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Are the Oakland A’s the best in the American League? Five reasons they can, and can’t sustain this success

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Are the Oakland A’s the best in the American League? Five reasons they can, and can’t sustain this success

The A’s are one of just four teams in the majors with 20 wins by Mother’s Day. And they did it after losing their first six games of the season — their worst start in more than 100 years — and playing a taxing stretch of 17 games in 17 days.

At 21-15, the A’s are sitting pretty atop the American League West division and own the second-best record in the American League. They trail only the Boston Red Sox in the AL and open a three-game series in Boston on Tuesday.

Now the question is can the A’s maintain this kind of success the rest of the season.

The A’s were 23-13 after 36 games last season, after the pandemic halted spring training and delayed the start to what ended up a 60-game season. That team never relinquished first place and won the division for the first time in seven years.

Can they do it again?

After the A’s poor start to this season and a surprisingly hot start by the Mariners, the AL West is rounding into familiar form. Heading into the week, the Houston Astros (18-16) were right on the A’s tail, with the Mariners (18-17), Texas Rangers (18-18) and Angels ls (15-18) bringing up the rear.

So far, the A’s have been able to live off timely hitting and some breakout performances from unexpected places to move to the front of the pack in the AL. Injuries and lack of depth could hinder continued success.

Here’s a look at how things can go right, and how they may go wrong the rest of the way.

Pro: They’re making the offensive contributions count

The A’s .219 team batting average is the fifth-worst in baseball. Along with the New York Mets, the A’s are one of two first-place teams with a negative run differential (-10). They rank in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, including the all-important OPS (.696).

Those numbers figure to improve — and they’ve excelled at doing just enough to win games. They are 8-3 in games decided by one run and have four walk-off wins.

The A’s 46 home runs are tied for third-most in the American League, but the power has been spread out. Ramon Laureano and Matt Olson are tied for the team lead with seven, but five other players have hit at least four. Their 103 wRC+, which means they create three percent more runs over league average, ranks eighth in MLB.

Pro: Some players are outperforming expectations

Outfielder Seth Brown didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but he has an .869 OPS upon his call-up a week into the season. His five home runs tie him for second among rookies, and his 12 RBI ranks fourth among rookies as the 28-year-old climbs steadily into the breakout newcomer conversation.

Jed Lowrie, meanwhile, could be a comeback player of the year candidate. The 37-year-old missed almost two full seasons during his tenure with the New York Mets with an untreated knee injury. He returned to the A’s post-surgery and quickly became their most consistent hitter, slashing .275/.346/.433 with a .779 OPS. He leads the team with 22 RBI and 10 doubles.

Left-handed starter Cole Irvin is turning opportunity into success. The 27-year-old looked to be a minor league depth addition when the A’s acquired him for cash from the Philadelphia Phillies this winter. But in seven starts with the big league club, Irvin has solidified himself into the rotation with a 3.29 ERA.

Left-handed starter Sean Manaea seems to have embarked on a nice bounce-back season. The 29-year-old struggled to regain some consistency and his velocity after shoulder surgery in 2018, but this year his confidence and breaking ball have him pitching a rotation-leading 3.07 ERA.

Con: They lack key depth

The minor league season started last week, but it’s quickly becoming clear that the A’s have little to pull from in their system should the big league team need reinforcements or a shot in the arm.

From the 40-man roster, outfielders Luis Barrera, Greg Deichmann, Skye Bolt and pitchers Grant Holmes, James Kaprielian, Daulton Jefferies, Wandisson Charles and Miguel Romero are just a phone call away. But time will tell who the next player will be to force their way onto the big league team. Jefferies, who seemed most ready for big league action, is on the IL along with hard-throwing reliever Charles.

Could the A’s look to add some pieces externally? Almost certainly, given their track record, though maybe not right away. The A’s lineup is right-handed heavy, so I wouldn’t count on recently-released Albert Pujols suiting up in the green and gold anytime soon. Though he would be following a long line of Hall of Fame-bound players to spend part of their career end in Oakland — think Frank Thomas and Mike Piazza.

The league’s best teams operate with players cycled through their 40-man and active roster. The A’s may not have the same depth as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and their other strong competition, so help down the stretch might have to come from outside the organization.

Con: Injuries could catch up to them

Depth is especially important given the flurry of injuries the A’s have suffered of late. The rotation went from six arms to four with injuries to Jesús Luzardo and Mike Fiers. With Jefferies down, will the A’s have to scramble to bring Kaprielian up? Or can they use off-days to stave off any moves?

It’s also worth noting that the offense sputtered badly when Olson (eye injury) missed several games a couple weeks ago and Laureano (wrist) missed most of the opening week.

At least the A’s look to be getting some guys back. Smith returned from a groin injury that had him out for the last month. Infielder Chad Pinder is on his way to a rehab assignment with Las Vegas after a knee sprain in the first week of the season — Pinder could boost the offense and take over some time at shortstop for a struggling Elvis Andrus. Luzardo, out with a fractured pinky, could be pitching again by the end of May and A.J. Puk is on his way to a rehab assignment at some point soon, too.

Con: Some players are underperforming, particularly at the bottom of the lineup

The good news is the A’s are still winning despite having just one player hitting over .270 (Lowrie at .275) and only one regular with an on-base percentage over .350 (Mark Canha at .381). But the bottom of the order has been of particular concern. Here’s how the bottom of the lineup has performed this far:

Seventh place hitters: .194 average with a .647 OPS.

Eighth place: .174 average with a .503 OPS.

Ninth place: .161 with a .489 OPS.

Andrus, an everyday player who bats in the bottom of the order, in particular, has had a rough start to his A’s tenure. The 32-year-old former Rangers is performing among the worst in baseball (his .414 OPS is the worst in MLB).

He’s had some improved at-bats, but sustained success should come if he and the rest of the bottom-order players can improve.

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