Oakland Athletics: Is It Realistic to Expect Another Playoff Run in 2013?

Oct 10, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp (4) celebrates with teammates after hitting the RBI single to bat in the game winning run of game four of the 2012 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, the Oakland A’s went on a run for the ages, and they nearly snuck into the ALCS.

The A’s won their last six regular season games to capture the American League West crown, stunning the baseball world. They rallied down 2-0 to force Game 5 of the ALDS. They lost Game 5, but let Oakland experience a surely memorable run.

However, the A’s haven’t done much in the offseason. They signed Hiroyuki Nakajima from Japan, but only to replace Stephen Drew. They re-signed Bartolo Colon and traded for Chris Young, but that’s really been it.

Oakland isn’t expected to do as well in 2013 because of their lack of big names. However, the offense went on a home run spree in the second half, and while Brandon Moss won’t be smashing 21 homers in 265 at-bats again, he, Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes could provide pop from the middle of the lineup.

Crisp and Nakajima will likely be table-setters, while Young will be relied on to provide pop from the bottom of the order. The offense looks fine right now because they were in the top half of the league in runs scored, and with their usually sturdy pitching staff intact, they will look to protect that.

A good season may not be realistic to expect from Travis Blackley, but Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone can only be better in their second seasons, respectively. Brett Anderson finished the 2012 season with a bang, and Colon did a good job before being suspended for steriod use. So, the pitching staff has talent, and they can be one of the league’s best.

Factor in a mean bullpen with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Cook and Grant Balfour and you have a good team. Unfortunately for the A’s, a complete team just isn’t enough.

On paper, the Rangers, Angels, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees look more talented than the A’s. Texas has Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus on the offense and Matt Harrison and Yu Darvish in their rotation, and the Angels have Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Jered Weaver and several others.

Both are in the same division as the A’s, and if games were won on paper, Oakland would finish third. However, they pride themselves on being a resilient team which doesn’t win games on paper, and they are around the middle of the pack on paper in the AL.

Dec 18, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (left) presents shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (right) his jersey during a press conference announcing Nakajima

Baseball is about getting hot at the right time, but in a 162 game season, the best teams almost always find their way into the postseason. The A’s have some talent, but there are still question marks in the pitching staff. Teams like the Angels and Blue Jays are fine with the pitching staff, as the Blue Jays practically have a new team due to some offseason spending and dealing.

Detroit didn’t dominate Oakland, although they would have won the ALDS in four games with a better closer. Justin Verlander overwhelmed the A’s and Yankees, while Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez did the same to all three teams that Detroit faced in the playoffs.

Even though baseball is unpredictable, it won’t be easy for the A’s to sneak into the playoffs. The AL as a whole is improved, and it will be harder than ever to win the AL West. Even if they do make the playoffs as a Wild Card, they will be down to a one game playoff without a true ace (yet).

Oakland is definitely a talented team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out more magic to find their way to the playoffs. But they are still unproven, and there are question marks. With all the talent around them in the AL West and the AL in general, I’m not seeing them in the playoffs.

The only thing that I think could get them into the playoffs is some more magic, which the A’s sure know how to provide.