Oakland Athletics: Who Was the 2015 A’s MVP?

Although the Oakland Athletics had a rough season as a team, there were several players who had very good years. Most notably, Sonny Gray impressed with a stellar April-through-August, when he lead the league in ERA and seemed like a top candidate for the Cy Young Award. While his disappointing September may have knocked him out of the running for the American League honors, he’s certainly still the ace of the A’s staff, and the most important pitcher in the organization. If the A’s handed out team honors to their major league players, Gray would certainly take home the team Cy Young Award.

With that in mind, the Swingin’ A’s staff asked ourselves a question:

Everyone agrees that Sonny Gray is the Oakland Athletics’ Cy Young winner, but who would be the team MVP for 2015?

There were plenty of different answers, so perhaps the A’s had more valuable players than anyone thought. Let’s see what everyone picked:

Next: A's MVP: The Speedster

The Speedster: Billy Burns

Jul 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Billy Burns (1) scores a run on a sacrifice fly against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Mariners 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Rich Paloma: While many may point to Stephen Vogt for A’s MVP this season, the A’s most consistent performer and major contributor to the team would have to be rookie centerfielder Billy Burns. Getting his break with the injury to Coco Crisp, Burns hovered at or above .300 this season, finishing at .293 with a team leading 153 hits in only 125 games. His ability to get on base, along with 26 stolen bases, was the spark to many of the A’s rallies and a club high of 70 runs scored.

The A’s have found their leadoff man for seasons to come. He can hit and has speed, which is also beneficial in his defensive position of centerfield. This season could have been far worse without a performer like Burns.

* * * * *

Steven Luke: The MVP of the 2015 season for the A’s is clearly Billy Burns. Once he took over the leadoff spot, he became the spark that the offense needed. He was not only the spark, but he was also the most consistent bat in the order. Whether he was swinging at the first pitch, beating out infield hits, or surprising everyone by putting one over the fence, Burns found a way to make an impact.

* * * * *

Andrew Dambrauskas: If I had to pick one person to be the Athletics’ MVP based on a guy feeling (without any stats involved), it would be Billy Bu…rns. (You didn’t think I was going to say Butler, did you?) The reason for this is simple: Burns was the only player that turned my head and made me want to watch his every at-bat. No other Athletic has the ability to put the ball literally anywhere on the field like he does. But stats are important, too. Burns led the A’s in batting average, stolen bases, and triples, and finished the season with the second highest OBP. Once he’s on base, he takes extra bases on balls in play almost half of the time (42 percent). He gets on base, and is ferocious once he gets there. That’s Oakland baseball.

Next: A's MVP: The Power Hitter

Jul 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (22) hits a RBI double against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

The Power Hitter: Josh Reddick

Scott Harris: In looking back at the A’s 2015 season and trying to determine their MVP, my first instinct was to choose Stephen Vogt. Vogt was easily the MVP of the first half of the season, after putting up a triple slash of .287/.374/.498 with 14 home runs, but he suffered through an abysmal second half where his slash was just .217/.280/.349 after the All-Star Break, with only four home runs. In the second half of the season, nobody came close to matching the production of Danny Valencia, who put up a slash of .284/.356/.530 with 11 home runs, but he only played 47 games after the A’s snatched him off the waiver wire in August.

The man that put together the best season from start to finish was Josh Reddick. Although Reddick’s production slipped from .287/.343/.455 in the first half to .251/.318/.439 after the break, no other player showed up as consistently as Reddick. In the 2015 season, he led the A’s with 20 home runs, 77 RBI and was second in runs scored and batting average. However, despite his production, how could I possibly vote against a guy from MVP who walks to the plate rocking Careless Whisper by George Michael?

* * * * *

Evan Giddings: Seeing as how a Most Valuable Player in my eyes should be a guy that gives his all from Game 1 through Game 162, my vote would go to Josh Reddick. There’s something to be said also for the fact that he is the undisputed heart and soul of the Oakland Athletics. Not only with his tenure and play on the field – leading the club with 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, and a .449 slugging percentage – but also his leadership off the field. I have tremendous respect for a player that’s not afraid to speak his mind, whether it’s about the other team or even his own GM. Reddick has a bulldog mentality (maybe it’s a Georgia thing) and that’s the kind of player I want leading my team, which is exactly what he did throughout the 2015 season.

