Some teams aren’t cut out to win. In honor of Major League Baseball’s opening day being roughly five weeks out, and in honor of these teams not getting any true form of media presence, here is a five part series of articles in which I will take a closer look at the bottom five teams in the MLB: Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Washington Nationals. Although there is an argument for a few other teams to be on this list, these five teams are all projected over 100 losses. I am going to take a closer look into these organizations, and hopefully give their fans something to look forward to for the next 162 games.
Let’s start this series off with the Oakland Athletics.
Projected Starting Lineup/Pitching Rotation:
Anthony Kemp – 2B
Ramón Laureano – OF
Seth Brown – 1B
Jesus Aguilar – DH
Jace Peterson – 3B
Shea Langeliers – C
JJ Bleday – OF
Nick Allen – SS
Esteury Ruiz – OF
ROTATION:
Shinataro Fujinami
Why look forward to this lineup?
Although not slated with big name after big name, the A’s were not the most inactive team this offseason. Four players in their starting lineup were acquired. Three of them were bench bats in Manny Piña, Ryan Noda, and Alyedmys Díaz. Two are starters in the rotation. One relief pitcher signed was Trevor May, a 33 year old veteran who played most of his career with the Twins, and played his last two seasons with the Mets.
These moves go to show that the front office of the Oakland A’s is not ready to give up on this squad. They are willing to go out, spend money, and try to bring wins to the city of Oakland. That is more than some organizations are able to say about themselves.
Prospects in the A’s Organization:
Tyler Soderstrom (1B/C)
- Soderstrom was drafted 26th overall in 2020. He has been the #1 ranked prospect in the organization for two years in a row. Tyler played the 2022 season with AA Midland (36 games played) and AAA Las Vegas (9 games played). He batted .278 in AA and .297 in AAA.
Kyle Muller (LHP)
- Kyle Muller is a 6’7″ LHP from Dallas, TX. He was taken in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Kyle was acquired by the A’s in a trade with the Braves this offseason (part of the deal for Sean Murphy). Muller has pitched in 12 MLB games for the Braves, but has spent most of the last 2 seasons in AAA Gwinnett.
Zack Gelof (SS)
- Gelof is an infielder in the A’s organization. Zack has played 32 games in A ball, 87 in AA, and 12 games in AAA within the A’s organization. He was taken in the second round of the 2021 draft by the A’s. He is listed as a shortstop. But, he has gotten significant time at 3B in the minors. Also, he is getting some innings at 2B. This goes to show that he is versatile and can play anywhere in the infield. Throughout his short career in the minors, Zack has a .287 batting average, has launched 25 home runs, and has 96 RBI’s. That is all in 132 total games.
Outlook for the Organization:
I hate to say it, but winning does not seem like a prevalent option in Oakland’s immediate future. However, as I mentioned before, the A’s have shown that they are willing to make some moves to bring guys in to help club, and they also have some prospects who are showing promising signs of being successful.
Another factor that goes into the overall failure of the A’s organization is the lack of fans at home games. It is something that is very well-known throughout the league and does not make Oakland a hotspot for players to want to go to. The organization is, however, seeking a solution to that problem. There has been talk for a few seasons now on the team potentially moving to Las Vegas. There has been a lot of positive feedback on this potential move, and I think that it would be a great thing for baseball.
The A’s show glimpses of an all-around team. They have ownership that doesn’t mind spending some money to get talent. Furthermore, they are also looking to move to a major city in America in the coming years. On top of that, they were the center of one of the greatest baseball movies of all time, Moneyball.
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