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Oakland A’s: 3 biggest disappointments of first half

By David Hill

Jun 12, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Fiers

Mike Fiers was supposed to be the Oakland A’s fallback option this year – someone who would get the call in case of injury or is one of the other starters struggled.

He was the perfect option for such a role. Fiers may not have been much more than a back of the rotation arm, but he had a track record of providing solid innings and taking the ball every fifth day. For a rotation that had several injury related question marks, that was all that the A’s needed.

Instead, Fiers fell to the injury bug himself. He had a late start in spring training which held him back, and then he had just two outings before being shelved with a sprained elbow. Instead of being that fallback option, Fiers is on the 60 day Injured List, with his return completely up in the air.

Fiers had not exactly pitched well prior to his placement on the IL. He had allowed eight runs on 15 hits, including four homers, while issuing four walks over his 9.1 innings. Even though Fiers had struggled at times in 2020, no one expected this type of falloff this season.

Next. Rosenthal Era ends before it began. dark

The Oakland A’s had hoped that Mike Fiers would be able to be their ideal fallback option. Instead, he has proven to be a disaster.