Despite the arrival of several top prospects, the Athletics could not muster much in a treacherous AL West. Oakland lost a league-high 112 games in what could be considered a chaotic and tough-to-watch season in the Bay Area. Here’s our recap of the Oakland Athletics’ 2023 season.
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The Offensive Numbers
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 585 | 30th |
| Home Runs | 171 | t-20th |
| OPS | .699 | 30th |
| Whiff% | 28.4% | 26th |
| Hard Hit% | 35.2% | 29th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 5.74 | 29th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 5.20 | 28th |
| Strikeouts | 1,300 | 26th |
| Whiff% | 24.2% | 26th |
| Chase% | 26.4% | 28th |
The Good
Given that the Athletics lost a league-high 112 games in 2023, one would expect that there were few positives from the year. That is the case but there were some notable positive developments among the team’s crop of young talent.
On the pitching side of things, both Paul Blackburn and JP Sears both showed promise in the 2023 campaign. Blackburn was a serviceable arm and the A’s best starter this past season, as the 29-year-old struck out 104 over 103 innings and owned 4.43 ERA/3.96 FIP figures.
As for Sears, the left-hander put up great numbers in the first half (3.97 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 93 K over 99.2 IP) but got shelled in the second half. Young hurlers Mason Miller and Joe Boyle also shined in their brief time in the Majors this past year.
As for the A’s offense, Oakland received very impressive results from journeyman outfielder Brent Rooker. Despite the fact that Rooker had the worst Whiff% (38.2%) in the Majors, the 28-year-old hit .246/.329/.488 with 30 home runs and 51 extra-base hits in 137 games.
Rooker and Shea Langeliers were the pop in the Athletics lineup this past season and the two were joined by infielder Zack Gelof in July. Gelof was actually one of the league’s most productive hitters in the second half, as he hit .267 with 14 home runs, 35 extra-base hits — good for a top-15 finish in that span — and pitched in 14 stolen bases.
Other notable performers were Esteury Ruiz and Ryan Noda. Ruiz stole 67 bases in 2023 and finished second in that category behind Ronald Acuna Jr. Noda, on the other hand, posted a .367 OBP in Oakland.
The Bad
Despite some positives from both the offense and pitching, the Athletics’ lack of depth at the MLB level was apparent.
Oakland’s lineup lacked serious power, as many of the team’s starters, including Nick Allen and Tony Kemp, posted slugging percentages south of .350. Hence, it’s not a shock that the Athletics finished dead last in runs scored (585), 56 less than the White Sox, who finished 29th in the league in that category.
On the pitching side of things, Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina both posted ERAs north of five, while Kyle Muller and James Kaprelian also struggled mightily.
The A’s marquee signing from the 2022-23 offseason, Shintaro Fujinami, also performed poorly as a starter. However, the 29-year-old’s performance did get better once he was moved into a relief role.
Oakland wound up trading both Fujinami and Sam Moll at the Trade Deadline.
What to Look For in 2024
There’s a lot of uncertainty regarding the future of A’s and that doesn’t even take into account the team’s impending move to Las Vegas.
The reality is that while the A’s have a number of young, intriguing talent, Oakland’s trade strategy in recent years has not worked out thus far.
Sure, the A’s managed to pick up a couple of good pieces in Langeliers and Ruiz from trades. But at that same token, Oakland fans had to watch Joel Payamps, Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and A.J. Puk all have success outside of the Bay Area and haven’t received reciprocal value in return.
Oakland does have some good young talent like Jacob Wilson and Denzel Clarke in the Minors but that doesn’t change the fact that the A’s are still far away from contention.