Sacramento Athletics - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)

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2020

2023

112

Decade

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Titles:

Top Athletics Players of the Twenty Twenties

2020 - Won Division, WC-Beat Chicago; ALDS Lost Houston

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

JP Sears (5) - 19

RingCentral Coliseum

Chris Bassitt (6.15) - 14

Cole Irvin (3.53) - 14

Team Name: Athletics

Frankie Montas (5.1) - 14

Mason Miller (4) - 13

Owners:

Sean Manaea (3.54) - 11

John J Fisher

Jeffrey Springs (2) - 9

Luis Severino (1) - 7

Managers:

Mitch Spence (1.6) - 7

Bob Melvin (2020-2021)

Lou Trivino (0.56) - 7

Mark Kotsay (2022-2025)

Joey Estes (0.7) - 6

Trevor May (1) - 6

General Managers:

Paul Blackburn (2.12) - 6

David Forst

James Kaprielian (2.51) - 6

Hall of Famers:

Catchers:

None

Sean Murphy (7.34) - 26

Shea Langeliers (8) - 26

Rookie of the Year:

2025 - Nick Kurtz

First Basemen:

Nick Kurtz (5) - 12

MVP:

Matt Olson (6.91) - 11

None

Second Basemen:

Cy Young Award Winners:

Tony Kemp (4.26) - 10

None

Zach Gelof (4) - 7

No Hitters:

ShortStop:

None

Jacob Wilson (3) - 10

Elvis Andrus (1.86) - 8

Notable Events:

Third Base:

2020 - Oakland comes into the new decade on a nice high, having won 97

Matt Chapman (4.71) - 11

games each of the previous two seasons and making the wild card behind

the great Houston Astros team both times.

Outfield:

The A's continue their success early in the decade with a first place finish

Brent Rooker (10) - 23

in '20 and a solid 86 win '21 season.

Ramon Laureano (6.14) - 19

After that four season run, the Athletics fall off a cliff.

Seth Brown (3.48) - 17

This is nothing new for the franchise which has traditionally had great

Lawrence Butler (5) - 15

management combined with a disdain for spending money.

Esteury Ruiz (-0.2) - 12

From Connie Mack, to Charlie Finley, to moneyball, to the present day,

Mark Canha (4.13) - 11

brilliant management has put together terrific teams on a shoestring and

JJ Bleday (2.2) - 11

penurious ownership has quickly torn it all down because all that talent

Tyler Soderstrom (3) - 10

cost too much money to keep.

Notable Events:

□ Owner John J. Fisher, 60, has money, but doesn't throw it around with the

A's. Oakland's GM needs to win frugally - and has.

2024 - The A's scored 163 runs less than the league average in '23

□ Bob Melvin has been a solid manager for the A's for ten years.

The A's gave up 176 runs more than the league average in '23

Those numbers, translated, means that the A's sucked, big time.

2020 - The Athletics win the Division with a 36-24 mark and beat Chicago before

losing to their nemesis, the Astros, in the ALDS. Oakland's offense was slightly

We'll list players on the A's who have any type of a viable MLB future:

below average. It was their pitching that was responsible for their success as

□ RHP - Joe Boyle, 24, '23 Trade from Reds, 6'7" with control issues

the A's gave up almost a run less per game than the league average.

□ RHP - Mason Miller, 25, '21 draft 3rd rd pick, 100 mph fastball

□ 2B - Zach Gelof, 24, '21 draft 2nd rd pick, 14 32 .267

2020 - Starters Chris Bassitt, Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea give the A's a solid

□ DH - Brent Rooker, 29, '23 waivers from KC, 30 69 .246

starting rotation. Liam Hendricks had a big year as closer leading a bullpen

□ C - Tyler Soderstrom, 22, '20 1st rd pick, 3 7 .160

that was the strength of the team. Jake Diekman, JB Wendelken, Joakim

□ C - Daniel Susac, 22, '22 1st rd pick

Soria and Yusmeiro Petit all had excellent seasons as middle relievers.

□ SS - Max Muncy, 22, '21 1st rd pick

□ SS - Jacob Wilson, 20, '23 1st rd pick, son of Jack Wilson

2020 - There are a number of good position players on the squad:

□ SS - Darrell Hernaiz, 22, '23 Trade from Baltimore

C-Sean Murphy; 1B-Matt Olson; 2B-Tony Kemp; SS-Marcus Semien;

3B-Matt Chapman; OF-Robbie Grossman; OF-Mark Canha; OF-Ramon Laureano

The cupboard is pretty bare

2021 - The A's fall from first to third with a respectable 86 wins.

2025 - Things are looking up for the A's. Low bar to clear there.

The traditional A's dismantling process has officially begun prior to the season:

The A's will indeed be moving to Las Vegas in '28 when their new stadium / casino

□ Closer Liam Hendricks, 31, obtained from Toronto in '16; FA to Chicago in '21

is built. Until then they will be playing in the minor league park in Sacramento.

