After witnessing a disappointing start this season, I was surprised to watch the Oakland Athletics crush both the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. But after seeing them sweep the New York Yankees, I’m simply astonished. How does a team with the worst total batting average in Major League Baseball beat three hitting juggernauts in one month?
After witnessing a disappointing start this season, I was surprised to watch the Oakland Athletics crush both the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. But after seeing them sweep the New York Yankees, I’m simply astonished. How does a team with the worst total batting average in Major League Baseball beat three hitting juggernauts in one month?
If I had to describe the 2012 Oakland A’s, I would quip: “They’re scrappy.” Mainly, that comment is a testament to their 11 walk-off wins this season, which is three more than walk-off kingpins the Washington Nationals. In fact, all four games of the Yankees series were won by only one point. The A’s seem to employ a certain underdog mentality—coming back from behind when the odds are stacked against them.
Even if the A’s aren’t an offensive powerhouse, their pitching staff is the lynchpin to their recent success. Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and Brandon McCarthy (who is scheduled to pitch a few innings this Wednesday at the team’s facility after a lengthy stay on the disabled list) have all proven themselves to be the dominating force in defending their team’s hitting—or, typically, its lack thereof.
When the A’s traded Gio González last year to the Washington Nationals for four prospects, A’s fans were frustrated. So when González began this season with a 7-1 record in the first two months, A’s fans were ready to flip tables. However, one of those prospects, Milone, turned out to be a decent player and a driving force in the A’s lineup of pitchers. Additionally, A’s closer Ryan Cook, who struck out two in the recent all-star game, has played phenomenally.
What’s interesting is the fact that Yankees Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia will make a little more than $54 million combined this year, which is more than all the salaries of every A’s player. As covered in the bestselling book Moneyball, the A’s have the lowest payroll in baseball and general manager Billy Beane must rely heavily on low-cost prospects.
Despite his splurge on Cuban sensation Yoenis Céspedes, Beane’s bargain prospects have been making a name for themselves this year: Brandon Moss (a power-hitting minor leaguer with a one-year contract) is currently at 11 home runs with only two months of play, while Chris Carter (a prospect from a 2007 trade) is swinging with a .297 batting average.
Of course, there are still two-plus months of baseball left, and jumping to conclusions this early is premature, especially considering how injury-prone star slugger Céspedes can be. Also, I don’t want to jinx this team—I have a strange feeling that I may have caused the nine-game losing streak in late May by not wearing my customized A’s jersey. I don’t see the harm in remaining optimistic, though, especially when the wild card race is coming further and further down to the wire.
