Category: Kendall-graveman

2017 30-1 MLB countdown team previews: #26 Oakland Athletics

2/24/2017

My initial thought was to put the Oakland Athletics down at the bottom of the rankings. But the more I looked at their constructed roster, the more I liked what I saw. I feel comfortable where I have them record wise, but I also feel that they have a much higher ceiling if they can max out their MLB talent. The Athletics managed to hang around for the majority of the 2016 season, staying less than ten games under .500 through most of the month of July. However, August and September were forgettable months as the Athletics went 20-35, but they did win their two October games. Overall, Oakland was 69-93 and finished with a losing record for the second straight season.
The Athletics added outfielders Rajai Davis and Matt Joyce, the former coming off of a career high 12 home runs, one extremely memorable World Series home run for Cleveland and leading the American League in stolen bases with 43. Joyce put up some good numbers early on in Pittsburgh last season, but tailed off towards the end of the season. Oakland is hoping Joyce will thrive with the extra playing time he will get that he could not get with the Pirates. Trevor Plouffe comes over from the Twins where he was surprisingly non tendered last off season and brings with him two 20 plus home run season and also twice drove in 80 or more runs. They also added to a very good bullpen, by signing former San Francisco Giants right hander Santiago Casilla. Casilla signed a two year deal and is coming off a 31 save season and bring with him 25 postseason appearances and a sub 1.00 earned run average spread over four postseasons.
The biggest factor over whether or not the Athletics can surprise this season, which I truly believe they can, is the health of their top starting pitcher, Sonny Gray. It is important to look past his 5-11 record and his 5.69 ERA he had last season. There is no doubt that Gray is a formidable ace and his previous two seasons proved why he was one of the top starting pitchers in the American League. Gray was injured last season and if he is completely healthy this year, the Athletics will have something they did not have last year, an ace starting pitcher. Another intriguing story will be that of right hander Jesse Hahn. Limited to just nine starts in 2016, Hahn had put up very good numbers in his twelve 2014 starts with the San Diego Padres and sixteen 2015 starts with Oakland. Young left hand pitcher Sean Manaea has the ability to become even more of a strikeout pitcher and I see 2017 as being a big year for him. Kendall Graveman led the Athletics in starts last year and did pitch well, but in an ideal scenario, the Athletics would love to have him as their fourth starter. Also encouraging for the Athletics is the fact that they do have four young pitchers, Jharel Cotton, Andrew Triggs, Daniel Mengden, and Raul Alcantara who have varying degrees of ability and strengths.
The Athletics bullpen has a lot of experience with Ryan Madson (30 saves last season), Sean Doolittle (45 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched) and John Axford. Add Casilla as well as Liam Hendricks and Ryan Dull, the Athletics have the talent to have one of the deeper bullpens in baseball. The depth will be important as Madson and Axford are aging fairly quickly and Casilla did struggle down the stretch for the Giants last season.
Khris Davis is coming off his break out 42 home run season and leads a line up that could score some runs. Shortstop Marcus Semien hit 27 home runs last season, but hit just .238 and struck out 139 times. First baseman Yonder Alonso has proven to be a James Loney clone, an average hitter with very little power. Stephen Vogt has been a two time All Star and puts up relatively good numbers for a catcher. If the Athletics lineup is going to be good, they will need maximum production from their new players. It is very important for Rajai, Plouffe and Joyce to lengthen this lineup. Veteran Jed Lowrie is hoping to stay healthy enough to play second base and Ryon Healy is looking to take his power hitting talents to the designated hitter spot in Oakland's lineup. The lineup I would go with is Davis CF, Joyce RF, Vogt C, Davis LF, Healy DH, Semien SS, Plouffe 3B, Alonso 1B, Lowrie 2B.
Free agent signing Adam Rosales will play an important utility role and Josh Phegley will serve as the backup catcher. If Phegley can earn some more time behind the plate, Vogt can shift to first base and if needed, Healy can play third base. Veterans Alejandro De Aza and Josh Rodriguez will have a good opportunity to make this team.
Twenty year old Franklin Barreto could be playing in Oakland this season. If he proves to be ready, it could shift Lowrie to a utility role. Pitchers AJ Puk and Grant Holmes, the former the Athletics first round draft pick last season, the latter brought over in the trade last season involving Rich Hill and Josh Reddick, will likely be ready for the 2018 season. The Athletics have enough depth in their starting rotation where Puk and Holmes can spent their entire season at either Double or Triple-A.
I would not be surprised to see the Athletics perform well this season. Unfortunately, they need a lot of things to go well, starting with the performance of Gray. Hahn will also be very important as well as Plouffe, both coming off of injuries. Another thing that hurts the Athletics is the fact that they play in a very competitive division that includes the Astros, Rangers and Mariners- all of whom have much more talented rosters. I think 2018 is more of the season for Oakland, where some of their younger players can make more of an impact. I see the Athletics at 70-92, last place in the American League West. That is over their Las Vegas number of 66.5.

