Five players to watch this season after big turnover
The Oakland A's over the last few seasons were legitimate title contenders. Like clockwork, the organization's objective shifted dramatically this year.
Gone are Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Mark Canha, Bob Melvin and likely any sliver of expectation to contend for a division title. No restart is refreshing for A's fans, who have endured 25 years of heartbreaking cycles in which the front office has been forced by ownership to pawn off stars to keep payrolls low.
The A's are starting new this year, the big league team now a blend of new faces and holdovers from a disappointing 2021 season. Who will be the players to watch once the A's season starts against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday afternoon? Let's take a look at five of them.
RHP James Kaprielian
After Tommy John surgery and multiple injuries kept him in the minor leagues for years, Kaprielian, 28, got his shot to be a rotation mainstay last season. He answered with a performance that had him in the Rookie of the Year conversation until injury hit late in the season — he finished with a 4.07 ERA in 21 starts.
Joint irritation in his throwing shoulder that cropped up on March 25 means he won't pitch this season until late April, at least. But he has the stuff to top his rookie year. His fastball velocity was back up to the 94-95-mph range — it averaged 93 mph last year — and his offspeed pitches were particularly crisp before his injury.
INF Kevin Smith
Smith is a big league-ready ballplayer who hasn't had much big league experience. The infielder, 25, came to the A's from Toronto in the Chapman trade and is expected to fill Chapman's vacant spot at third base, for the most part.
Smith had a solid spring, batting .325 with three home runs and should now receive an extended shot to become a mainstay in the majors. While some of the other prospects in the Chapman trade — particularly former first-round pick Gunnar Hoglund — are perceived to have higher ceilings, Smith's minor league track record (a .268/.328/.490 slash line) suggests he's deserving of the opportunity a team in the A's position are prepared to give him.
Catcher Sean Murphy
The catcher is one hot streak away from becoming one of baseball's most feared hitters. He has the easy power to be a perennial home run threat with the plate discipline to befuddle opposing pitchers. Plus, he's one of the league's best defensive catchers.
Murphy, 27, who has been the subject of trade rumors, had a hot spring, batting .433 with two home runs and six doubles. If those Cactus League numbers are any indication, Murphy might be ready for his breakout year in his third major league season. With Chapman and Olson departed, he should be the centerpiece of this A's offense.
RHP Adam Oller
An acquisition from the Mets in the Bassitt trade, Oller is projected to start toward the back end of the A's rotation this year.
His first appearance will mark the 27-year-old's MLB debut.
Baseball hasn't been kind to Oller, a 20th-round pick by the Pirates in 2016 who was cut, worked as a substitute teacher, valet and bartender before being scooped up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft by the New York Mets three years ago.
But Oller has the stuff to make his mark, including a spectacular cutter and a hard curveball that tops out around the mid80s.
OF Skye Bolt
With Ramón Laureano still 27 games shy of completing his 80-game suspension dating back to last season, the A's outfield is running a bit shallow. Stephen Piscotty, Seth Brown, Cristian Pache — acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Olson trade — and Bolt will be the main outfielders with Tony Kemp and Chad Pinder able to slide in depending on matchups.
With limited at-bats and few hits during his A's tenure, Bolt has had trouble sticking in the major leagues. Over two seasons with Oakland, he has just six hits in 67 at-bats.