The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 16- Oakland Athletics

Moving on quickly, here is Day 16, presented to the Oakland A's.

Oakland Athletics

Record: 81-81 (Second place in AL West, nine games behind Texas)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Rajai Davis (.284)
Home Runs: Kevin Kouzmanoff (16)
RBIs: Kevin Kouzmanoff (71)
On-base Percentage: Daric Barton (.393)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Trevor Cahill (18)
Strikeouts: Gio Gonzalez (171)
Innings Pitched: Gio Gonzalez (200.2)
ERA: Trevor Cahill (2.97). Bullpen- Andrew Bailey (1.47)
WHIP: Trevor Cahill (1.11). Bullpen- Andrew Bailey (0.96)
Saves: Andrew Bailey (25)

Highlight of the Season: On May 9 before a crowd of 12,228 at the Oakland Coliseum, Dallas Braden tossed just the 19th perfect game in major league history, blanking the Rays 4-0.

Lowlight of the Season: The A's were mathematically eliminated from contention on September 25, as the Rangers clinched the AL West with a 4-3 victory over them at the Coliseum.

The Lowdown:
Playing before small crowds more often than not, the Oakland A’s are quite possibly the quietest team in baseball. They haven’t been in the national consciousness since their ALCS appearance in 2006, and many expected them to be a last-place team heading into 2010. However, Oakland threw everybody a curveball, finishing with a .500 record, with a legitimate chance to make great strides forward into contention in 2011. Even though their offense was very weak, their pitching staff was among the best in baseball, as it appears GM Billy Beane is taking a page out of the book from their Bay Area rivals, the Giants. With a stacked pitching rotation, the A’s also appear to be turning back the clock to what made them so successful in the last decade, as their staff kept them in a lot of games, in spite of their offense. This past season, while ending in disappointment, should give A’s fans reason to be hopeful of what is to come in 2011.

Offense:
For all of the good that came out of the 2010 season for Oakland, you certainly aren’t going to find anything good in their lineup. The A’s were among the weaker-hitting teams in the game this year, finishing 23rd in runs scored (663), 26th in slugging (.378) and 28th in homers (109). The dearth in offense on this team is exemplified in the fact that nobody on the team even reached 20 home runs, as Kevin Kouzmanoff led the team with a paltry 16. Nobody on the team even reached .290 in hitting, as speedster Rajai Davis led the team with a .284 average. The punch-less offense had to get creative with ways to score runners, and they usually did that with stolen bases (which we’ll get to later). Even Jack Cust, the left-fielder/designated hitter they brought back to supply some offense failed to do so, hitting just 13 home runs while driving in 52 in only 112 games. There’s not much else to say about Oakland’s offense, other than the fact that they weren’t that great at all.
Final Grade: D

Pitching:
The A’s featured quite possibly the most underrated pitching rotation in baseball, as well as one of the best. They would finish fourth in ERA (3.56), first in quality starts (103), sixth in WHIP (1.28), fifth in “batting average against” (.245) and 14th in home runs allowed (153). Leading the way in this outstanding staff is 22-year-old righty Trevor Cahill, who finished with some of the best numbers of any AL pitcher this year. He capped off a fantastic sophomore season by finishing with an 18-8 record, with a 2.97 ERA and a WHIP of 1.11. He obviously wasn’t alone in his terrific performance on the mound this year, as Gio Gonzalez, Brett Anderson and “Mr. Perfect” Dallas Braden all put together solid seasons. Gonzalez finished with a 15-9 record with a team-best 171 strikeouts, while Brett Anderson finished with a 2.80 ERA in 19 starts this year. Dallas Braden was possibly the fourth-best starter on the staff this year in spite of his perfect game on May 9, but he still finished with respectable numbers, going 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA.

Oakland’s relief corps wasn’t nearly as good as their starting rotation; however they still finished with a decent ERA of 3.83, good for 12th in baseball. Lefty Craig Breslow made the most appearances on this staff with 75, and he did not disappoint, as he finished with a 3.01 ERA, which is fair. For the second year in a row though, the best reliever on this team by far was closer Andrew Bailey. His sophomore performance was nearly as good as his freshman year, recording a 1.47 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96 to go along with his team-best 25 saves. Bailey has turned out to be the real deal in closing out games for the A’s, and he gives the team confidence anytime they head into the ninth inning or later with a lead, as everybody knows the door will be slammed shut by him more often than not.

Affix any superlative you want to on this staff, they were one of the best in baseball this year.
Final Grade: A+

Wild Card: Team Speed
Surprisingly enough, the A’s eschewed their typical “Moneyball” philosophy of not stealing bases, as they finished third in the majors with 156, trailing only the Rays and White Sox in that category. Rajai Davis led the team in steals with 50, which also was good enough for second in the American League. Behind him, Coco Crisp stole 32 bases, while shortstop Cliff Pennington stole 29. For a team that struggled to score runs this year, they had to use every tool they had at their disposal to give themselves a better chance to win games, and they utilized their team speed to the max.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
For the A’s, a .500 season means a success. With the bevy of pitching talent this team has, they might be able to take a page from the Giants’ book and contend next year, offense be damned. Since the Rangers were unable to bring back Cliff Lee, the AL West should definitely be a competitive division next year.
Final Grade: C+

Check back soon for the report card on the Colorado Rockies!