Next: A's MVP: The Catcher

Jul 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt (21) and starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) celebrate after the Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians 2-0 at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Catcher: Stephen Vogt

Samantha Riley: I am going to have to go with the obvious choice – Stephen Vogt. Even though his production declined during the second half of the season, his overall performance and leadership is what makes Vogt the Oakland Athletics’ 2015 MVP. Vogt ended the season leading the team in OBP with .341 and had the second most home runs and RBI. Additionally, he was a leader in the clubhouse, and the press always commended Vogt’s approachability and willingness to speak with them despite the A’s dismal season.

From spending the first two months of the 2014 season in Triple-A to becoming the everyday starting catcher in 2015, Vogt is a late bloomer who is just hitting his stride at 30 years old. His story is pretty special, and his progress over the past year and a half deserves some recognition.

* * * * *

Katrina Putnam: I contemplated picking Sonny Gray, because by WAR, he’s literally the most valuable – but since I phrased the question in such a way as to imply Gray was not a valid selection, I’ll go with a position player, too.

I love Billy Burns, and he’s easily my favorite player on the team to watch, but I have to pick Stephen Vogt for MVP. Vogt was not only brilliant on offense, as everyone else has explained, but he had the hardest job in baseball: spending nine innings a night behind the plate, catching terrible pitches and trying to hold down the running game. The fact that he still managed to say nice things about his pitchers in the post-game interviews is pretty impressive, given the effort level he had to put in on defense on a nightly basis.

The combination of defensive skills, intelligence and work ethic that goes into catching are often hard to find, and Vogt possesses all three, plus a powerful bat. Burns is fun to watch, and Josh Reddick can definitely make a case for being the offensive centerpiece of the team, but to me, Vogt’s contributions behind the plate are what put him a step above his teammates in this imaginary MVP contest.

Honorable mention goes to whoever styles Mark Canha’s hair, though. No matter what happened during the game, Canha’s hair stayed perfect. That takes talent.

Next: A's MVP: The Rookie

Mar 31, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark Canha (20) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Rookie: Mark Canha

Casey Witt: Canha get a hit? A home run? How about the Oakland Athletics 2015 Most Valuable Player award? I think he can… uh.

The Cal product was a Rule 5 draft pick in the Miami Marlins organization before former general manager Billy Beane made the transaction for Mark Canha last December – ultimately sending pitching prospect Austin House and cash considerations to the “Sunshine State”.

Typically, Rule 5 picks must remain on the club’s 25-man roster for the whole season, or be returned to their previous team. In 2014, the San Jose native posted an impressive slash line of .303/.384/.505 with 20 home runs in 537 plate appearances for the New Orleans Zephyrs. With Canha’s raw power at the dish, there was no question that the green and gold found their man – and thought highly of him prior to being selected in the 2010 Amateur Draft.

Canha did not disappoint; in 485 plate appearances, the right-hander finished the 2015 season with a .254 batting average, slugging percentage of .426 – along with 70 RBI and 16 round-trippers. Compared to his counterpart Billy Butler, Canha recorded a 1.5 WAR compared to -0.9 WAR in fewer journeys to the batter’s box (112) and is doing so at a fraction of the cost ($507,500 in retrospect to Butler’s $6,666,667).

For a platoon-heavy organization such as the Athletics, Canha’s impressive statistics versus right-handed pitchers (.271 batting average, 13 home runs and 54 RBI) caused him to find his name on the lineup card on a daily basis. Despite being a pull-hitter, the 26-year-old isn’t afraid to go up-the-middle, or slap the ball to the opposite field for extra base hits.

At first base, Canha is a picking machine and has respectable range when covering his position. In 537 2/3 innings, Canha’s outstanding fielding percentage of .993 and .982 in left field (413 1/3 innings) is something to be proud of – considering his “work-in-progress” status.

Typically, you never know what you’re going to get with a Rule 5 pick; however – his hard work, determination and presence at the plate has convinced the Athletics that maybe, just maybe – they’ve captured “lighting in a bottle” and with his consistent numbers, along with high ceiling, deserves to be the Oakland A’s everyday first baseman and 2015 team MVP.

Next: And Finally...A's MVP: No One