Notable Additions: Marcus Semien IF, Jesse Hahn SP, Ben Zobrist OF, Billy Butler DH, Ike Davis 1B, Brett Lawrie 3B, Tyler Clippard RP, Josh Phegley C

Notable Losses: Josh Donaldson 3B, Jeff Samarzdjia SP, Jon Lester SP, Jason Hammel SP, Jed Lowrie SS, Luke Gregerson RP, Adam Dunn 1B/DH, Brandon Moss OF/1B, Derek Norris C, John Jaso C

I refuse to doubt Billy Beane and his master plan. He always seems to be one step ahead of the game. I think a lot of people are down on Oakland this year. I still think this team has a shot at going far. They have a solid pitching staff and added some big names to the offense. I actually loved the move for Brett Lawrie. He’s younger and cheaper than Josh Donaldson and that’s just what Billy Beane was looking for. Lawrie has some pop in his bat and finished with 12 home runs in a shortened 2014 season. He could be a difference maker in the future. I was a big fan of the Ben Zobrist signing as well. He is a guy that you can count on for solid defense and double digit home runs. You can throw Zobrist just about anywhere on the field. He finished with a .272 batting average and 10 home runs in 2014. The addition of Billy Butler takes care of the DH spot. Butler has been one of the more consistent designated hitters in the league the past few seasons. He has 428 RBI’s and 87 home runs over the past 5 seasons.

The pitching rotation will be led by Sonny Gray. He has been fantastic in his first two seasons, winning 19 games. He was a work horse last season, throwing in 219 innings and finishing with a 3.08 ERA. Gray is was one of the most consistent pitchers in the game last season and should continue to produce in 2015. Scott Kazmir will be the second man in the rotation in 2015. He through in 190.1 innings last season and finished with a 3.55 ERA. Newly acquired Jesse Hahn will hold the third spot in the rotation and will be looking to duplicate his 3.07 ERA from 2014. Jesse Chavez was solid in 2014, finishing with a 3.45 ERA. Theres no reason to believe that he will struggle in the upcoming season. Drew Pomeranz will be the final starter in the rotation. He only threw in 69 innings but finished with a 2.35 ERA.

The offense might struggle a bit but the pitching will keep them in games. The bullpen will be able to close out games as well as any other team. Closer, Sean Doolittle, finished the 2014 season with a 2.73 ERA. The bullpen will be helped by Tyler Clippard. The set-up man has been dominant throughout his entire career. He holds a 2.88 ERA through his first eight seasons. He will enjoy pitching in Oakland and should continue to be dominant pitcher that he is.

Breakout Player: Drew Pomeranz SP

Pomeranz has the stuff to be a number two pitcher in this league. He’s never pitched a full season as a starter. He started ten games for Oakland last season and finished with a 2.35 ERA. He’ll finally have his chance to be a full time starter in 2015. I think he will find his rhythm early in the season and should be one of the better south-paws in the league. If healthy I expect:

182.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 180 SO

Game Changer: Billy Butler DH

Butler will be looking to rebound from his 2014 season in which he finished with a .271 batting average. He finished with less than 10 home runs last season for the first time since his rookie season. Butler has the ability to drive in runs and provide power. In 2012 he finished with 29 home runs and 107 RBI’s. If he can consistently show power and drive in runs, this team will be in good shape.

The A’s should be solid in 2015 and will be looking to make the playoffs again. The AL West will be a competitive division this season. It’s safe to assume that the A’s will have new faces by August. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Make sure to check back in on March 31st for my complete standing predictions along with a few other fun pieces of news. Until then, you will be able to find a new preview of an individual team from March 1st through the 30th here at KRUI.FM.

The post Oakland A’s 2015 Preview Edition #17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

More than any other sport, baseball is a sport of patience. This holds true as a player, and as a fan. 162 games is a long (almost too long) season and since we are only two weeks in, overreaction should be kept to a minimum. Baseball is a streaky game and a team dominating or struggling after only playing around 12 games is no cause for panic. However, I do feel as if the past 14 days have shown us a lot about our own expectations. So I am here to simply make observations and point out who is for real, who the surprises are, and who needs to step up their game.

Rough Start in the City of Angels

Probably the biggest off-season acquisition was the Angels signing former Texas All-Star Josh Hamilton and how a lineup that consisted of him, Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo and Albert Pujols would be unstoppable. But after dishing out a five-year $125 million contract for Hamilton, he and the rest of the Angels for that matter are not off to the start everyone had anticipated. Right now they are last in the AL West with a 3-8 record. Hamilton is batting a sub-par .186 with five RBIs and one home run, while Trout is .269 with two RBIs and one home run. Pujols is putting up solid numbers with a .324 average, seven RBIs and two home runs, as is Trumbo batting .298 with seven RBIs and one home run. What seems to be killing them is the inconsistent production of their high-priced talent, along with a short staffed pitching rotation as ace Jered Weaver is out for up to five more weeks with a fractured left elbow. With that injury, the only other go-to pitcher in that rotation is C.J. Wilson who has not done bad boasting a 14 strikeouts and a 1-0 record, but he also has a 4.00 ERA. Injuries will heal and slumps will happen so the Angels do not appear in to be in too much trouble yet. That lineup is too talented (and expensive) to not produce all year.

No Sophomore Slump for Harper

Two big questions coming into this season were, will the two rookie sensations of last season repeat or will they both experience sophomore slumps? Both Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are good enough players that a slump was probably not going to happen this year (precisely why I took both of them for my fantasy team) but it was Harper who put the whole “sophomore slump” theory to rest on opening day. The 20 year-old Nationals star launched two home runs in his first two at bats April 1^st against the Marlins. Since then he has gone yard three more times and is batting .348 with 10 RBIs and 14 hits. Now Trout is not off to the same start as Harper but is also not in a terrible slum; as mentioned above he’s batting .269 with two RBIs and one home run. Whether or not arriving at camp around 55-20 pounds heavier than last season is having an effect on him is not for me to say. But for now it is not a time to worry as both sophomores will finish the year with respectable numbers.

Breakout in the Bay

As the Giants have won the World Series in the past two out of three years, naturally they are the story in the Bay Area. This especially holds true since they are doing as expected by starting the season atop the NL West with a 9-4 record.  But probably the biggest surprise out of that team is the resurgence of Barry Zito. So far he has pitched14 innings earning eight strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA. Granted his first two starts were against Colorado and St. Louis, not exactly offensive juggernauts. So the question still remains as to how he will do against some of the better hitting teams in the league such as Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Washington. But since Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum have been the big-name pitchers in San Francisco for the past few years, it is nice to see Zito resemble the pitcher he was in Oakland 9 years ago.

Speaking of Oakland, let us take a look at the news across the bay. The A’s are off to a 9-4 start and are currently first in the AL West. This is especially surprising as their biggest names are Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes (to which some may be saying, who?). Right now they lead the MLB in runs (73), RBIs (70), and total bases (208). If this tells us anything it is to never underestimate Mr. Billy Beane and his band of no-names and has-beens because in the end, they get results.

The post What We Have Learned So Far appeared first on KRUI Radio.