Oakland A’s: 3 biggest disappointments from April
When April came to an end, the Oakland A’s found themselves where we had all expected them to be. They led a tight AL West, with four teams within 2.5 games of one another. The A’s held a one game lead over the surprising Mariners, with an eye towards expanding that gap over the coming months.
It has not been easy for the A’s to get here. They began the season with a 0-6 record, then split the next two games. A 13 game winning streak put them back into the thick of the divisional race, and they maintained the lead since.
Three biggest disappointments for Oakland A’s in April
While the A’s recent run of success has all but erased their disappointing start, the same cannot be said for some of the players on their roster. There have been plenty of surprises, but there have also been plenty of disappointments. Those disappointments have been easier to overlook with the recent run of success, but they are still there.
Let’s take a look at the three most disappointing players for the Oakland A’s in April.
Trevor Rosenthal
The Oakland A’s emerged as the surprise destination for Trevor Rosenthal, signing him to a one year deal worth $11 million, $8 million of which was deferred. He was supposed to take over as the A’s closer, solidifying the ninth inning as Oakland attempted to remake their buzzsaw of a bullpen.
On the positive side, the A’s have found their closer. The problem is that it is not Rosenthal, who has yet to throw a regular season pitch for the franchise. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome just after the start of the season, and hypothetically will not return until August. But that is if everything goes well in his rehab.
The success rates for pitchers returning from thoracic outlet syndrome is not great. It is still a relatively new procedure, one without much data at this point. While information and rehab from the procedure is improving, this is still not something that has the same level of success. It is entirely possible that Rosenthal does not ever throw a pitch as a member of the A’s.
Trevor Rosenthal was supposed to be the Oakland A’s closer in 2021. Instead, he may have been a waste of $11 million.
Elvis Andrus
The hope was that a change of scenery was all that Elvis Andrus needed to become a viable shortstop once again. In reality, his acquisition was made to free up money to sign free agents.
Andrus’ future was a bit murkier. While he was tabbed as the Oakland A’s shortstop for this season, that did not mean he was staying at the position. Second base was a major question mark, and Nick Allen‘s glove is major league ready. Andrus needed to perform in order to stop those whispers or questions.
He has not done so. Andrus has actually been worse than he was in Texas, producing a meager .151/.202/.186 batting line in 94 plate appearances, hitting three doubles. While he has stolen three bases and scored seven runs, his speed hardly matters when he has not been able to get on base.
Thus far, his greatest contribution may have been with other players. Ramon Laureano had picked Andrus’ brain about stealing bases during spring training, using those techniques to race out to the American League lead in steals at the beginning of the season. But in terms of his own impact, Andrus has been a dud.
Oakland A’s fans are already looking to see who could replace Andrus in the lineup. He needs to start performing soon.
Jesus Luzardo
At the beginning of the season, Jesus Luzardo was considered a dark horse candidate for the AL Cy Young award. Even though he is just 23 years old, and coming off of an uneven rookie campaign, expectations were sky high.
It is easy to see why. Luzardo has the stuff of a future ace, having been considered one of the top two left handed pitching prospects in the game entering last season. With his impressive fastball, excellent changeup, and solid curve, he has three potentially plus offerings with impressive control.
But eventually, that potential will need to turn into results. That has not been the case so far in 2021, as Luzardo has once again had an uneven start to the season. Heading into Saturday’s start, he had posted a 5.40 ERA and a 1.520 WHiP over his 25 innings. Although he has struck out 29 batters, his command has not quite been there as he has issued ten walks.
With Mike Fiers back, the A’s are experimenting with a six man rotation. Eventually, that will come to an end, with someone being sent either to the bullpen or down to Triple-A. Luzardo did not pitch well on Saturday either, as he did not exactly make his case to remain in the rotation.
Next. Three biggest surprises of April. dark
Jesus Luzardo was considered a dark horse candidate for the AL Cy Young award. At this point, he may not remain in the Oakland A’s rotation much longer.