Oakland Athletics: Seven Things Fans Have Learned in 2015

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Aug 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Kendall Graveman (31) hands the ball to manager Bob Melvin (6) after being removed from the game during the sixth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics have had a rough season.

A dismal record and no chance at the playoffs has everyone on edge, from the front office to the fan base. Even the most diehard fans are wondering what the organization did with their beloved team from last year.

It’s certainly been a disappointing time to be an A’s fan, but after struggling through the first four months of the season, what lessons have been learned? As it turns out, there have been plenty:

Lesson One: The Importance of a Good Bullpen

If there’s an Oakland Athletics’ fan who still believes this bullpen can pick up the pieces and salvage its collective ERA, they may be delusional. This bullpen is bad. It’s really, horrifically, unimaginably bad – especially when considering the expectations on the team’s relievers heading into the season. It’s been discussed repeatedly, from the insanity of using the same relievers over and over, to Wednesday’s crushing tenth inning loss against the Orioles, and even the trades of Eric O’Flaherty and Ryan Cook.

Rookies R.J. Alvarez and Arnold Leon are sporting 12.54 and 6.75 ERAs, respectively. Evan Scribner has a 3.83 ERA, despite striking out 53 batters in 49.1 innings. Sean Doolittle has spent the season on the disabled list, and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte has missed time with an injury after being called up and throwing just 5.2 innings of work.

While Drew Pomeranz and Fernando Abad have shown signs of coming around lately, they certainly got off to rough starts of their own. Pomeranz’s poor numbers are mostly a reflection of his time as a starter, but Abad’s 3.13 ERA is due to a terrible month of May. The lefty has had a 1.88 ERA over his last 30 games, but he’s still chipping away at the 4.50 ERA he compiled before the break.

In fact, Tyler Clippard was the only one who performed to expectations. Yet even he endures some struggles of his own, as we learned that…

Next: Setup Men are More Valuable Than Closers

Jun 2, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt (21) and relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (36) celebrate after the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Oakland won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Two: The Setup Man Can Make or Break the Season

The Oakland Athletics didn’t acquire Clippard because they needed a stellar closer. They brought Clippard in to be their eighth-inning specialist. His role was only supposed to involve being the set-up man for Doolittle, who was geared up to be the A’s closer after two stellar previous seasons. However, Doolittle has instead spent the whole year on the disabled list, and Bob Melvin was forced to move Clippard to the ninth inning, filling the setup spot with pitchers who weren’t qualified for the task.

Clippard thrived as the closer, despite a few bases-loaded jams that he worked himself into. With Oakland, he had a 2.49 ERA over the course of 42 games, completing 18 of 22 save opportunities – including several four- and five-out saves. For a pitcher who wasn’t meant to be a closer, it was a stellar run.

The problem with using the guy who was brought in to be the setup man as the closer is that there isn’t someone to carry the team through the late innings of close games. Despite several attempts, the A’s just couldn’t find a reliable bridge to Clippard. At one point, the team had allowed more seventh inning runs than anyone else. That sounds like an arbitrary inning to be concerned with, but that’s typically when the starter is removed from the game. When starters are afraid to turn the situation over to the bullpen, it can affect their results and impact how they pitch. A quality start is considered six innings of three runs or less, and the A’s got plenty of them, but they weren’t able to find someone to pick up where their starters left off.

It also doesn’t matter how good the closer is if the team can never get to him in a save situation. In the end, Clippard was traded, and he is now a New York Met.

Much like all of the trade deadline moves, it happened because the A’s weren’t playoff contenders, and the reason the A’s weren’t playoff contenders was…

Next: Eric Sogard Isn't Appreciated Nearly Enough

Jul 17, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Eric Sogard (28) tags out Minnesota Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario (20) on an attempted steal to second base during the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Three: Maybe Eric Sogard Isn’t So Bad After All

What if someone said that the Oakland Athletics have allowed the fewest earned runs in the American League?

In fact, the A’s have allowed just 371 earned runs this season, heading into play on Thursday. Technically, saying they have had the fewest earned runs of any team would be a lie – Kansas City has also allowed 371. But why are the Royals crushing the AL Central while the Oakland Athletics have a healthy grasp on last place in the West? And how does Sogard tie into this, anyway?

Well, Eric Sogard may be a familiar folk hero in Oakland, but to other teams’ fans, his lack of prowess with a bat has always made him a weak link in an otherwise-solid lineup. And yet, there’s a side of Sogard that is often underappreciated by those fans – his stellar defense.

Players like Sogard are the difference between Kansas City and the Athletics – the Royals have allowed 393 runs overall. The A’s, meanwhile, have given up 417. That’s a lot of unearned runs. In fact, that’s an insurmountable number of unearned runs. Maybe more thought should be given to filling the roster with players who are adequate at the plate and can impress in the field. (No, Sam Fuld would not qualify under this category.)

Instead of worrying about Sogard’s inability to bat higher than .250, despite having no power and only slightly above-average speed, let’s appreciate the fact that he wields a glove with authority. Watching Marcus Semien and his league-leading 29 errors for a season should be enough to prove that if forced to choose between offense and defense, defense is always the more desirable skill.

Sometimes, value comes from where it’s least expected. Similarly, fans have learned that….

Next: The Enemy Can Get Unexpectedly Better

May 20, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jonathan Villar (2) tags up to second base on a fly ball as Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien (10) is late with the tag in the bottom of the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Four: Never Overlook the Opponents

It’s possible to search Twitter for Oakland Athletics’ fans thoughts about the Astros prior to the start of the 2015 season, but in an effort to reduce embarrassment, let’s just say that they were not taken very seriously.