□ SS Marcus Semien, 30, obtained from Chiago in '15; FA to Toronto in '21

So, for now, they are the Sacramento A's. Three lame duck seasons to look

□ OF Robbie Grossman, 31, FA to Detroit '21

forward to. Three seasons when the on field product will be funded on a

□ LHP Jesus Luzardo, 22, obtained from Washington in '17; dealt to Miami in '21

shoestring.

for OF Starling Marte in an odd trade at the deadline. The A's decided to try to

All that being said, the A's won 69 in '24 and are on the upswing so, despite

go for it one last time with this deal. It failed and Marte became a free agent

not having a home crowd advantage, they should win a bit more into the

at the end of the season.

seventies this season. They have some young players who are getting better.

2022 - Oakland drops 26 games in the standings to 60 wins and last place.

Pitching (Rotation looks decent, lights out closer, solid bullpen):

A wholesale loss of solid players as the A's don't bother to re-sign anyone:

□ RHP Luis Severino, 31, '25 FA from Mets, good low cost pickup 11-7 3.91

□ RHP Chris Bassitt, 33, obtained from Chicago in '15; dealt to Mets in '22

□ LHP Jeffrey Springs, 32, '25 trade from TB, good low cost pickup - injuries

□ LHP Sean Manaea, 30, obtained from KC in '15; dealt to SD in '22

□ LHP JP Sears, 29, '22 trade from NYY, innings eater 11-13 4.38

□ RHP Frankie Montas, 29, obtained from Dodgers in '16; dealt to Yanks in '22

□ RHP Mitch Spence, 27, '24 Rule 5 draft from NYY, innings eater 8-10 4.58

□ OF Mark Canha, 33, obtained from Colorado in '15; FA to Mets in '22

□ RHP Joey Estes, 23, '22 trade from Braves, 7-9 5.01

□ 3B Matt Chapman, 29, 1st round pick in '14; dealt to Toronto in '22

□ Closer Mason Miller, 23, '21 3rd round pick, 2-2 2.49 28 saves - elite

□ 1B Matt Olson, 28, 1st round pick in '12; dealt to Braves in '22

□ Lots of decent bullpen depth: TJ McFarland, Tyler Ferguson, Austin Adams

Scott Alexander, Hogan Harris, Osvaldo Bido are all reasonable effective

2023 - Whatever decent is left on the roster, goes before the season:

□ C Sean Murphy, 28, 3rd round pick in '16; dealt to Braves in '23

Hitters (Need a couple of young guys to come through):

□ RHP AJ Puk, 28, 1st round pick in '16 draft; dealt to Miami in '23

□ C Shea Langeliers, 27, '22 trade from Braves, 29 80 .224

□ RHP - Cole Irvin, 29, dealt to Baltimore in '23

□ 1B Tyler Soderstrom, 23, '20 draft 26th overall pick, 9 26 .233

□ 1B Nick Kurtz, 22, '24 draft 4th overall pick

2023 - The ritual rollercoaster ride that the A's have been on forever has

□ 2B Zack Gelof, 25, '21 draft 2nd round pick, 17 49 .211

rarely sunk this low. Oakland management has gotten rid of every veteran

□ SS Jacob Wilson, 23, '23 draft 6th overall pick

player with value from the team that finished first in '20 and won 86 in '21.

□ 3B Gio Urshela, 33, '25 FA from Braves, 9 52 .250

Unsurprisingly, with zero talent on hand, the A's go 50-112 in '23.

□ 3B Darell Hernaiz, 23, '23 trade from Baltimore, 1 12 .192

□ CF JJ Bleday, 27, '23 trade from Miami, 20 60 .243

2023 - On offense, there are three decent players: OF Esteury Ruiz steals 67

□ OF Seth Brown, 27, '15 draft 19th round pick, 14 44 .231

bases; 1B Ryan Noda has a competitive .770 OPS and rookie 2B Zach

□ OF Lawrence Butler, 24, '18 draft 6th round pick, 22 57 .262 18SB

Gelof comes up at mid season and has an .840 OPS. Other than them, it's dire.

□ OF Miguel Andujar, 30, '24 FA from Pirates, 4 30 .285

□ OF Henry Bolte, 22 '22 draft 2nd round pick

2023 - The pitching is flat out putrid. Their top ten pitchers in innings have

□ DH Brent Rooker, 31, '23 FA from Twins, 39 112 .293

ERA's that range from 4.43 to 8.57 with four of them well over six.

None of them are keepers moving forward.

There will be two American League franchises playing the 2025 season

in minor league ballparks, the A's in Sacramento and the Rays in Ft. Lauderdale.

2024 - A's ownership has always been bizarre. Starting with Connie Mack

and the soap opera he provided for over half a century, then on to Arnold

Johnson and his turning the franchise into essentially a Yankee farm team,

then onto Charlie Finley, brilliant but a cheapskate, then on to the Money Ball

era and now to John J Fisher era. Not exactly clear what Fisher wants, but we

know what he doesn't want. He doesn't want the A's to play in Oakland.

He had a case of premature evacuation when he unsuccessfully tried to

move the A's to Las Vegas, who didn't want them. Now, in 2024, he has

impulsively moved his team, for the next three years, to Sacramento's

tiny 14,000 capacity minor league stadium with the thought that maybe in

three years Las Vegas will build a stadium for his team to play in.

It will be interesting to see if the A's can even fill the 14,000 seat stadium

Between Baltimore's paltry (for this sports era) sale price of 1.7 billion and

Las Vegas rejecting the A's, baseball's not looking so rosy lately on the fringes.