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2016 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #28 Oakland Athletics

2/23/2016

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As the 2016 baseball season is approaching, it is time to get an idea of what should be expected from each of the league's 30 teams. This is the time of year where many outlets base their predictions on what happened the previous season and which teams "won" the off season. Others use computer stats that generate results as if baseball is a video game like MLB The Show. Of course, there is no exact science to predicting how the teams will finish in a given season. Once somebody comes up with a formula that determines which players will get injured and how long they will be out for, which players will emerge as big time players, and which teams will overreact after a bad start and start trading away top players (and which teams are adding said players), then a more exact formula can exist where most predictions should be expected to be the same. Until then, all predictions are valid as long as a reason is produced for why one feels a certain way.
The Oakland Athletics are coming off a last place finish in the American League West in 2015. Their record of 68-94 was not a surprise after the previous off season trades of Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss and Jeff Samadrzija. The Athletics added some younger players and 2015 was expected to be a transition year. Their latest off season consisted of three trades that can reshape their offensive look. The Athletics added first baseman Yonder Alonso (.282 batting average, 5 home runs, 31 runs batted in, .742 on base plus slugging) from the San Diego Padres, second baseman Jed Lowrie (.222, 9, 30, .712) from the Houston Astros, and outfielder Khris Davis (.247, 27, 66, .828) from the Milwaukee Brewers. In all three deals, the Athletics traded away younger players. They also shored up their bullpen by dealing for Toronto Blue Jays right handed pitcher Liam Hendricks (5 wins, 0 losses, 2.92 earned run average, 71 strikeouts in just under 65 innings pitched) and following it up with the free agent signings of Ryan Madson (1-2, 2.13, 58 Ks, just over 63 innings pitched) and John Axford (4-5, 4.20, 25 saves, 62 Ks in just under 56 IP). Left hand pitcher Drew Pomeranz (5-6, 3.66 ERA) went to the Padres in the Alonso deal and right hand pitcher Jesse Chavez (7-15, 4.18) went to Toronto in the Hendricks trade. They also dealt right handed pitcher Evan Scribner (2-2, 4.35) to the Seattle Mariners.
The Athletics should benefit by having one of the top starting pitchers in all of the American League in Sonny Gray (14-7, 2.73, 169 Ks, 208 innings pitched). The key to the rest of the starting rotation will rest in the likes of free agent signings Rich Hill (2-1, 1.55, 36 Ks, 18 IP in Boston) and Henderson Alvarez (0-4, 6.75). Both pitchers made just four starts last season and Alvarez is not expected back for a while as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Speaking of Tommy John surgery, right handed pitcher Jarrod Parker is expected back after missing the past two seasons. Young right handers Kendall Graveman (6-9, 4.05, 21 starts), Chris Bassitt (1-8, 3.56, 13 starts) and Aaron Brooks (3-4, 6.71, 9 starts) will hold the place in the rotation until the others are ready. Keep an eye on left hander Sean Manea, the 2013 first round draft pick who looks like he may be ready for the majors this season. Ideally, the Athletics would love to have a steady rotation of Gray, Hill, Alvarez, Parker and Manea by mid season. Out of the earlier group, Graveman has the best upside and is expected to remain in the rotation all season.
Projected starting right fielder Josh Reddick (.272, 20, 77, 149 games played) showed what he is capable of when healthy. Coco Crisp (.175, 0, 6, 44 games) is looking to return healthy and possibly play center field again. Billy Burns (.294, 5, 32) had a good year in Crisp's absence and will see a lot of time in center with a healthy Crisp in left. Davis comes over from Milwaukee and is expected to play every day due to his reverse splits (.260 batting average in 2015 vs right handed pitchers and .212 against left handers). Shortstop Marcus Semien (.257, 15, 45) and third baseman Danny Valencia (.290, 18, 66) are expected to round out the infield with Stephen Vogt (.261, 18, 71) behind the plate. Billy Butler (.251, 15, 65) is returning to be the designated hitter for the second year of his three year contract. The Athletics lineup could look like this: Crisp CF, Lowrie 2B, Reddick RF, Davis LF, Vogt C, Valencia 3B, Alonso 1B, Butler DH, Semien SS.
The Athletics bench will be led by Burns, who is expected to get a lot of playing time. Infielder Eric Sogard, outfielder Sam Fuld, OF Mark Canha and catcher Josh Phegley are will likely round out the Athletics' pine. A couple of interesting players in camp on minor league deals are former Colorado Rockies utility player Matt McBride and former Mets minor league infielder Josh Rodriguez. Both have a chance to make this roster, especially if there is an injury.
The Athletics bullpen could possess a great late game combination. It will all come down to the health of left hand closer Sean Doolittle (1-0, 3.95, 12 games). If Doolittle fully recovers from his injury, it will be a great combination with Madson and Hendricks getting the ball to him. Left hand pitcher Marc Rzepczynski (2-4, 5.66 in 72 games) came over in the Alonso trade and is looking to bounce back after a terrible 2015 season. Joining Axford from the right side is Fernando Rodriguez (4-2, 3.84, 56 games).
Down on the farm, it will be interesting to see how third baseman Renato Nunez (29 home runs in 2014) and first baseman Matt Olson (37 HR in 2014) continue with their development. Both struggled a little bit in Double A but have a ton of potential. Perhaps this is the corner infield for the Athletics in the future. Manea has top of the rotation stuff, but it may not be seen at its best until 2017. The Athletics acquired right hander Casey Meisner was acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Clippard trade and overall had a great season in 2015, winning 13 out of his 25 starts.
The Athletics have a little more talent this season than they had in 2015. I like the trades they made and really think that Hill and Alvarez can become great low budget additions. However, the Athletics lack the depth to be able to sustain an injury, especially if it affects their starting pitching staff, already having to count on Alvarez and Parker. I can see the team improving if the front office pushed the right buttons, but the truth is Oakland is looking at another tough season in 2016. Las Vegas put their over/ under at 75.5, but I have them finishing below that. The 2016 Oakland Athletics record- 67-95, last place in the AL West division.

