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The Oakland Athletics own the best record in baseball but are currently fighting through injuries to critical players, most notably outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

The 2013 Home Run Derby champion left Monday’s game against Detroit with a left hamstring injury. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle posted a picture of Oakland’s lineup prior to Tuesday’s game at Comerica Park, which didn’t include Cespedes. 

Despite Cespedes‘ absence on Tuesday, there’s the potential that he can avoid a stint on the disabled list. Slusser spoke to the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up prior to the game, and he said that tightness is the problem. 

The A’s have climbed to the top of the mountain with a 51-31 record through 82 games without playing their best baseball. Josh Donaldson was a mess in June, hitting .181/.223/.286, and Josh Reddick continues to be plagued by injuries. 

Cespedes has provided a nice bridge in the heart of Oakland’s order this season with a .497 slugging percentage and 14 home runs. It’s also been a strong bounce-back campaign for him following the disappointing .240/.294/.442 line last year. 

In addition to his prodigious power, Cespedes has been making the highlight reels for his defensive prowess—specifically his arm strength, which is often needed because of misplays with the glove. 

The A’s don’t boast a deep farm system at the moment. Most of their high-end talent is in the lower levels, and outfield depth isn’t prevalent at the upper levels. Cespedes doesn’t sound like he’s worried about the injury, so hopefully the slugger is back on the field in a day or two. 

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Remember when Yoenis Cespedes was going to be the next great power hitter in the major leagues after defecting from Cuba?

You certainly recall “The Showcase”, Cespedes‘ promotional video that was released during the 2011-12 offseason just before he became eligible for free agency. How about all those Bo Jackson comparisons? Remember those? 

Of course you do, but admit that those recollections have faded considerably. 

While he’s been a very productive hitter on one of the best teams in baseball—the 28-year-old has a career .800 OPS with 53 homers in 291 games for the Oakland A’s, who signed him to a four-year, $36 million contract in February 2012—the Cespedes hype was so 2012.

Two season later, he is, arguably, the third best Cuban hitter in the majors.

Yasiel Puig, who signed a seven-year, $42 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers only four-and-a-half months after Cespedes signed with Oakland, easily surpassed him with his MVP-caliber performance last season and was all the rage entering 2014.

But there’s a new kid on the block who, like Puig, is so much better than expected.

His name is Jose Abreu, and he leads the majors in home runs (12) and is second in runs batted in (34) behind Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. A month into his major league career, the 27-year-old rookie looks to be even more advanced at the plate than Puig but with more raw power.

The Chicago White Sox signed Abreu to a six-year, $68 million deal in late October. That’s a higher annual salary than Cespedes or Puig received.

Abreu wasn’t as highly touted a hitter as Cespedes or Puig and didn’t offer plus potential at a corner outfield spot. He was, simply, less of a risk because of how well Cespedes and Puig have adapted to major league pitching.

After defecting from Cuba last August, scouting reports were mixed on the first baseman. The power potential, described as “monstrous” by one scout, was clear. There were a lot of questions, though, on whether he had the skills to succeed in the majors, as described in a profile by ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick last September.

But one thing is clear. No one thought he’d be this good of a hitter. And no one seems to be questioning whether this is just a fluky 32-game sample that will decline drastically as opposing teams figure him out.

Abreu appears to have a plan when he’s at the plate, and he seems more than capable of making the proper adjustments to keep him on pace for the home run and RBI titles. Former Cy Young Award winner and Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who has allowed a homer and a single to the White Sox slugger while striking him out three times in six at-bats, is already a believer. 

“I don’t think he’s somebody that you look at and say, ‘Oh, he just had a hot April,'” said Verlander, per USA Today‘s Jorge L. Ortiz. “He’s extremely talented. You have to execute your pitches. Otherwise, he can hurt you at any time.”

While it might be a bold statement to say that Abreu has already passed Puig as MLB‘s best Cuban hitter after 32 games, it certainly doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch. After all, it didn’t take long for Puig to jump past Cespedes. 

Here’s a comparison of each player’s first 32 MLB games. 

Abreu produced more homers and runs batted in, while Puig beat him in every other category. Both, however, made a huge impact during their first month in the big leagues.

