 |
| What does GM Billy Beane have up his sleeve? |
The Oakland Athletics are currently 19-19 and are in second place in the AL West. Considering that GM Billy Beane had a fire sale in the off-season, that's really not a bad win loss record. To be honest with you I don't know how they are winning. They aren't hitting and they're pitching has been adequate. They're best hitter at the moment is outfielder Josh Reddick who came over in the Andrew Bailey trade. They're best pitcher is Brandon McCarthy who is underrated but veteran Bartolo Colon is having a decent year as well. They're bullpen was very good in the beginning of the season, but now Grant Balfour has lost his closing job to Brian Fuentes. Ryan Cook has also been very impressive, not allowing any earned runs in 16 appearances. I think the most surprising player on the Athletics is long-time Tiger Brandon Inge. Inge came over to Oakland after the Tigers released him because he wasn't even hitting at the Mendoza line. Inge has had 4 HR and 17 RBI since joining the team a few weeks ago. This proves that Billy Beane's "Moneyball" theory still works and can be used in today's baseball era. If the Athletics really want to contend this year, I believe they must trade for a corner outfielder at the deadline and get some power in that lineup. The A's shouldn't look at the division because it appears that the Rangers have already began to run away with it. They should look at one of the two wildcard spots and try to beat out the "Beasts of the East" (Rays, Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees) in order to get a playoff spot. They also need to capitalize on the Angels struggles thus far this season. The Angels are sleeping giants and they could get hot at any time. They just need everything to click at once. Anyway, in order for the Athletics to claim that playoff spot, they'll need to make some moves to put some power bats in the lineup. So , Contenders or Pretenders? I'll choose Pretenders until they make moves to strengthen their lineup.
No comments:
Post a Comment