2021 Oakland Athletics Depth Chart
A deteriorating and recovering rotation has written the story to the Athletics rebuild. Trailing back to the early 2000s, the Athletics haven’t featured three, double digit winners in the starting rotation. While this is only the beginning to the team’s woes that downplays consistency at the plate in exchange for pop and power. Khris Davis has been near the top of the league in home run totals over the past few seasons, but a mere .250 average is often overlooked. The prospect base continues to expand as many players are nearing their ready and taking the step into big league play. Despite inconsistencies, the team is on pace for their best finish in the past 5 years.
| Catcher | Sean Murphy | Austin Allen | |
| 1st Base | Matt Olson | ||
| 2nd Base | Jed Lowrie | Chad Pinder | Tony Kemp |
| Shortstop | Elvis Andrus | ||
| 3rd Base | Matt Chapman | ||
| Left Field | Mark Canha | ||
| Center Field | Ramon Laureano | ||
| Right Field | Stephen Piscotty | Seth Brown | |
| Designated Hitter | Mitch Moreland |
Top Pitchers
The starting rotation is filled with contribution. Most of the starters are near the 10-win mark, which is a promising stance for an organization that has historically struggled in these regards. Sean Manaea is the team’s workhorse. Manaea has started 27 contests, good for the team lead. His 108 strikeouts fail to highlight his ground ball to fly ball success ratios. He keeps the ball within the infield and favors a sub-4.00 ERA. Mike Fiers has matched Manaea in the win column at 12 and has received a bevy of run support during his starts, His 3.38 ERA is a strong stance for a player who historically averages well above the 4.00 ratio. Jeurys Familia has been the strongest relief arm. Starting the season as the team’s closer, Familia favors a longer distance. He can spread the consistencies over a couple innings as opposed to giving everything he has in the closer role. He does play owner to 18 saves, which is a strong number for a reliever.
Top Infielders
The talent base established across the infield has been years in the making. Two of the organization’s top prospects got a full workload this season in Matt Chapman and Matt Olson. Chapman owns a .282 average, which is a massive improvement off the late-season appearances last year. His command and plate presence have arrived. Chapman has also posted 23 long balls with 64 RBIs. Olson has retracted from his hot start. At the beginning of the season, Olson was near the top of rookie eligible players in total rake and batting average. His bat has cooled some but is still trending near the .260-mark. His 27 homeruns are good for second on the team. Marcus Semien has been a player that has fit well within the Oakland system. He can contribute on both sides at a serviceable level, adding experience to replace the notion of having to throw an untested player into the infield mix. The same attributes can be shed light on the career of Jed Lawrie, a serviceable veteran that has established himself as a platoon player with this infield.
Top Outfielders
Khris ‘Crush’ Davis has re-written the power surge in the Oakland outfield. The 30-year-old has already smashed 43 homeruns on the season, good for tops in the league. He is pacing for beyond 50, a telling sign that his career has only been refined with age. His plate average still sits near the .250-mark which is something the veteran has worked with. He gained a formidable defenseman when the team acquired Stephen Piscotty in the off-season. While the move made headlines for other reasons close to Piscotty, he slots well into this lineup. The everyday right fielder has climbed a bit for his career statistics, mashing 24 home runs to go with 76 RBIs.
Starting Lineup
Owning a roster of talent that has 5 guys over the 20 homerun and 50 RBI club, the team can play with their match-ups. The production comes heavily throughout the starting lineup, often begging to differ between one through nine on a match-up favor. The same goes for the starting rotation. No one player is overpowering in the strikeout category but going 5-strong in the command category has this team set-up nicely for success. The Athletics will take this season’s success into the post-season, an area the team hasn’t reached in years.