ALWest_Oakland A's

2014 Pittsburgh Gameday HQ

OAKLAND ATHLETICS 5-YEAR SCORECARD 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 WINS 96 94 74 81 75 RUNS PER GAME 4.73 4.40 3.98 4.09 4.69 RUNS ALLOWED PER GAME 3.86 3.79 4.19 3.86 4.70 OPENING-DAY PAYROLL (millions) $62 $52 $67 $58 $62 Jim Johnson 2014 STRENGTHS: • Power bats • Young power starters • Budding bullpen 2014 WEAKNESSES: • Lack of starter depth Just when people started to write off the A’s and GM Billy Beane’s Moneyball ways, Oakland ripped off consecutive AL West crowns with squads filled primarily with players lacking star power, but having real power. Josh Donaldson now may not need to have his ID checked at road ballparks after his near-MVP performance. The A’s got big performances by Bartolo Colon the last two seasons, but he’s been replaced by Scott Kazmir. In an unexpected development, Beane traded for All-Star closer Jim Johnson from Baltimore. HITTING With four players hitting 20 or more home runs, the A’s finished third in the AL with 186 round-trippers. Brandon Moss led the way with 30 home runs and 87 RBI. Josh Donaldson was one of the unsung heroes throughout baseball, with 24 home runs, 93 RBI and a .384 OBP while taking over the hot corner. Interesting that some were saying Cuban native Yoenis Cespedes took a step backward last season, and while he did battle injuries, his 26 homers and 80 RBI are a good benchmark if he’s going to take a step forward. Coco Crisp could go 20-20 again and score plenty of runs at the top of this powerful lineup. Jed Lowrie is usually good for surprising power from a shortstop, with 70-80 runs and RBIs. AL WEST CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT


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