2016 MLB season: AL West preview

3 of 6

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics were one of the most disappointing teams in the Majors last season, finishing in last place with a 68-94 record, the franchise’s worst mark since 1997. Billy Beane made a rare major mistake with the Josh Donaldson trade the previous offseason, and it became clear early on that Oakland was going to struggle.

Oakland’s talent level was not nearly as bad as that record indicated, as a big culprit was an awful bullpen. Bullpens can be volatile from year to year, and the A’s brought in plenty of new faces, which should help them improve somewhat this season.

Projected lineup:

1.Billy Burns, CF

2. Jed Lowrie, 2B

3. Josh Reddick, RF

4. Khris Davis, LF

5. Stephen Vogt, C

6. Danny Valencia, 3B

7. Billy Butler, DH

8. Yonder Alonso, 1B

9. Marcus Semien, SS

While the Athletics won’t be challenging Houston for the best lineup in the division, they should be able to hold their own.

Lowrie, Davis and Alonso aren’t big-name additions by any means, but they should provide some significant improvement for the team. Oakland will platoon in a few spots as well, as Mark Canha and Chris Coghlan will be solid contributors off the bench.

One key player will be Valencia, who has crushed lefties throughout his career and showed some progress against right-handers towards the end of the year. The Athletics will also hope for some development both offensively and defensively from the promising Semien.

Projected rotation

1. Sonny Gray

2. Rich Hill

3. Chris Bassitt

4. Kendall Graveman

5. Felix Doubront

There’s a lot of unproven upside (beyond Gray) in Oakland’s mostly young rotation. If a few Athletics starters can reach their ceilings quickly, Oakland will be a dangerous team.

Bassitt and Graveman both have the chance to develop into solid No. 2 starters and have shown flashes already. Doubront won’t hold a spot forever, as Henderson Alvarez (who was terrific in 2014 before a shoulder injury) and top prospect Sean Manaea will challenge for the No. 5 role at some point.

Hill had one of the most interesting stories in baseball last year, posting a 1.55 ERA (2.27 FIP) in four starts per FanGraphs after bouncing around the minors for several seasons. Don’t expect the 35-year-old to continue at that pace, but the A’s will be in good shape if he pitches like a mid-rotation starter.

While Oakland might just not have enough talent to challenge for a postseason spot, it will show some flashes at times and improve upon the 68-win campaign from a year ago.

Projected record: 77-85.

Next: 3. Seattle Mariners

Home/Houston Astros