Oakland Athletics Report Card: Below Average Grades For June

OFFENSE 

The A’s had a few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing June. It is unlikely that the A’s will ever admit, but Yonder Alonso’s breakout this season has been surprising. No one expected Alonso’s value would be very high, but his contributions have been All-Star worthy.

After hitting .303 with 10 HR and 17 RBIs in May, however, Alonso’s bat slowed down big time in June. He hit .267 with 3 HR and 7 RBIs in June. He also struck out 26 times in June compared to his mark of 17 in May.

But back to the bright spots. Despite Alonso’s dip, the A’s received a huge help from Khris Davis. Davis struggled in May, but bounced back nicely in June and slashed .299/.372/.523 with 5 HR and 22 RBIs.

Davis continues to strikeout at an alarming rate (32.2%), but his power numbers are still impressive.

Jed Lowrie continues to prove that he’s a worthy trade target. Last month the A’s infielder hit .277 with 3 HR and 12 RBIs. He is currently considered a lock to be traded. The A’s welcomed Franklin Barreto in June and with Marcus Semien working his way back, Lowrie seems like the odd man out.

Ryon Healy continued his impressive campaign by collecting 10 HR and 26 RBIs in June. He hit .265 in the month and helped the A’s generate some much needed offense. Healy figures to be a key player in the A’s future. Pairing him with Chapman and Barreto would give the A’s a nice core group to build around over the next few years.

The A’s did struggle a bit offensively and certain veterans were given the boot as a result. Trevor Plouffe and Stephen Vogt failed to get going and the A’s decided to ramp up their youth movement efforts.

Grade: C

The A’s have established themselves, somewhat surprisingly, as a power driven offense. When the A’s hit home runs, things look good. When the “pop” is noticeably absent, Bob Melvin’s crew struggles to generate runs. Moving forward, the A’s will need to find better consistency at the plate.