A’s not satisfied despite success during first half
Bullpen, outfield depth could be addressed before trade deadline
To hear several A’s assess their season at the All-star break did not necessarily suggest a team with a top-five record in the American League.
Pitcher Chris Bassitt said he felt the A’s “underachieved almost the whole first half.” Manager Bob Melvin said: “We’ve been a little up-and-down.” Reliever Lou Trivino suggested the “last few weeks isn’t an indication of, I think, how we should technically be playing.”
The A’s set a formidable standard by playing to a 97-win pace the last three seasons. They are not quite there at 52-40, yet begin the second half 3½ games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and poised for another postseason run.
Some of the standouts from Oakland’s nominal first half:
MVP (to date)
You could argue Mark Canha’s value given how the lineup scuffled for the two-plus weeks after the leadoff hitter’s hip injury. But no A’s position player was more productive than Matt Olson, who so far is compiling one of baseball’s best offensive seasons.
The only AL hitters with a higher OPS than Olson are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. Compared to Canha, Olson plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base, has a higher batting average against lefties and righties and has missed only six games. He has been consistent and complete.
We would be remiss not to mention Bassitt, who solidified his role at the front of the A’s rotation. Bassitt led the league in innings pitched before the break and is one of two AL pitchers with double-digit wins. He has not registered a loss since his second outing.
Biggest surprise
The rotation holds a couple. Cole Irvin began the season with almost no big-league starting experience. He has not missed a start and owns a 3.65 ERA. James Kaprielian arrived in mid-may and has compiled a 2.90 ERA in his first 11 major-league starts, allowing a remarkably low 6.5 hits per nine innings.
But we’re going with Lou Trivino. Yes, Trivino had a major-league track record and was a standout setup man for Oakland as a rookie in 2018. But he regressed in 2019, and going into this spring his role in the bullpen was unclear. When Trevor Rosenthal began the season on IL, who expected Trivino to emerge as the closer? But that’s what happened.
Best offseason addition
Here we return to Irvin. The A’s acquisition of Irvin, from the Phillies for cash considerations, looked like a depth move. Irvin had made 19 appearances for the Phillies, mostly in relief, with a 6.75 ERA. He arrived in spring training with no guarantee of making the roster but claimed a spot with Mike Fiers injured and has not relinquished it.
Fiers has made two starts between IL stays, and Jesús Luzardo’s struggles led to his demotion to Triple-a. Irvin has been key to stabilizing the rotation — he is 6-8 but his 106 innings rank second among A’s pitchers and his 3.65 ERA ranks 16th among qualified AL starters.
Area of needed improvement
The bullpen could use some bolstering. Aside from Trivino, Jake Diekman and Yusmeiro Petit, only Sergio Romo has pitched consistently in leverage situations.
But we’ll highlight outfield production. Oakland’s .688 OPS from outfielders ranks fifth lowest in the majors. Canha has proven a spark in the leadoff spot, and Ramón Laureano has been hot for stretches, but firsthalf injuries to both presented depth issues, and the A’s could use more from the corner spots. It’s an area they could look to address before the trade deadline.