Jose Abreu: 2nd player to win Rookie AND Player of the month honors in his 1st month in MLB. The other was Yasiel Puig in June last season.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 5, 2014

Puig‘s mediocre BB/K rate may have been an indicator of future struggles at the time, but the fact that he hasn’t slowed down much is a good sign that Abreu—a much more mature individual than Puig and a more finished product on the field—could also sustain his production despite a BB/K rate that has him on pace for 46 walks and 177 strikeouts.

And even though Abreu won’t keep up with his current 61-homer pace, he’s well ahead of Puig, who has just four homers on the season. And when it comes to perception, homers usually outweigh a lot of other numbers.  

If both continue on their current paths—Puig has caught fire after a slow start, posting a 1.050 OPS with three homers, three doubles and three stolen bases over his past 14 games—I’d project each to finish the season with an OPS in the neighborhood of .900, with Puig‘s batting average and on-base percentage fueling his total and Abreu’s homers balancing out a much lower batting average and on-base percentage. 

By season’s end, who will be considered the “best” hitter—the one with a .250 batting average, .320 on-base percentage, 37 homers and 125 runs batted in, or the one with a .300 batting average, .385 on-base percentage, 23 homers, 78 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases?

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All contract information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. 

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Even as the Oakland A’s fight for their second consecutive American West League Championship over the last six weeks of the Major League Baseball season, there is a truth that should hearten fans in the East Bay and everywhere else: This team is built to last. They are young and—although inconsistent at times—this team’s core is full of talent. 

With that said, even as this team fights to secure a spot in the postseason, they will likely be underdogs to capture the team’s first title in 24 years. However, with the nucleus likely in tact, it isn’t too early to project how the team’s starting lineup might look in 2014. Here is my highly unofficial look at that lineup, but first and just for fun, here was a projection NBC Sports baseball writer Matthew Pouliot had in February 2012.

Lineup
2B Jemile Weeks
CF Grant Green
1B Daric Barton
RF Yoenis Cespedes
DH Seth Smith
3B Scott Sizemore
LF Michael Choice
C Derek Norris
SS Cliff Pennington

Obviously Pouliot could not account for trades and other factors but look at that lineup. Two players are no longer with the club (Green and Pennington), two have fallen so far that they can’t get playing time in Oakland (Weeks and Barton), and two lost their jobs due to either injury (Sizemore) or lack of production (Norris). 

As a matter of fact, the only player you can say will be on this team in 2014 is Yoenis Cespedes. And you know what?

That is not a bad thing.

Billy Beane converted a middling roster on the fly into a potential back to back division champion. So anyone who projected Oakland’s lineup for next year would be inaccurate.

So, what will that lineup look like in 2014? Here is my take:

2B Jed Lowrie

Lowrie is not a conventional lead-off hitter, but with Coco Crisp turning 34 and hitting free agency, I have a feeling the A’s will need a new bat at the top of the lineup. Lowrie has been steady, if not spectacular, at the plate and that is the kind of player the A’s need leading off.

DH Seth Smith

I have a feeling that 2013 was more of a fluke for Smith even though, for the second year in a row, his batting average has paled in comparison to his production in Colorado. Who doesn’t struggle when compared to time spent at Coors Field? I expect to see the power return and Smith is a solid number two guy initially.

CF Yoenis Cespedes

Cespedes will move to his natural centerfield with the departure of Crisp. My lofty predictions might have to wait a year, but I think Cespedes will have a big year in 2014. 

RF Josh Reddick

Much like fellow neo-Bash Brother Cespedes, Reddick has had a largely underwhelming 2013. Is he as bad as he has been this year? No. Is he as good as he was in his 32 home run, Gold-Glove-winning 2012? Maybe not. But something in between would be a nice improvement for the A’s at this spot.

3B Josh Donaldson

Donaldson’s year has not been a fluke. While ultimately this position will be filled by phenom Addison Russell, for now Donaldson is entrenched at the hot corner for the A’s. 

1B Brandon Moss

Moss was destined for a fall off after a pretty remarkable burst in 2012 (.291/.358/.596 splits) which saw him smash 21 home runs in 84 games. So even though he is hitting under .240 and has few home runs after 110+ games than he did in all of 2012, Moss is still the man at this spot. He may alternate time with— 

LF Michael Choice

The curveball comes with prospect Michael Choice. Scouted as an all-or-nothing type power-hitter, Choice has displayed an improved eye in 2013 and, while his power numbers have dipped, he looks like a better hitter. Choice impressed in the spring and probably would have been the first guy from Triple-A in the outfield if the A’s weren’t so deep at that spot. He gets his chance in 2014.