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2015 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #23 Oakland Athletics

2/24/2015

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We have now hit that time of year. Pitchers and catchers have already reported with position players about to report. Though opening day is a little ways away, baseball has started in the eyes of the die hard. The off season has come to a conclusion and the focus is on what to expect out of the upcoming series of baseball months. It also means the return of www.johnpielli.com 's 30-1 MLB countdown previews, the more controversial series of team baseball previews.
All you have to do is go to the same generic websites and read the same predictions. They all have the teams positioned the same. The teams that made the postseason last year are rewarded in the minds of the pickers and are picked to finish in the top of their respective leagues/ divisions. The teams that did not do so well in 2014 are all predicted to finish at the bottom of the division- unless they had a big off season, where in some cases, they get expectations that they cannot fulfill.
My predictions are based on how I perceive each roster looks. I have studied the 2014 MLB team, its 2014- 2015 off season, their minor league system and have come up with an overall outlook for 2015. I also use the Las Vegas over- unders to judge the amount of wins I think a team will net for the upcoming season. In some cases, my outlook is completely different from the likes of baseball prospectus (almost always is), baseball america, MLB dot com and other sites. As in past years, I am always up for the debate so I look forward to hearing from you. As always, thanks and "I'll see you on the other side."
While I think there is room for discussion and even a little criticism over some of my first seven MLB previews and predictions, the one that will gain the most criticism is that of the Oakland Athletics. Perhaps followers of my previews over the past three years can point to the fact that I thought the Athletics were the worst team in baseball going into the 2012 season. Though that was three years ago, I will stand up and state that I really felt that way. I was incorrect and I man up to it. It is on the record and you can read it right off my website the reasons why I had them doing as poorly as I did. However, my predictions of 2012 have nothing to do with the predictions of 2015.
The Athletics did a lot of dealing this winter. It started with the trade of 3B Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays for 3B Brett Lawrie and pitchers Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman. They then sent 1B Brandon Moss to Cleveland for a minor leaguer. They followed that up with the trade of RHP Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox for SS Marcus Semien C Josh Phegley and RHP Chris Bassit. Outside of the Moss trade, which was a giveaway, the Athletics restocked their farm system with younger players, most of whom will be playing in the major leagues this season. However, if you add the downgrades at each individual position they traded away to the loss of free agents Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie and Jason Hammel, the team does not have the overall talent it had in 2013 and 2014.
Even with the uncertainty of closer Sean Doolittle (2-4, 2.73, 22 saves, 61 games, 89 Ks in just under 63 IP) coming back from an injury that will likely delay his start to the season, the Athletics one strength is their bullpen. Gregerson (5-5, 2.12, 72 games) was good for them last season, but he will be easily replaced. Tyler Clippard (7-4, 2.18, 75 games, 82 Ks in just over 70 IP) comes over from Washington as part of the deal that sent SS Yunel Escobar to the Nationals and in my opinion, is a clear upgrade as an 8th inning guy. LHP Eric O'Flaherty (1-0, 2.25, 21 games) should be back to full strength following his full recovery from Tommy John surgery. He will team with Fernando Abad (2-4, 1.57, 69 games) to be as formidable 1-2 punch from the left side as there is. RHP Ryan Cook (1-3, 3.42, 54 games) had a down 2014 but has an outstanding arm and should have a good rebound season. And it is easy to forget about the most trusted reliever in the pen, RHP Dan Otero (8-2, 2.28, 72 games, most innings- just under 87- than any other Oakland reliever in 2014). Even though both pitcher were acquired to be starters, I also would not rule out either RHP Graveman or LHP Nolin having a prominent role in this pen.
