Oakland A’s: An autopsy of the 2020 season
Where did it all go wrong for the Oakland A’s this year? Let’s look at three reasons why the season fell apart in the ALDS.
This was not the way the Oakland A’s envisioned their season ending. Instead of being unceremoniously dumped in the ALDS by the Astros, they had envisioned a championship parade, with another World Series banner being raised in April. But those dreams came crashing down, just as they had in the past few years.
Where did it all go wrong? Let’s take a look at three reasons why the A’s were unable to reach their goal.
The bullpen buzzsaw jammed
One of the keys for the Oakland A’s during the regular season was their bullpen. It was considered to be the type of bullpen that could change the course of a playoff series, a buzzsaw that would turn any game into a five inning affair.
That buzzsaw jammed during the postseason. In 33.2 playoff innings, the A’s bullpen posted a 5.02 ERA and a 1.34 WHiP. However, that number is skewed by the Wild Card round; in the ALDS, the A’s bullpen had a 6.27 ERA and a 1.45 WHiP. In 18.2 innings, A’s relievers hit five batters, allowed four homers, and issued seven walks. Just imagine what those numbers would be like without Liam Hendriks‘ three shutout innings in Game Three…
And that was a major issue. If the A’s were going to advance through the playoffs, they needed to have their bullpen step up. Oakland arguably had the best bullpen in the majors during the regular season, as their 2.72 ERA was the best of any relief corps in the game. But when the calendar turned to October, the A’s bullpen jammed, dooming them to defeat.
A missing ace
The Oakland A’s bullpen woes would not have mattered as much if they had a stopper in the rotation. They just did not have that pitcher.
In theory, this was supposed to be Frankie Montas or, in a perfect world, Jesus Luzardo. Montas did look like that pitcher at the beginning of the season, but struggled mightily after what was supposedly a minor back issue. Luzardo had his moments where he dominated, but was also inconsistent from start to start.
Given the inconsistency from both Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea as well, this left Chris Bassitt as the A’s de facto ace. He was easily the A’s best starter this season, but is not exactly overpowering. Bassitt also does not have the elite spin rates or control needed to overcome his general lack of velocity.
The A’s have obvious financial limitations. They will not be able to sign the likes of Gerrit Cole or Trevor Bauer in free agency. Instead, they need to have one of their internal options step up and become that ace. It could be Luzardo in time, or A.J. Puk if he can stay healthy. But the future does not help the past.
The Oakland A’s needed a true front of the rotation arm. Lacking one made a dramatic difference in the postseason.
An over-reliance upon the home run
The Oakland A’s offense struggled during the 2020 regular season. The A’s were 14th in the league in batting average, tending to rely upon the home run to push any runs across the board.
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That was especially true in the postseason. The A’s belted 12 homers, accounting for a third of their hit total during the ALDS. Those 12 homers accounted for 16 runs; the A’s scored a total of 22 runs against the Astros in that four game series.
That dependency upon the home run shines a spotlight upon a major weakness for the A’s this season. While Oakland finished in the top half of the AL with their .322 on base percentage, their inability to string hits together to push a run across the plate was problematic at times during the regular season.
In theory, this is why a player such as Tommy La Stella was brought in. He provided a stellar approach at the plate, and his ability to spray hits around the diamond made him the type of player the offense needed. But even that acquisition was unable to make enough of a difference, as could be seen in the ALDS.
dark. Next. Winning the battle to lose the war
The Oakland A’s were a flawed team, but one that had a lot of potential this season. Unfortunately, those flaws reared up at the worst possible time.