Oakland Athletics vs. Giants Position-By-Position Breakdown: Who Wins?

Closer: Sean Doolittle* vs. Santiago Casilla

A’s fans remember “Jairo Garcia,” a young prospect drafted in 2000. He eventually became Santiago Casilla and added three years to his age.  I suppose Casilla has the last laugh, three World Series championship rings and an eight-figure contract after the fact. But he doesn’t rack up strikeouts like Sean Doolittle, and he allows more baserunners per nine innings than Doolittle. Doolittle has a strikeout per nine innings rate of 10.5 in the last four years, and Casilla’s is far lower at 7.8. Plus, his Fielding Independent Pitching is far lower: 2.25 vs. Casilla’s 3.67.

Advantage: A’s

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Bullpen: Liam Hendriks, John Axford, Ryan Madson, Marc Rzepczynski* vs. Sergio Romo, Hunter Strickland, George Kontos, Javier Lopez

Total holds in 2015 for players listed: A’s 44, Giants 88. That might look bad. But total saves for players listed: A’s 28, Giants 2. That should account for a lot. With twice as many former closers in their bullpen than the Giants, the A’s win this contest.

Advantage: A’s

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Conclusion:

Though the Giants have bolstered their starting rotation, the A’s have made key additions as well. Even Madison Bumgarner can’t crack the A’s core on paper. In another close contest, this Battle of the Bay goes to the A’s with a score of 7-5 over their crosstown rivals.