C Derek Norris

If John Jaso were to ‘win’ the battle at catcher (imagine them likely platooning next year again), you could swap Jaso and Smith at the number two and eight spots. But I think Norris gets a chance to finally put a solid season together. Ultimately, whoever is behind the plate must improve defensively as the A’s catchers have struggled in 2013.

SS Hiroyuki Nakajima

Nakajima has a giant INC for a grade next to his 2013 as his spring injury and the play of Lowrie and Eric Sogard kept him from getting up to Oakland. But the contract plus the talent (he is up to .293 at Triple-A Sacramento) will merit an opportunity for the Japanese star. At least initially.

So there you have it. I think the A’s might try to bring Chris Young back at a discounted price, but he will likely draw attention on the free agent market. Alberto Callaspo should step in for Adam Rosales as the A’s utility player du jour in 2014. That is a marked improvement. I look at Eric Sogard backing up Nakajima more in terms of money than production because quite simply, we don’t know what the Japanese star has yet. 

Ultimately, some of the major components to upgrade the roster are likely a couple years away still. This includes Russell, Renato Nunez, and not Michael Taylor. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Taylor reminds me of that line from the X-Files: I want to believe. But after all this time, it is pretty clear that in Oakland, he is a AAAA player and not the potential stud he appeared to be when acquired. 

Oakland’s offense will improve as key components improve. I’m not saying that there might not be a trade or two as well as a couple of signings. But these will likely add to depth and not supplant the core players currently on the roster. What you see is what you get. And, even though the little things drive you crazy as an A’s fan (situational hitting!), there is still enough talent to win again next year.

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I think I’m supposed to write something like, “And so the legend of Yoenis Cespedes grows” here.

Or perhaps, “On a night to remember in New York City, Yoenis Cespedes swung his way into the national consciousness and flipped his bat at the end in a moment made for gifs and tweets, so that we don’t soon forget that he’s arrived.”

And then we’ll all wax poetic about the majesty of a ball soaring through the evening sky and landing in bedrooms all across the America, as kids plaster posters of Cespedes in their rooms after Monday evening. 

Let’s not. The truth is, he won a Home Run Derby, where guys mash 60 mph pitches over the fence for fun. We can recognize that Cespedes will be more recognizable now without romanticizing his Home Run Derby win. 

This is the competition that ruined Bobby Abreu’s swing in 2005. He was hitting .307 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI before the All-Star break, he hit .260 with six home runs and 44 RBI the rest of the way.

You could also argue that it remains the best manifestation of how fans and sportswriters alike could ignore the signs of steroid use in baseball for years on end. 

It isn’t just chicks that dig the long ball, after all. 

But Cespedes is now a familiar name to the casual fan—there’s no two ways about that—and in the process was given a platform to share a part of his story as a Cuban defector.

It was a cool moment, even if doing the post-Derby interview in Spanish became some sort of issue for bored Internet commenters. 

And it was fun seeing him do battle against young star Bryce Harper, who will surely win many things more important than the Home Run Derby in his career. 

However, Cespedes didn’t “arrive” on Monday night. He hit .292 with 23 home runs, 82 RBI and 16 stolen bases in his rookie season, and while he’s hitting just .225 this year, he does have 15 home runs and 43 RBI.

He’s not a star yet—heck, he’s not even playing in the All-Star Game—but he’s already a very good ballplayer. 

But his profile has raised. The profile of his team, the Oakland Athletics, may have raised a bit as well. The A’s shocked a lot of folks by reaching the playoffs last year. For any people who mistakenly thought that was a fluke, well, the A’s proved them wrong and currently sit atop the AL West. 

Cespedes is now the most marketable player in Oakland. His bat flip at the end of the Derby was memorable. People are going to hope to see some of his moonshots in actual games now. He’s entered All-Star lure. 

Nevertheless, the Home Run Derby didn’t somehow make him a star, nor will it shoot him into elite status. He was already a good ballplayer, and now a lot more folks will find that out. 

Let’s save the Red Smith-esque columns glorifying the moment, shall we?

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has only been in the majors for one day, so it makes sense that the first response to my question on Twitter/Facebook, “Who does Puig most remind you of?”, was Moonlight Graham, who played in one major league game for the New York Giants in 1905 and was later portrayed in the movie Field of Dreams.

