In the minutes after the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series, Tony Siegle, one of the team's front-office advisers, told the media, "We've just shown ‘Moneyball' is a bunch of garbage."
If there wasn't already a front-office rivalry between general manager Brian Sabean's Giants and Billy Beane's Oakland Athletics, that quote certainly started one. And whether you agree with Siegle or not, he's given the A's executives some bulletin-board material.
Oakland quietly finished the last regular season second in the American League West division with an even 81-81 record, nine games behind the eventual pennant-winning Texas Rangers. After a busy offseason — during which three solid hitters, a pair of reliable relievers and an under-the-radar starter joined the green and gold — the A's are primed for their first division title and playoff appearance since 2006.
Manager Bob Geren struggled to put together a lineup that could score runs consistently last season, and Oakland ranked in the bottom half of the league in virtually every offensive category. Although Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham and David DeJesus aren't exactly superstars, they all bring a polished approach that was missing from the A's order in 2010.
Because they play half of their games in the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the American League, the Athletics place a premium on hitters who get on base. Matsui, Willingham and DeJesus are all likely to see their home run totals decline as a result of the Coliseum's gigantic outfield but each had an on-base percentage over .360 last season. Those contributions should be unaffected and will make the middle of Oakland's lineup much harder for opposing pitchers to contend with.
As much as the Coliseum's generous dimensions hurt hitters, they help the A's pitchers — a significant benefit given the youth of Geren's pitching staff. Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, both just 23 years old, lead the starting rotation, which also features lefties Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden. Despite injuries to Anderson and No. 5 starter Ben Sheets, this group had the best rotation ERA (3.47) in the majors last season.
The addition of Brandon McCarthy brings even more depth to the impressive young quartet. Once a top prospect, the 27-year-old McCarthy flamed out after he was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Rangers but appears to have resurrected his career. Armed with a new sinker, McCarthy has surged ahead of his competitors for the job at the back of Oakland's rotation, posting a 3.29 ERA over 13.2 innings in spring training while striking out nine batters and walking none.
Geren will also have the pleasure of managing one of the deepest bullpens in the majors, which already starred closer Andrew Bailey and now has lefty Brian Fuentes and righty Grant Balfour to handle setup duties. The relief corps also boasts elite specialists in Craig Breslow and Brad Ziegler, both of whom hold like-handed batters barely above the Mendoza line.
And, if their own talents aren't enough, the A's pitchers will also benefit from having the best group of fielders in the league. Oakland ranked atop the majors in defensive efficiency — the ratio of balls in play that are converted into outs — last season, and this year's team once again boasts an above average defender at every position except left field.
The Athletics may not have the flashiest roster in the AL West, but they have more quality pieces than any other team in the division.
Oakland doesn't have Felix Hernandez at the front of its rotation, but the Seattle Mariners lack any semblance of offense. The A's can't keep up with the speedy Los Angeles Angels on the base paths, but the Halos' attempts to bring a slugger to Disneyland yielded only Vernon Wells and the four years, $86 million remaining on his contract. And while the Rangers' heart of the order of Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre may be the envy of the division, Texas lost No.1 starter Cliff Lee in free agency and has question marks throughout its pitching staff.
That gives the Athletics a golden opportunity to bring postseason baseball back to the Coliseum. After years of struggling with decreased attendance at a ballpark that could reasonably be described as a dump, the A's are on the verge of landing a new stadium. And on the field, Oakland has all the pieces in place to ensure the "garbage" label won't stick for long.