When your starting pitchers were headlined by Lester and Samardzija, with Sonny Gray (14-10, 3.08) as your projected number 3, it is hard to say the starting rotation can be on the same level, even with Gray leading the staff. LHP Scott Kazmir (15-9, 3.55, 32 starts) was very good for them last season, but after that is where I think the rotation falls off. RHP Jesse Hahn (7-4, 3.07, 12 starts) comes over in the trade for starting catcher Derek Norris. Hope is former number one draft pick LHP Drew Pomeranz (5-4, 2.35, 20 games, 10 starts) has finally found himself. If Pomeranz and Hahn become horses, the rotation looks a lot different. RHP Jesse Chavez was a great story last season, doing a more than serviceable job as a 5th starter until he tired later in the season. That also coincided with the Athletics acquisition of Lester, Samardijia and Hammel. Nolin, Bassit and Graveman are looking to land rotation spots, but only will if Hahn or Pomeranz struggle considerably in spring training. Barry Zito is also back on a minor league contract to take a shot at the back end, as is LHP Brad Mills, who looked good in a couple appearances last season.
The Athletics offense will look completely different than it did in 2013. Among the 9 regular players who played the most games at each position, only Coco Crisp (.246, 9, 47) and Josh Reddick (who played in just 109 games in 2014) return to the lineup. Eric Sogard (.223, 1, 22) did play more games at 2B than any other Athletics player, but is headed to the bench in 2015 in favor of Ben Zobrist (.272, 10, 52), who was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. DH Billy Butler (.271, 9, 66) comes over from the AL Champion Royals where he spent the past 8 seasons. However, 2014 was his least productive season and that is a bad sign for a player who cannot be put in the field. They may need Butler to play some first base though, as Ike Davis comes in with more questions than Butler. Davis hit .233, 11, 51 with the Mets and Pirates last season and was DFA'd by Pittsburgh when it became evident Pedro Alvarez was going to be moving to 1B. If Ike can find his power, he may be a poor man's alternative to Moss, which is exactly what the Athletics were thinking.
Crisp leads the team's OF, though he did not have a solid 2014. The same can be said about Reddick, who after a 32 HR season in 2012 has finished with 12 home runs each of the past two seasons. Ironically, almost the same can be said about Davis, who hit 32 HR in 2012 for the Mets and has hit 9 and 11 HR in the past two seasons, respectively. Reddick has to find a way to stay on the field, as he has not played more than 114 games the past two seasons and only once in his 6 MLB seasons. Sam Fuld (.239, 4, 36 for Minnesota and Oakland) is below average and Craig Gentry is also only known for his defense. Semien (.234, 6, 28 in 64 games for Chicago after .257, 15, 52 for AAA Charlotte) may be the real deal. He certainly is the player acquired by the Athletics this past off season that can have the biggest impact in 2015. Stephen Vogt (.275, 9, 35) will platoon with Phegley (8-38, 3, 7 after .274, 23, 75 for Charlotte). On the positive side, the two position players brought over from Chicago in the Samardzija deal hit for 21, 80 and 26, 82 between AAA and the majors.
The Athletics best lineup looks like this: Crisp CF, Zobrist 2B, Reddick RF, Butler DH, Davis 1B, Semien SS, Lawrie 3B, Vogt/ Phegley C, Fuld LF. The optimist will look at what Reddick and Davis can do (because they have done it before- albeit once each) and what Semien and Phegley can do (because they have done it before in the minors). Add Butler and Crisp's down 2014 and I have some serious questions. Maybe the key is Zobrist, who I keep hearing is the best player in the game.
I understand the thinking of Billy Beane. He doesn't have the ability to commit to long term contacts, so he has to try another way. However, this thought that you can downgrade your talent and these younger and in some cases, just inferior players will go out there and put up the same numbers is nonsense. The Athletics bullpen is great, but there rotation is average at best, and only considered average because both AJ Griffin and Jarrod Parker are due to return from Tommy John surgery this year. I cannot trust the offense the way it is constructed. I can't see Davis and Reddick all of the sudden coming back and being the bash brothers. I cannot see Crisp and Butler both going back to 2013 form. They also need Semien and Phegley to be as good offensive players in the big leagues as they were in the minors, which is probably a better bet than the first two.
Vegas has the Athletics over/ under at 80 1/2. I am factoring how the Athletics always seem to get more out of their players than other teams when I say I think they can win 77 games. A 77-85 season is not terrible considering how much better they should be in 2016. Contrary to what I have said about the 2015 Athletics, I think they look great long term- they always do. And I do appreciate how they didn't have a complete garage sale and have done more of a retool than a rebuild.