It’s clear, though, that an athlete with Puig‘s size, speed and strength combination reminds baseball fans of only a few players who compare in some way or another. Many baseball experts hate comps for several reasons, including unnecessary expectations on young players. But baseball fans love comps, especially because it can take us back to another era.

Even better if it takes us back to our childhood.

Starting with the amazing game-ending throw in his big league debut that everyone seems to be talking about, it’s only fair to bring up some of the most strong-armed right fielders of all time. And since he’s wearing the same uniform, the Raul Mondesi comp would be a fair start.

1. Raul Mondesi

Mondesi, who had an .815 OPS and two 30-30 seasons (30-plus homers and 30-plus stolen bases) in 1,525 career games, was probably best known for having a cannon of an arm in right field. In fact, he has a tattoo of a cannon on his right arm, and that arm even has a nickname, “El Canon,” which means “the cannon.”

Roberto Clemente and Ichiro Suzuki also come to mind when thinking of players who could make that kind of strong and accurate throw from the warning track. 

2. Bo Jackson

The name we’ve heard most associated with the 22-year-old Puig is Bo Jackson (6’1″, 227 lbs), maybe one of the greatest athletes of all time.

It’s an unfair comp for any baseball player, but this comp is mostly based on his football player-like physique. While Jackson was also a powerful NFL running back with elite speed, Puig looks more like a linebacker. But the kind of linebacker who can go sideline-to-sideline in a flash and put a serious hurting on a ball-carrier. Sort of like Ray Lewis (6’1″, 245 lbs) or Patrick Willis (6’1″, 240 lbs). 

3. Vladimir Guerrero

Puig is taller, though, at 6’3″, the same height as another comp suggested by multiple readers. Not only was Vladimir Guerrero a freak of nature with his speed and power combination—he had eight seasons with 30-plus homers and 77 stolen bases from 2001-2002—but he also had the plus arm in right field and was considered an undisciplined free-swinger when he broke into the majors in his early 20s.

He was also one of the rare hitters who proved that it didn’t matter. He could do damage on pitches outside of the strike zone as some think Puig can also do.

During his prime, Guerrero still walked a lot (84 walks in 2002), but that was mostly because pitchers weren’t giving him anything close to the plate once he built up a reputation for being able to hit almost any pitch hard. He also never struck out more than 88 times in any of his 16 big league seasons, which included nine All-Star selections and an AL MVP award in 2004.

4. Yoenis Cespedes

The active player that Puig has been compared to the most is fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes, who broke into the majors at 26 years of age in 2012 with 23 homers and 16 stolen bases while hitting in the middle of an A’s lineup that scored the most runs in the majors over the second half of the season.

Cespedes also looks like a football player in a baseball uniform, although he’s five inches shorter than Puig at 5’10”. Like Cespedes, he received the unfair Bo Jackson comps coming into his rookie season, but he lived up to a lot of hype by coming in second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and 10th in AL MVP voting.

Other notable mentions on Twitter were Carlos Beltran (.857 OPS, 306 stolen bases in 16 seasons), Joe Carter (396 HR, 231 stolen bases in 16 seasons) and Sammy Sosa (.878 OPS, 234 stolen bases in 18 seasons). If Puig, who went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut, can come anywhere close to what those guys accomplished in their careers, he’ll be remembered for more than just his potential.

What hitting coach Mark McGwire first observed about Puig back in spring training was his intelligence and ability to make adjustments, according to this article by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

If he’s going to become a star, it’s that ability to make adjustments that will allow him to reach the potential we’ve been hearing so much about since he signed his seven-year, $42 million big league contract last June.  

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If only they awarded points for how awesomely you failed.

Had Yoenis Cespedes made this diving Matrix catch, a ripple in the fabric of space would’ve began in Keanu Reeves’ pants and reverberated throughout the world, revealing our perceived reality to be but a computer simulation perpetrated by our machine overlords.

Maybe that’s a bit grandiose, but the believer in me likes to think Neo at least felt a twinge in his apples when the Oakland A’s outfielder went into bullet-time during Monday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants, courtesy of NextImpulseSports.

I’ve seen people lay out for the ball before, but Cespedes‘ almost-catch reeked of science fiction movie physics and Trinity lobby-flips. It didn’t record an out, but hot damn did it look cool.

