Oakland Athletics: How the A’s make the Wild Card

Not many people would be willing to argue that the Oakland Athletics are one of the top five AL teams headed into 2018. However, with a few things falling in their favor, the A’s have a legitimate chance to be a Wild Card team.

Many Oakland Athletics fans have high hoped for 2018: finding a location for a new stadium. However, Bob Melvin’s staff has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs in 2018. Granted, it will require other teams to stumble, but no one should rule the A’s out just yet.

The AL West is considered to be the Astros’ division to lose. After all, they just won the World Series, and haven’t lost a significant piece of their core. They just added Gerrit Cole as well. The Angels, adding Shohei Ohtani from Japan, seem to be next up on the pecking order. If Ohtani shines, then the Angels have a chance to challenge the Astros for the top spot in the West.

The two Wild Card spots can go to a variety of teams outside the Al West as well. The Red Sox and Yankees will duel for the top slot in the East while the Twins try to catch the Indians in the Central. In this scenario, six teams are fighting for five American League playoff spots. This would leave Oakland on the outside looking in. So what has to happen? Maybe the Yankees’ power duo strikes out- literally and figuratively. Ohtani may fail to be the two-way player the Angels wanted. Miguel Sano could get suspended for sexual misconduct by the commissioner. There are a lot of possible scenarios that the A’s would benefit from, but they also must play quality baseball to succeed in 2018.

Oakland Athletics: Making Matters Better at the Corners

Matt Chapman and Matt Olson and are the two players the A’s youth rebuild is centered around. Chapman is known for his defensive prowess, while Olson’s primary skill is his raw power.

Matt Chapman is the A’s player that most fans are excited to see in 2018. MLB Pipeline rated Chapman in the top 100 before he lost his prospect status. He’s the best defensive third baseman you’ve never heard of if you aren’t an A’s fan. He may be the best in the majors; a simple look at some of his defensive plays and his 70-grade arm can make some people put Chapman right behind, or even next to, Nolan Arenado.

Olson, as stated above, is known for hitting balls into the bleachers.In just 59 games his rookie season, Olsen smashed 24 home runs. Not only that, Olson finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He did this playing in a little more than one-third of the A’s games last season. This is a testament to Olson’s offensive skillset and his success in the green and gold.

For the A’s to make the Wild Card Game, they need both players to not regress from 2017. Besides that, Chapman needs to improve his offensive game. He slashed .234/.313/.472 his rookie year, and a better performance offensively by Chapman can bolster his national relevance and help the A’s earn a playoff spot in 2018. For Olson, fewer strikeouts would show that he is improving and help the A’s chances for a playoff spot. He struck out 27.7% of the time in 2017, so the A’s need to hope for improvement in 2018.

Oakland Athletics: Shifting Around the Diamond

Having players change positions during the season without the acquisition of a new player is often worrisome. For the Oakland Athletics, it’s a blessing.

Slugger Khris Davis played left field all of last season, and will now be moving to DH. In 2017, both Davis and Ryon Healy produced offensively but failed to be consistent on defense. This led Healy to be traded to the Seattle Mariners this offseason. This gave the A’s the flexibility to acquire Stephen Piscotty from the Cardinals in a heartwarming bigger-than-baseball story. It also allowed the A’s to platoon veteran Matt Joyce with the versatile Chad Pinder in left field.

Beyond Joyce and Pinder, the Davis move to DH creates opportunities in center field. Boog Powell proved to be a solid addition and is currently lined up to start in center field. Should Powell stumble out of the gates, Dustin Fowler can come in and start in center field. Granted, he may not be entirely healthy, but Fowler should provide an offensive spark to the team once he enters the starting lineup.

Should any outfielder get injured, there are people able to replace their production. With three of the four projected bench players being able to play in the outfield, the A’s can pick and choose which players start to give them the competitive advantage over teams. Since Pinder also plays in the infield, he can spell either middle infielder. Along with his presence in the outfield, Pinder’s versatility parallels the flexibility the Oakland A’s will have in 2018.

Oakland Athletics: Prospects on the Rise

The A’s made two trades before the July Trade Deadline in 2017 that brought in solid prospects. Two of them, both from the Yankees, have a chance to make their impact felt in 2018.

Traded Players

Fowler, as mentioned above, can have his presence felt on Opening Day. After suffering a horrific injury, Fowler has recovered and is expected to show why he was such a highly touted prospect before his match with the outfield wall. The other, Jorge Mateo, will be starting his season with the Nashville Sounds, the A’s Triple-A affiliate.

Although Mateo won’t make an immediate impact, the top 100 prospect brings a Pinder-esque versatility to the A’s organization. He currently plays shortstop but has also played second base and center field. Should both center fielder fail to live up to expectations, Mateo can replace them. If either middle infielder gets injured, Mateo can spell Pinder and other outfielders when tired.

Home-Players

MLB Pipeline rates Fowler and Mateo the third and fourth-best prospect in the A’s organization, respectively. Slightly ahead of them are two players who have been in Oakland’s organization for a few years: AJ Puk and Franklin Baretto.