2008 Oakland Athletics

2008 Oakland Athletics / Franchise: Oakland Athletics / BR Team Page[edit]

Record: 75-86, Finished 3rd in AL Western Division (2008 AL)

Coaches: Tony DeFrancesco, Ron Romanick, Ty Van Burkleo, Don Wakamatsu, Tye Waller and Curt Young

Ballpark: McAfee Coliseum, Tokyo Dome (March 25-26)

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 2008 Athletics had ups and downs during the season, sometimes seeming like a contender but ultimately ending up under .500.

The team went 16-11 in April, and was in first place during much of the second half of April and the first part of May. But the team slumped to 12-15 in May. It came alive again in June, going 16-10, but struggled in July, going 8-17. The team was in second place from May 13 all the way to July 21, and then was almost always in third place for the rest of the season, as it went 10-20 in August and 12-12 in September. The team played much worse on the road than at home.

In many offensive categories, the A's were one of the worst teams in the American League (granted that they play in a pitcher's park). Their batting average of .242 was dead last in the league, and their slugging of .369 was also last. They had the most strikeouts in the league, although they did draw walks well.

Jack Cust was by far the leader in homers, with 33, and slugging percentage among regulars, with a .476. Emil Brown had 13 homers and Mark Ellis had 12, both appearing in 117 games. 40-year-old Frank Thomas, who signed with the A's after leaving the 2008 Blue Jays, struggled with injuries and hit only five home runs in 55 games.

Most of the regulars hit under .250, with Ryan Sweeney posting the best batting average at .286. Mike Sweeney, in 42 games, also hit .286.

Bobby Crosby played in 140+ games for the first time in years, and led the team with 39 doubles. Young Daric Barton, while hitting only .226 at first base, led the team in triples with five. Rajai Davis was the top base-stealer with 25.

With an average team age of 27, the team wasn't very old, with only two players over 35: Frank Thomas and Alan Embree.

Justin Duchscherer was the star of the staff with 10 victories and a 2.54 ERA in 141.7 innings. Rich Harden went 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 77 innings. The workhorse of the staff, Greg Smith, pitched 190.3 innings with a record of 7-16.

Huston Street, still only 24 years old, had 18 saves to lead the relievers, and Brad Ziegler had 11 saves with a 1.06 ERA in 47 appearances.

Eric Chavez, one of the highest-paid players on the team, had shoulder surgery and appeared in only 27 games during the season.

Manager Bob Geren had almost the same record in 2008 that he had in 2007.