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Final comment on the 2014 MLB season

The MadBum performance in many ways validates the Cespedes-Lester trade. I'd say the A's mistake was pulling Lester too early in the Wild Card game - not making the trade to get him (as sad as it was to see Cespedes go - which was very sad). There's no substitute for a mega-ace in the playoffs, see MadBum.

Had the A's won that WC game - I believe it would have been a Bay Bridge series (Lester, Shark, Gray - solid playoff rotation) - which would have been awesome. The 2014 AL WC game will go down as one of the most brutal loses, ever - for so many reasons. But so it goes, there's no crying in baseball, and there's always next year.

Congrats Giants, Go A's!

ALDS

Once again the A’s are the higher seeded underdog against the Tigers for the ALDS.  Be underdog status as it may, the A’s did take the Tigers to 5 games last year.  I predict the A’s will win this time, in 4 games.  The A’s know how to play the Tigers now.  They nearly swept them in a 4 game series *in* Detroit a couple months ago (winning 3 of the 4 games, and they should have won the 4^th).  The Tigers pitching isn’t what it was last year.  They still have a ridiculous batting lineup, but again, it isn’t quite what it was last year.

The larger context is simple; the Tigers are essentially a single thing - great starters and a powerful middle of the batting order.  Impressive yes, but also predictable.  You know what to expect, they are a fixed target. 

The A’s however are like a transformer.  They have a ton of extra pitching (granted the bullpen has been a little shaky in the second half of the season, but I think that ship has been righted and they are ready to go).  The batting order can flip over from left to right at the drop of a hat.  Crisp and Callaspo are switch hitters, and they have so many B+/A- hitters on the bench (who can play multiple positions in the field) that they can continuously adjust to new opposing pitchers. 

The only thing you do know about the A’s is that they are going to customize the team, on the fly, to make life unpleasant for you.  They are a moving target.  With the Tigers in a more fragile state, and the A’s knowing better how to mix-and-match, I think this shifts the edge to the A’s. 

Lastly, home field advantage.  It’s a big deal for the A’s.  Even the Tigers’ analysts admitted last year that the A’s fans were a different breed.  I’ll call them refreshingly insane.  The O.co is a tough place to play on its own, and add the Oakland fans who know the game and are loud as hell, and it’s going to be miserable for the Tigers.   So, you can say what you will about the superstars on the Tigers, the A’s are gonna take ‘em. 

This is an epic matchup of big money (5^th highest payroll) and individual talent in the Tigers vs. small money (5^th lowest payroll) and team effectiveness in the A’s.  So, when the A’s pull off what they are about to, you will have seen a smart, cohesive team outperform a collection of supremely talented individual players. 

Go A’s!  Let’s Go OAK-LAND!!!