Hanging Chad

 

The 2022 Oakland Athletics have to play the Yankees this week, the week they lose Nestor Cortes to the IL. Somehow, between James Kaprielian and J.P. Sears, there might be more Yankee pitchers in the A's rotation than there are in the Yankees' rotation.

I mean, the Yankees are having some trouble lately but looking over this A's team...jeez, is there ANYTHING THERE that could be a match for this team? Sean Murphy is having his best season to date, with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs. Shea Langeliers already has 5 RBIs and 7 hits in 8 games as a rookie. Irvin, Kaprielian and Sears have been solid in starts. 

But like...that's kinda it. The best parts of this A's team are just small circles in a field of nothing. Some good relievers, some good starters, some good hitters. We just had a long run of seasons where the A's competed for the wild card spot, and a 2021 season where the A's had the Astros on the ropes til the sticky end of the year. And now...nothing.

I mean, Chad Pinder was always a spare piece and utility man turned starter in a lot of those old competitive A's team. Everybody leaves and he's now a trusted veteran. He's hitting .236 with 38 RBIs. That's...not terrific. Only Murphy is hitting over .250. 

A lot of middling teams are at least finding the pieces they're gonna bank on for the next several years. The Cubs are putting the pieces in place for future success. The O's have brought up a ton of prospects and trying something this year. The Royals teased all those prospects the week everyone went on the COVID list. The A's...do not have much in that regard. I guess Nick Allen is a good defensive piece right now, but Pache and Smith have failed, Norge Sosa isn't perfect yet, Jared Koenig struggled in his first few starts, and Shea Langeliers, while impressive, is being slotted in as a DH.

The A's might need a few more years of truly atrocious baseball before they even figure out what the next stage is gonna be. Which sucks, but it's kinda necessary. 

Coming Tomorrow- A shortstop who's been everywhere lately and is having his best season in years.