2023 Oakland Athletics Preview

Nick Allen, shortstop of the 2023 Oakland Athletics, fields a ground ball during spring training

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

March 30, 2023

2023 Oakland Athletics Season Preview

The Oakland Athletics finished in last place in 2022 and had the worst record in the American League. Entering this season, the expectation is more of the same — most likely another last place finish.

Offense

This team was in the bottom five of many offensive categories last season. However, the offense for this season is about getting the young players involved and finding out whether they can be the groundwork to build a future upon. Shortstop Nick Allen is dependable with his defense and carried a .267 average in the minors. Manager Mark Kotsay would be happy if he could get that average to near that .267 this season.

Catcher Shea Langeliers has been working hard this spring on both offense and defense. The 25-year-old is the most advanced of the team’s young prospects and will be taking on a fulltime starting role after just 40 games in the majors last season. He has the potential to be a solid hitter and become the leader of this team.

Outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who was acquired in the Sean Murphy trade, will make the Opening Day roster. So far in 43 at-bats this spring, the 24-year-old has a .326 average. He led the minor leagues in stolen bases last season. With this team looking to run more, he will be counted on to be a successful base runner.

Oakland has a couple of veteran players to help with leadership. They signed Jesus Aguilar in hopes that he can regain his offensive numbers after a down 2022. He has 109 home runs in his nine big league seasons. While no one expects him to hit 35 home runs again, as he did in 2018, they do expect him to provide some power. Seth Brown is the leader. The team would be happy with another 25-homer season, but they really want to see him get his average up to at least .270 and cut down on his strikeouts.

Starting Pitching

The Athletics do not have a true ace at this point, but lefthander Kyle Muller was named their Opening Day starter. Their number five overall prospect, according to mlb.com, has a strong three-pitch mix that includes a fastball consistently hitting the 95-97 mph range. He also has shown two breaking pitches, a curveball and a slider.

Paul Blackburn who had a decent season last year will begin the season on the IL but will be counted on as the leader of the starters.

The most hyped pitcher is Japanese rookie Shintaro Fujinami. He spent the past 10 seasons in Japan, posting a 3.17 ERA with 1,357 strikeouts in 1,302 1/3 innings. The Athletics need to see him face more major league pitching before they really have an idea what he can become. But so far in spring training, his fastball has been up to 97 mph, and he looks like a big-league pitcher.

Bullpen

One of the biggest questions facing Oakland involves the closer role. Dany Jimenez and Trevor May are considered the favorites to fill the position for the 2023 season. Either would make sense; Jimenez led the A’s in saves last season while May adds the veteran leadership. The issue for the bullpen is that it will be used quite a bit if the starters struggle — and they will struggle. Pitchers like Zach Jackson, Sam Moll, Chad Smith, and Drew Steckenrider will be tested early and often. Oakland did sign Jeurys Familia to a one-year deal, bringing back an old friend to add depth to this bullpen.

Surprise Player

The surprise player for the Athletics for 2023 just may be the right-handed Shintaro Fujinami. While an MLB rookie, he comes with 10 years of experience. He is also a hitter with 252 career at-bats. Whether Oakland uses him as a hitter is yet to be determined. Who knows, he could even get some starts during the regular season as a DH or maybe even as a pinch hitter. And, chances are he will become a fan favorite.

2023 Oakland Athletics Outlook

The outlook for the Oakland Athletics in 2023 will most likely be a fifth-place finish in the AL West. Will they lose 100 games; well Oakland does seem to always find a way to overachieve. They could win 75. Although that may not seem like a big triumph, their young players and new talent get them another year in rebuild mode, to work out the kinks and gain experience against better teams without the pressure of high expectations. And, this puts them another year closer to being a competitive baseball team again.