2000 Oakland Athletics

2000 Oakland Athletics / Franchise: Oakland Athletics / BR Team Page[edit]

Record: 91-70, Finished 1st in AL Western Division (2000 AL)

Clinched Division: October 1, 2000, vs. Texas Rangers

Postseason: Lost AL Division Series (3-2) to New York Yankees

Managed by Art Howe

Coaches: Thad Bosley, Brad Fischer, Ken Macha, Rick Peterson, Mike Quade and Ron Washington

Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 2000 Oakland Athletics was the team that put Billy Beane on the baseball map. Even though the 1999 team made a name for itself with a strong finish, it was the 2000 team that turned young prospects such as Jason Giambi (AL MVP and All-Star in 2000), Miguel Tejada (MVP in 2002), Eric Chavez and Ramon Hernandez into stars. This was also the beginning of the Big Three: Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder, with Hudson (All-Star in 2000) establishing himself as a solid and dependable starter and Barry Zito fooling batters with his 12 to 6 curveball which would later earn him a Cy Young Award in 2002.

This was the season that took a disappointing Mets starting pitching prospect (via a typical Beane trade the year before in whiche he gave up an aging closer, Billy Taylor, who by the way would never record another save) by the name of Jason Isringhausen and made him a bona fide All-Star closer in 2000.

Led by Giambi's "bad boy" attitude (yes, he used to have an attitude) and the no fear mentality of a young energetic Dominican shortstop by the name of Miguel Tejada, the 2000 Oakland A's is the team that has become the blueprint on how to build a successful franchise with a small budget. Beane put this team together, just like many of his teams, by making smart trades, investing draft choices in college prospects and by locking young prospects into long-term deals (in Billy Beane terms, a long term deal may be defined as three years). Although many of these players would go on to disappoint with four consecutive first round playoff eliminations, it was this team that put the Oakland Athletics back on top as one of the most succesful franchises in baseball history.