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Philadelphia- Kansas City- Oakland "Athletics", helping other teams compete since 1915

12/10/2014

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There is always a lot of talk involved in discussing Billy Beane's decisions made during his time as the Oakland Athletics GM. His worldly known "Moneyball" philosophy has caught the eye of the underdog fan, kind of like the way the character in the movie "Rudy" made you want to see him play football for Notre Dame. Recent trades involving Jeff Samardijia, Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss seem to have initially made more fans of the philosophy than enemies. The Athletics as they look for 2015, are not dazzling on paper. But, like in other seasons, the thought is the team will find a way to remain competitive by pulling the wool over our eyes. At least, this is the sentiment of the fans, not particularly Athletics fans- but fans of moneyball and underdogs in general.
The Moss trade is a simple salary dump, as they netted an infielder in Joe Wendle who can be useful down the road, but will not replace the value of Moss, or of any everyday player for that matter. The trade of Samardijia brought back a player that could be the team's every day SS in Marcus Semien and a catcher in Josh Phegley, who despite being a former first round pick and the fact that he has put up good minor league numbers- has not hit for a high average at the major league level in limited duty. Because of this, neither player is a given for the Athletics. Even in the Donaldson trade, the team failed to net a player who has been considered a top prospect, at least not yet. Kendall Graveman, a 2012 Blue Jays draft pick included in the deal, had a fast rise from A ball to the Major Leagues, but is not a strike out pitcher. Time will tell if these deals help the Athletics down the road, but already more people than not are assuming that these trades will benefit the team down the road, if not right away.
As in the past, the short term prognosis is the fact that the Blue Jays, Indians and White Sox have all gotten better at the expense of the Athletics. As we know, this is not something new. Just three off seasons ago, the Athletics traded Gio Gonzalez to Washington, Andrew Bailey to Boston and Trevor Cahill to Arizona. Gonzalez has pitched very well for the Nats, but Bailey and Cahill were complete busts for their new teams. Perhaps for the Athletics in this instance, you can say- "two out of three ain't bad."
The moneyball movie was based off the decisions to let free agents Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen walk as free agents. Eventually, two of the team's stud starting pitchers, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, were dealt themselves- Hudson to the Braves for Juan Cruz, Dan Meyer and Charles Thomas- the three combined worth nothing close to the value of Hudson and Mulder to the Cardinals for Daric Barton, Kiko Calero and Dan Haren. One of the best trades made by Beane and one of the best trades perhaps in the recent history of baseball was made involving Haren and the Athletics. He was sent with RHP Connor Robertson (David's brother) to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Chris Carter (who has hit 30 HR for the Astros), Carlos Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Dana Eveland and Greg Smith. Now, Anderson has struggled to stay healthy, but to net both Carter and Gonzalez... plus, for Haren was a fantastic trade.
The debate will continue over whether this is the way to run a baseball team. Billy Beane, because of the fact that he holds his position, has the right to run his ball club the way he wishes. I am not here to tell him how he should do it. I admit that I was proven wrong the last time. The Athletics of 2012-2014 are a testament to what Beane, the rest of the front office and Bob Melvin have done and they deserve all the credit in the world for the success they have had. However, the 2012 Athletics in particular were as improbable a story as possible- even more than the 2002 team that the movie is based off of. To this point, I cannot knock something that has worked. The question is, will it work again in 2015? Or has Billy Beane finally bitten off more than he can chew?
