Five Oakland Athletics Who Will Not Reach Expectations

RHP Jesse Chavez

Aug 29, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics reliever Jesse Chavez (60) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Angels defeated the Athletics 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Chavez has gone from a reliever to a starter back to a reliever and now maybe back to a starter. As Neftali Feliz and Joba Chamberlain will tell you, all of that switching is not easy to do. Coming off of the biggest workload he’s ever had, the 31-year-old Chavez may not be an easy choice for one of the back of the rotation spots.

In his first 15 starts his ERA was 2.71, but in his last six starts last year, Chavez’s ERA jumped to 5.51, probably due to his heavy workload in the first half. The A’s have been careful with him, but don’t be surprised if he spends some time on the DL this year. The worst-case scenario is that he tries to play through discomfort and fatigue and struggles as a result.

My prediction for him is that he is the fifth starter at the beginning of the season and eventually moves to a long-relief role. At the end of the season he’ll have an ERA around 4.5 and a WHIP around 1.3, and he’ll have spent at least a month on the DL.

Next: Crisp