We head back out west for our next team in my MLB Countdown:
#11: Oakland Athletics (2019 rank: #14)
The Oakland Athletics have slowly but surely inched up my rankings for a number of years now (even if I haven't posted such rankings besides in 2019). If you had asked me back in 1990, the A's would have been a bottom 5 team for sure (thanks in no part to them being the Reds' nemesis in the World Series that year, but even more so perhaps because Oakland got all the glory and press prior to the Series).
Now though, I'm kind of on board with the Moneyball A's. I used to think the Astros were even better at mathematical analyses than the A's but given the recent findings against Houston I'm back with the A's as the best mathematical team (with maybe the Rays up there as well). Plus, nowadays Oakland is nothing but an underdog which is the sort of thing I naturally gravitate to as it is.
And with that, we've finished off the bottom two-thirds of the MLB teams. Next up, we find our first Top 10 team and it's the only second team from the AL Central to show up in the rankings thus far.
2020 Rankings:
#30: New York Yankees
#29: Boston Red Sox
#28: St. Louis Cardinals
#27: San Francisco Giants
#26: Washington Nationals
#25: Miami Marlins
#24: Chicago Cubs
#23: Milwaukee Brewers
#22: Houston Astros
#21: Pittsburgh Pirates
#20: Atlanta Braves
#19: Los Angeles Angels
#18: Los Angeles Dodgers
#17: Texas Rangers
#16: San Diego Padres
#15: Baltimore Orioles
#14: Colorado Rockies
#13: Kansas City Royals
#12: Toronto Blue Jays
#11: Oakland Athletics
#10: ??
Contest entries to date (see here for details):
22 John Sharp
21 P-Town Tom
16 bbcardz
14 hockey kazi
25 Brett Alan
14 Fuji
1 acrackedbat
1 Wilson
21 Matt
2 Trevor P.
1 friend11
1 Adam Kaningher
1 CrazieJoe
#11: Oakland Athletics (2019 rank: #14)
The Oakland Athletics have slowly but surely inched up my rankings for a number of years now (even if I haven't posted such rankings besides in 2019). If you had asked me back in 1990, the A's would have been a bottom 5 team for sure (thanks in no part to them being the Reds' nemesis in the World Series that year, but even more so perhaps because Oakland got all the glory and press prior to the Series).
Now though, I'm kind of on board with the Moneyball A's. I used to think the Astros were even better at mathematical analyses than the A's but given the recent findings against Houston I'm back with the A's as the best mathematical team (with maybe the Rays up there as well). Plus, nowadays Oakland is nothing but an underdog which is the sort of thing I naturally gravitate to as it is.
And with that, we've finished off the bottom two-thirds of the MLB teams. Next up, we find our first Top 10 team and it's the only second team from the AL Central to show up in the rankings thus far.
2020 Rankings:
#30: New York Yankees
#29: Boston Red Sox
#28: St. Louis Cardinals
#27: San Francisco Giants
#26: Washington Nationals
#25: Miami Marlins
#24: Chicago Cubs
#23: Milwaukee Brewers
#22: Houston Astros
#21: Pittsburgh Pirates
#20: Atlanta Braves
#19: Los Angeles Angels
#18: Los Angeles Dodgers
#17: Texas Rangers
#16: San Diego Padres
#15: Baltimore Orioles
#14: Colorado Rockies
#13: Kansas City Royals
#12: Toronto Blue Jays
#11: Oakland Athletics
#10: ??
Contest entries to date (see here for details):
22 John Sharp
21 P-Town Tom
16 bbcardz
14 hockey kazi
25 Brett Alan
14 Fuji
1 acrackedbat
1 Wilson
21 Matt
2 Trevor P.
1 friend11
1 Adam Kaningher
1 CrazieJoe
Hmmm...I kind of like the A's, I guess. Being the only team in baseball with green as their major color helps; they look great. Moneyball helps too, especially the movie as I love me the Aaron Sorkin. And they've got the smaller-team-in-their-market underdog thing that is similar to the Mets, although that doesn't really make me feel much for the Angels (or the White Sox, if that applies to them). Although they did beat us in 1973, which was the first World Series I can remember, and they gave the world Reggie Jackson (whom we really should have drafted!).
ReplyDeleteI'll guess the Tigers for the AL central team.
BTW, I just found out that the A's won't be on the radio in their home area this season! Their games will be available online and they have some radio affiliates, but they couldn't sign a station in the Bay Area to carry the games. That's not a good sign. https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/193774/no-local-broadcast-radio-for-oakland-a-s-in-bay-ar?ref=mail_net_news
DeleteChicago White Sox next?
ReplyDeleteI'm like a couple of the A's young arms this year. They always seem to have a productive farm system.
I'm certainly no fan of the A's, who beat my Tigers in the 1972 ALCS....I rooted against the Athletics in every p World Series, and every every playoff series since.
ReplyDeleteOh, and my Tigers are in your Top 10...I feel pretty good about that!
Good Job!
Hmmm, my Dodgers defeated the A's in the 1988 World Series (the Dodger's last WS championship) but lost to the A's in the 1974 World Series. I try to never underestimate the A's. Just when you think they're sliding into the "lost cause zone", they become competitive again.
ReplyDeleteI'm leaning towards the Twins being up next.
I'm going with the Tigers next.
ReplyDeleteYeah... the A's have been underdogs for way too long. I hope they start investing some money into their roster sooner than later. Regardless... they're my favorite team. As for your #10... I'll go with my gut reaction which was the Twins.
ReplyDelete