While Cespedes didn’t make the grab or stop the machines from harvesting our bodies like living batteries, he did found other ways to contribute, knocking in a two-run double to help the A’s wrap up a 4-1 victory over the Giants.

Now if only Cespedes can focus his energy and concentrate on the ball instead of the circus tumbling, he might prove to be “The One”—a distinction currently held by this young baseball player, who puts Cespedes‘ missed catch to shame. 

That’s what taking the red pill looks like, Cespedes. Just remember—there is no ball.

Follow @Dr__Carson

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After their first 40 games, the Oakland A’s are 20-20 in the 2013 season.

Remember 2012? The A’s started 20-20 as well. In 2006, The A’s—led by Frank Thomas—rode a five-game winning streak to get to 21-19 after 40 games. 

Historically, the A’s have tended to be a slow-starting team. Under manager Bob Geren, the club never started better than 23-17 through 40 games (2008) and started as slowly as 15-25 (2009) while opening 20-20 three times. 

Go back to the Moneyball era when the A’s opened 21-19 (2000), 18-22 (2001) and 19-21 (2002) after 40 games. Oakland went on to win 91, 102, and 103 games those three seasons, respectively.

In many ways, the 12-4 start that the Athletics have raced out to this season was a bit of fool’s gold. Eleven of those 12 wins came at the expense of AL West foes Seattle, Los Angeles (Angels) and Houston. Those teams sit a combined 31 games under .500 heading into Tuesday, May 14.

Once the torrid starts by guys like Jed Lowrie and Seth Smith died down, so did the early offense. Add to those laws of averages the injuries to Coco Crisp, Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Brett Anderson and Jarrod Parker as reality dragged the A’s back down to earth.

The only thing is that this is still a very talented team. WIth a quarter of the season gone, the projected Oakland lineup has played less than 15 total games together. Even if the A’s don’t duplicate their wins from 2012, there is no way that Anderson and Parker continue to post ERA’s of 6.21 and 6.86,  respectively. 

It is still a marathon in the game of baseball and right now, the A’s have run roughly 6.5 of the 26.2-mile 2013 race. They’re just getting warmed up.

Relax and hope that players like Daric Barton can hold the fort down when called upon until all of the gang gets back. When they do, the A’s will take off like they traditionally do when the talent takes the field in Oakland. 

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The Oakland Athletics have placed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the 15-day disabled list, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. They called up Michael Taylor to replace him on the 25-man roster.

Cespedes suffered a hand injury while sliding during Friday night’s victory over the Detroit Tigers, reports Casey Pratt of CSN Bay Area. He also states that initial X-rays on Cespedes’ hand were negative. That wasn’t enough to avoid a DL stint, though.

The five-tool outfielder was off to a slow start. He had three home runs in 11 games, but was hitting just .200 with an on-base percentage below .300. The injury will only further delay his attempt to find a groove in his second major league season.

Cespedes had an impressive debut campaign in 2012. The 27-year-old rising star from Cuba blasted 23 home runs while also stealing 16 bases and posted a solid .356 on-base percentage. Oakland was hoping for him to build off that success.

Having to miss at least a couple weeks with a hand injury doesn’t completely derail those plans, but it’s definitely a setback. The most important thing is making sure he’s back to 100 percent before returning so he isn’t force to fight lingering issues all summer.

In his place, the Athletics turn to Taylor, who was on fire for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. In nine games, the 6’5” corner outfielder was hitting .410 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. He had a hit in all but one game.

Like Cespedes, Taylor is 27, but has had far less success in the majors. He’s received 51 at-bats over the past two seasons, picking up just nine hits (.176) with one homer and 21 strikeouts. No word on what role the team expects him to fill upon his arrival.

It’s a key loss for the A’s, who are winners of nine straight after losing their first two. All they can do is hope other players, including Taylor, can pick up the slack until Cespedes is ready for action again.

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The Oakland A’s had a busy winter stocking up on talent in order to defend their AL West title. They acquired outfielder Chris Young, shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, catcher John Jaso and infielder Jed Lowrie to bolster the squad.

The A’s did lose shortstops Stephen Drew and Cliff Pennington, outfielder/desginated hitter Jonny Gomes, first baseman Chris Carter, starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy and catcher George Kottaras. Time will tell if the new additions can provide more value this year than the departures did last season.

Regardless of how well Young, Nakajima, Jaso and Lowrie perform, the biggest source of improvement from last season is likely to come from within.

