Reviewing the start to the 2024 Oakland Athletics season

By Rich Campbell

The Oakland A’s are a mess off the field. The ownership’s twenty-year record of failure to build a new stadium in Oakland resulted in the decision to bolt for Vegas, but they couldn’t even do that right. Instead, the team is limping up Interstate 80 to Sacramento for an announced three-year stint in a Triple-A ballpark. Color me skeptical that the team will move into a sparkling new stadium in Las Vegas in 2028.

That off-the-field tumult has been complemented by an on-the-field systematic dismantling of the team that has resulted in over 100 losses each of the last two seasons. With thirty percent of the season completed, let’s take a quick look at whether the team’s final year in Oakland will result in a 100-loss hat trick.

Current Record

Heading into Sunday’s series finale in Kansas City on a seven-game skid, the team’s record stands at 19-29, a .396 winning percentage. Playing at that clip for the balance of the season would result in a record of 64-98, so there is certainly a chance to avoid the aforementioned hat trick.

Brent Rooker batting in the minor leagues in 2022.Photo byMinda Haas Kuhlmann

What Went Right

The four position players with the most plate appearances have hit well. Outfielder JJ Bleday (+114), utility player Abraham Toro (+133), catcher Shea Langeliers (+129) and DH/outfielder Brent Rooker (+164) all have OPS+ above the league average of +100.

The pitching staff is certainly nothing special, but until ten days ago they had been healthy and kept the team within shouting distance of .500. The star of the staff is undoubtedly second-year closer Mason Miler, who has dazzled with 38 strikeouts and a 0.98 ERA in 18.1 innings. His ability to close out games when the team does have a lead was a weapon it has been missing the last two years.

What Went Wrong

Last year’s rookie sensation (133 OPS+ in 2023) second baseman Zack Gelof has played poorly (63 OPS+ this year) and missed 20 games with an injury. Last year’s American League stolen base champ outfielder Estuery Ruiz was mysteriously optioned to Las Vegas and, once recalled, has seen spot duty (65 plate appearances) while outfielder Seth Brown has nearly twice as many plate appearances while producing a 59 OPS+ and looking slow in the field. First baseman Ryan Noda, who seemed like a clever Rule 5 choice last year (103 OPS+) was abysmal this year (32 OPS+), hitting .128 before mercifully being dispatched to Triple-A after 100 plate appearances.

On the pitching side, the injury bug has hit and the lack of organizational pitching depth is likely to be exposed as the season continues. From the Opening Day rotation, three of five starters are on the injured list (Alex Wood, Paul Blackburn and Joe Boyle) currently.

So, the question over the next four months is will this team find enough pitching to avoid the 100-loss bogeyman? Before the recent seven-game slide precipitated by the pitching injuries, it sure seemed possible. But if I were holding an “over” ticket on the season win total at 58.5, I would be nervous, and that requires only a 59-103 record to cash out.

Rich Campbell is a Marketing Professor at Sonoma State University by day and A’s fan by night. He has previously been a sports business contributor at Forbes.com and his academic writing has appeared in Sport Marketing Quarterly. You can find him on Twitter @RichCampbelPhD.