The Offense
The A’s offense was powered by Yonder Alonso and his 10 home runs in May. The first baseman, who has had a breakout season at age 30, hit .302/.421/.825 in May.
Oakland’s offense has been hit or miss this year, literally.
Like Alonso, the A’s have displayed a surprising amount of power at the plate, totaling 43 home runs in May.
The A’s have acquired a taste for the long ball, but they’ve also apparently grown fond of striking out, too.
The team struck out a staggering 244 times in May.
When Beane & Company set out to solidify the lineup, the hope was to build a team with a disciplined approach at the plate. That hope has been largely unanswered.
Khris Davis collected six homers in May, but also whiffed 34 times. He started the year with a 29.3% strikeout rate, but it was less worrisome because he had a walk rate of 15.2%.
The strikeout rate in May climbed to 31.5% and the walk rate dipped to 8.3%. Overall, Davis put together a miserable .194/.269/.408 line in May.
Another Davis also struggled in May for the A’s.
Rajai Davis, who was brought in to provide a spark at the top of the order, failed miserably in May.
The speedy outfielder put together an even less impressive stat line in May. His .191/.234/.258 line is alarming. His .234 OBP is perhaps the biggest cause for concern.
Oakland’s lack of production from its lead-off spot is one of the reasons why the team’s offense hasn’t had any consistency this year.
The A’s will need to find ways to get on base and stay disciplined at the plate. The team has put on a few good offensive showings this year, but in May struggled to put together quality at-bats.
Overall Grade: D
Honor Roll (in May):
Yonder Alonso: .302/.421/.825, 10 HR, 17 RBI
Jed Lowrie: .303/.378/.515, 4 HR, 11 RBI
Ryon Healy: 306/.340/.541, 6 HR, 14 RBI
Needs Improvement:
Khris Davis: .194/.269/.408, 6 HR, 15 RBI
Rajai Davis: .191/.234/.258, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Matt Joyce: .211/.337/.394, 3 HR, 11 RBI