The name "Athletics" in baseball has been synonymous with the term "firesale", or at the very least have been making other teams better for a series of years. In fact, the Oakland version has become the forth or the forth and fifth generation of volunteering to move its talent for the sake of having another organization pay them the money they have earned. The Oakland Athletics of the 1970s won three straight World Series Championships and another AL West title before the combination of escalating players salaries and free agency led owner Charlie Finley to dismantle his team. And because of that, teams like the Yankees, Angels and even the Giants and Padres became better and more competitive because of it.
All you have to do is go to the 1950s and 1960s to see how much the Kansas City Athletics acted as if they were the New York Yankees farm club. In a series of trades that really started in 1957, the Athletics would ship solid talent to the Yankees in exchange for Yankees that were on the decline and unproven minor leaguers. In some cases, if the unproven minor leaguers became solid MLB players with Kansas City, they would be traded back to the Yankees! In February of 1957, the Yankees acquired themselves Art Ditmar and Clete Boyer for a nearly washed up Billy Hunter and Irv Noren, who went from being a solid platoon player to a guy who was strictly a bench guy. Noren's production was never the same after he left the Yankees. Four months later, the Yankees were traded Ryne Duren for a fringe pitcher by the name of Ralph Terry, who went to Kansas City along with a declining Billy Martin. In May of 1959, the Yankees reacquired Terry and also added Hector Lopez in exchange for a declining Johnny Kucks and a young reserve infielder by the name of Jerry Lumpe (a guest on the Passed Ball Show, RIP). Jerry would have some success with Kansas City and made the AL All Star team with the Tigers in 1964. 6 months later, the Yankees added Roger Maris for the unproven Norm Siebern as well as has beens in Don Larsen and Hank Bauer. In May of 1960, the Yankees topped it off by adding Bob Cerv, originally a Yankee sent to Kansas City, in a deal for Andy Carey.
One of the most successful early AL teams was the Philadelphia Athletics, managed by Connie Mack. They won the World Series in 1910, 1911 and 1913 and lost in 1914 in one of the bigger upsets in World Series history- to the Boston Braves. By the end of the 1915 season, Eddie Collins, Homerun Baker, Jack Barry, Eddie Plank, Chief Bender and Herb Pennock were all gone. Mack had sent them all packing to keep costs down.
The Athletics would build up another series of great players in 1929 and would set off a great run that would last through 1932. Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove, George Earnshaw and Rube Wallberg. By 1935, only Foxx remained. After 1935, Foxx too was out- on his way to Boston.
I laugh at the bad reputation the now Miami Marlins have in baseball today. Yes, they won a World Series in 1997, then dismantled the team within a year. They won the World Series in 2003 and by 2007 had broken up the team. A talented but underachieving team in 2012 was gutted by the beginning of the next season. What the Marlins as a franchise have done is nothing like what the Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland Athletics have done to their team, players and fans. Of course, its all a coincidence as Connie Mack has nothing to do with Charlie Finley and neither of them have anything to do with Billy Beane or Lew Wolf. The one thing that remains in common is the name "Athletics," which must mean in another language "give away my best players for nothing." Because they have been doing that for almost 100 years!

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2017 30-1 MLB countdown team previews: #26 Oakland Athletics

2016 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #28 Oakland Athletics

2015 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #23 Oakland Athletics

Philadelphia- Kansas City- Oakland "Athletics", helping other teams compete since 1915

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2017 30-1 MLB countdown team previews: #26 Oakland Athletics

2016 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #28 Oakland Athletics

2015 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #23 Oakland Athletics

Philadelphia- Kansas City- Oakland "Athletics"﻿, helping other teams compete since 1915

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Philadelphia- Kansas City- Oakland "Athletics", helping other teams compete since 1915