Well…surprise!

Must Read: Jake Smolinski Should Not Be In Triple-A Right Now

Houston isn’t only leading the division, they also stole the American League ERA leader right out of Oakland’s last-place hands. Scott Kazmir is having the season of his life, posting a 2.08 ERA in 2015 as he cruises his way towards a potential Cy Young Award on a playoff-contending team. That sounds pretty nice. It also sounds like the Astros may have been just slightly underestimated.

The A’s still have Sonny Gray, who – to be fair – is likely to be the runner-up for a Cy Young award, as he has a 2.12 ERA of his own. However, Gray is forced to contend with the likes of Semien and other defensive liabilities, as well as an offense that seems to be either red hot or ice cold, depending on the game. Add to that the fact that the bullpen is always there to helpfully pick up the decision for him, and Gray just isn’t likely to have the win total needed to enough garner Cy Young votes.

Next year, it’s probably best not to sleep on Dallas Keuchel and friends, especially considering how much talent the ‘Stros have hanging out in Triple-A.

Luckily, the A’s have had the opportunity to stock their minor league system again as well. Which leads us to our next discovery…

Next: Thinking Too Far Ahead Can Be a Bad Thing

Jul 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Scott Kazmir (26) pitches during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Five: Make the Playoffs Before Trying to Win Them

Oakland Athletics’ fans (and hopefully the front office, as well) were shown the dangers of being overconfident in a team’s chances. For instance, last year’s acquisitions of Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija were moves intended to give the Athletics’ a one-two-three-four punch in the playoffs, including Gray and Kazmir. Looking back, it’s easy to say that those moves weren’t worth it, but what prompted them in the first place?

Quite possible, two seasons of losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the A’s, small market teams needs to make the playoffs before they worry about winning them. Unlike the Red Sox or the Dodgers, Oakland doesn’t have the luxury of buying more talent if they miss their window for contention. Trading away one of the best cleanup hitters in the league for two months of a pitcher – even a pitcher as good as Lester – should have sent red flag to someone. But Billy Beane was determined not to be left with an inferior rotation. The problem was that his stacked crew of starters came at the expense of his lineup, and also the A’s playoff opportunities.

Being overconfident about the team’s chances to make the playoffs is a tremendously risky game, and assuming it will definitely happen is almost never a good plan. When a front office makes those assumptions, it ends the way it did last year – watching the best athletes leave in free agency, and then being forced to trade away the remaining top-notch players. The A’s basically gave away their best prospect – and one of the highest-ranked shortstops in the game – in exchange for Chris Bassitt, Josh Phegley and Semien.

Trading for players can be risky. And that’s why it’s important to remember…

Next: Never Take the First Offer

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss (37) hits a three run home run in the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals during the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Six: Never Settle For Inferior Prospects

Let’s go back to last season, when outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss slugged 25 homers and amassed 81 RBIs, despite suffering from a nagging hip injury for most of the season. Moss had offseason surgery to repair the problem, and was set to return in Spring Training. Yes, this created some questions about his health, but the reports were largely positive. He was also coming off of the best season of his career.

Beane felt that this was a good time to move Moss in order to get some salary relief. After what couldn’t have been more than one phone call, he agreed to accept second-tier infield prospect Joey Wendle from the Cleveland Indians in return for his All-Star slugger. Wendle is certainly not going to wow anyone with his talent, as he’s a fairly middle-of-the-pack middle infielder. The Indians never viewed him as a top prospect, with Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez, and Erik Gonzalez all blocking his ascent to the majors.

Despite leading a bad Indians’ offense in home runs and RBIs, Moss has had a far less memorable season than he had in 2014. And yet, the Indians flipped Moss at the trade deadline for lefty Rob Kaminsky, one of the Cardinal’s top-ranked prospects. The 20-year-old pitcher is ranked 88th on MLB’s overall Top-100 list, so settling for Wendle now seems like an even bigger disappointment than it did when the trade happened.

That trade is the perfect example of the last and most important lesson of them all:

Next: We Just Can't Trust Beane Anymore

Jul 24, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesse Chavez (30) reacts after being removed from the game during the fourth inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Lesson Seven: The Days of Blindly Trusting Billy Beane Are Over

Trusting in Beane to make the right moves has long been a staple of Oakland fandom. While there have certainly been questionable deals, or trades that just didn’t work out the way the team had hoped due to injury or poor performance, there was never a time where the decisions themselves looked poorly planned or as though he failed to do his homework

Lately, the Oakland Athletics’ have seemed to make endlessly bad decisions. Beginning with the contract for Coco Crisp, it’s seemed as though Beane can’t quite decide what direction his team is headed in.

Trading away Josh Donaldson, Moss, Samardzija and other All-Stars over the winter was a strange move when combined with a huge contract for designated hitter Billy Butler, as well as the acquisition of Clippard. Was the team buying or selling? Did they want to deal their young players, or simply acquire a few missing pieces?

The returns on the trades, like Wendle or the pair of prospects the A’s received for Kazmir, don’t make as much sense as Beane trades used to make. There isn’t a hidden value to having Wendle. He’s a depth signing made to clear up salary space for Butler and Clippard, which actually doesn’t make any sense at all.

Perhaps there just isn’t enough perspective yet to show what surprisingly great deals those moves were, but it seems like it will be a long time before Oakland Athletics’ fans can trust their general manager again.

Next: Is Brett Lawrie the Second Baseman of the Future?