Brett Anderson should more than make up for the loss of McCarthy in the rotation this year after making six impressive starts down the stretch last season to complete his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Anderson’s rotation mates Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone should continue to improve upon their stellar rookie seasons from last year as well.

Offensively, Josh Reddick showed what he was capable of in the first half when he hit .268/.348/.532—which should have earned him All-Star honors—before slumping to .215/.256/.391 in the second half. A full season at his first-half pace would go a long way to helping the A’s defend their crown this season.

Yet no Oakland player—and very few players in all of baseball—have the tools that Yoenis Cespedes possesses. Cespedes has the natural talent to take a giant leap forward in 2013 and contend for the AL MVP award.

He can hit for average, hit for power, run and throw—giving him four of the five tools scouts look for. The fifth tool, his defense, improved after he moved from center field over to left.

Cespedes improved drastically as the season wore on.

When I saw him in spring training, he was hacking at every breaking ball in sight. Then, he got off to a slow start in April—hitting only .244. He continued to struggle in May—hitting only .227 with a .534 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).

He took off from there. His OPS improved to 1.016 in June, .961 in July, .788 in August and .874 in September. In the postseason, he hit .316 with a .381 on-base percentage.

The adjustments that he made throughout the season at the plate were impressive.

He became a more patient hitter as the season went along, which allowed him to get better pitches to hit and unleash his impressive power. He improved from a .465 slugging percentage with nine home runs in the first half to a .533 slugging percentage and 14 home runs in the second half.

All the more impressive is that he did this while transitioning to the United States from Cuba, learning a new position and battling through injuries. He missed 31 games with hand and hamstring injuries.

His at-bats became must-see events last year.

At 5’10”, 210 pounds, he’s built more like an NFL running back than a baseball player. He has tremendous bat speed, and he doesn’t get cheated at the plate—taking controlled but vicious hacks. He does an outstanding job of getting his stout lower half into his swing via his quick-twitch weight transfer and hip rotation. 

He’s a physical specimen with four plus tools. His natural power is right up their with the best sluggers in the game. 

He finished his rookie year with 23 home runs, 25 doubles, five triples, 16 steals and an .861 OPS despite playing in a pitcher’s park and skipping the minor leagues entirely. His tools and physique, combined with his ability to adjust to major league pitching, are going to lead to an even bigger breakout this year.

With a year to adjust to a new culture and a new position under his belt, Cespedes is ready to become an MVP candidate in 2013.

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Say what you will, but Billy Beane is not averse to making decisive moves. Adding guys like John Jaso and Jed Lowrie may not be as sexy as Josh Hamilton, but the Oakland Athletics have further addressed offseason deficiencies with their moves. 

With Lowrie in the fold, the A’s now have someone with real Major League pop to fill in voids all over the infield. That means players like Eric Sogard and Adam “Skolnick” Rosales have less at-bats in meaningful situations. I like them both, but neither should be hitting more than 70 times a year in the big leagues. 

The reality is, the A’s were not far away last year and the two biggest holes in the lineup have been addressed with a trio of potentially big time upgrades in Jaso, Lowrie, and Hiro Nakajima. Yes, losing Chris Carter has the potential to take home runs away from the lineup. As a matter of fact, I anticipate that happening. 

However, you sometimes have to pull from a position of strength to address a position of weakness. There is no guarantee what Nakajima will give the A’s.

Lowrie would be a fantastic alternative at shortstop. He also fits at second, third, and first base as well. Scott Sizemore hasn’t played second base in the Major Leagues with any consistency. In other words, having a player with a real pedigree in waiting can only help this infield.

But the separation Oakland has from both Texas and Los Angeles, er Anaheim, is in the starting pitching. One to five, no team in the AL West is better than the A’s in terms of pitching. The Angels tried to address their deficiencies with outsiders Jason Vargas, Tommy Hanson, and Joe Blanton. Good luck. They aren’t on the level of the departed Zack Greinke, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. 

Meanwhile, Texas has issues with a lack of starting pitching and the potential issues with Nelson Cruz being implicated in the most recent PED scandal in baseball. The reality is, Oakland’s status quo is still the best in the division until proven otherwise. No team has the depth of pitching combined with a solid lineup one through nine in the division. Oakland doesn’t have a Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Felix Hernandez, Yu Darvish, or any other marquee name (though Yoenis Cespedes is darn close) yet.

What they still have is the best overall team in the American League West.

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