The Oakland Athletics Have A Hill To Climb In 2010
To deny that Oakland has a lot of work to do to get back into the American League West would be a lie. However, a team does not have to necessarily be a World Series favorite to get the fans excited. Come the first day of the season, any team could come out of a division and get into the playoffs. The question is, “Will the Oakland Athletics be one of those teams?”
After a losing season, Oakland refused to sit still and hit the open market with gusto. There were no blockbuster trades, but some significant signings did happen. Whether or not Oakland can win this division is not really the concern. Fans want to know if the team will show progress and fight instead of falling down on the ground and putting their tail between their legs.
If anyone is looking for signs of hope, look no further than the signing of Ben Sheets. This is a legitimate pitching stud that welcomed the role that he will be thrust in with this young team. Having a talent like this for one year is better than nothing, but expect him to look to resign if this team shows that they can once again play some decent baseball.
It addition to Mr. Sheets taking the ball every 5th day, Andrew Bailey will be there to clean the games up in the ninth inning. While he may not yet be a household name, if he duplicates his performance from last season, it is only a matter of time before everyone who loves baseball is uttering his name. There is little doubt that he will close out the game when the ball gets into his hands.
While the A’s don’t have the next Albert Pujols in their lineup, there is no need to worry about talent. It may be unlikely that a lot of balls will be leaving the yard courtesy of Oakland bats, this is a team with decent speed and a lot of players that can flat out hit. They are going to get a lot of base runners and if they can get some key hits, they will have some huge innings.
Young teams are often much underrated as the season starts and that can lead to some teams coming in and not taking the A’s seriously. That would be a mistake this season as they have some legitimate ballplayers on this squad and the pitching is going to be sneaky good.
You want a reason to come down to the ballpark? Consider the fact that there is an opportunity to see one of the best pitchers in the league and some of the best up and coming players in baseball. There are plenty of future stars on this team, however, are they ready to be stars now? If they are, look out world because here come the Oakland Athletics.
Written by Jake Kohler, sponsored by TicketSeating.com. TicketSeating.com sells Oakland Athletics Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and many more tickets to just about any event in the world.
