant Balfour, the elder statesman of the group (34 years old) who locked down all of Oakland's key victories. The trio protected late leads in all three games against the Rangers.
3. Platooning Offense: Stuck in a massive ballpark without the funds to acquire big-money power hitters, the A's turned to a more efficient method of improving the offense: platooning. Timeshares existed at first base (Chris Carter and Brandon Moss), DH (Johnny Gomes and Seth Smith), and catcher (Derek Norris and George Kottaras). The A's were thus able to make up for their lack of stars by getting the best possible production out of each player while hiding their weaknesses.
4. Speed and Power: The Athletics set an American League record for most team strikeouts. But they made up for their collective failure to put the ball in play by staying aggressive on the basepaths and hitting the ball out of the park. Eight different A's players hit double-digit home runs (led by Josh Reddick's 32), and five stole double-digit bases (led by Coco Crisp's 39). Yoenis Cespedes, signed as a free agent out of Cuba, did both, hitting 23 homers and stealing 16 bases.
5. Good Defense: One of the things that really helped Oakland's young pitching staff was the solid defense behind them. Speedsters Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes roamed the outfield, along with Josh Reddick, who kept opposing baserunners honest with one of the best arms in baseball. The infield defense was questionable for much of the season, but then the A's traded for Stephen Drew. He plugged a hole at shortstop and allowed the incumbent, Cliff Pennington, to move over to second, thus improving at both positions.
As unlikely as the success of the Orioles was, they at least had a strong foundation to work with: Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy, and so forth. The A's had nothing: they actually traded away their foundation prior to the season when they dealt five pitchers, including the closer and two staff aces, for a flock of faceless unproven rookies.
Yet one huge reason for Oakland's rise was the instant success of those unproven rookies. In exchange for the five pitchers they dealt away, the A's received their Game 1 and Game 2 playoff starters, their team leader in home runs, half of their DH and catcher platoons, and their setup man. It's crazy to think that so many minor leaguers--who are usually no more than lottery tickets--could all perform so highly for a division champion so quickly. The A's made sure to maximize their return in all their trades.
The second important reason for the A's success was their minor league depth, which provided contingency plans when certain things weren't working out. Starting first baseman Daric Barton has one home run? He was replaced by career minor leaguers Brandon Moss and Chris Carter, who combined to hit 37. Starting catcher Kurt Suzuki is hitting .218? He was traded to the Nationals mid-summer and replaced by disciplined minor leaguer Derek Norris. Jemile Weeks isn't hitting at second base? The A's had the depth to acquire Stephen Drew and shore up the middle infield. No one's hitting at third base? Josh Donaldson was summoned from Triple-A in August, and he hit .290 the rest of the way. Injuries strike the rotation? Up from the minors came Dan Straily and A.J. Griffin and Travis Blackley, all of whom performed admirably. The A's weren't stuck with under-performing players because they had the depth to either replace them from within or make a trade. That ability to adjust on the fly and make up for the shortcomings of a low payroll proved instrumental to Oakland's unlikely AL West title.
Oakland's Formula: Young pitching depth, dominant bullpen, and a platooning lineup built on speed, power, and defense, achieved through smart trades and a deep minor league system.
Detroit's Formula: Good starting pitching and an elite top of the lineup, achieved through the acquisition of elite players by any means.
San Francisco's Formula: Healthy starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and a lineup built for home-field advantage achieved through strong pitching development and the revitalization of declining veterans' careers.
Washington's Formula: Healthy and elite starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and balanced lineup achieved through homegrown talent and superb talent evaluation.
Cincinnati's Formula: Healthy starting pitching, dominant bullpen, and balanced lineup achieved through homegrown talent and low payroll.
No comments:
Post a Comment