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Handing out hardware to the 2022 Oakland A’s

By David Hill

Sep 25, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a double against the New York Mets during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a double against the New York Mets during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2022 season is finally in the Oakland A’s rearview mirror.

It was a disaster in many aspects. The biggest stars on the team were sent away during the preseason just to save some money. Others were dealt away at the deadline. Most of what was left either was not that great to begin with or cheap enough that the A’s could justify keeping them on the roster.

The best and worst of the 2022 Oakland A’s

There were plenty of lowlights as would be expected with any 102 loss team. And yet, there were highlights as well as several players that took advantage of the opportunities presented to them. A core started to develop out of the 64 players to suit up for the A’s last year.

There were plenty of negatives and a few positives for the 2022 Oakland A’s. Let’s hand out some hardware for the regular season.

Oakland A’s MVP – Sean Murphy

Someone needed to step up considering the gaping leadership void on the A’s. Sean Murphy did exactly that.

He took over as one of the leaders on the team, seizing control of the pitching staff while working on improving at the plate. Murphy ended up posting a strong .250/.332/.426 batting line in his 612 plate appearances, belting 18 homers and a team leading 37 doubles. He had another strong year behind the plate as well, leading to a 3.5 bWAR total that easily outpaced the next best mark on the team.

This may also be the last time that Murphy wins this award. He is likely to be traded this offseason given the A’s catching depth behind him and his first trek into arbitration. If so, he saved his best for last.

Oakland A’s Most Surprising Player – Elvis Andrus

After years of being one of the worst regulars in the game, Elvis Andrus suddenly found competence.

The A’s certainly needed that production considering that the lineup had the same power as the Stone Age. He had a surprisingly useful .237/.301/.373 batting line in his 386 plate appearances, hitting eight homers and 24 doubles, his 96 OPS+ his best mark since 2017. Although he was let go on August 17, his 1.4 bWAR was tied for the fifth best mark on the A’s this season.

Absolutely nothing was expected from Elvis Andrus this season. The fact that he was relatively competent is one of the biggest surprises in the majors, let along the A’s, this season.