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2016 Season Preview
April 3, 2016

David Forst inherits a team and organization from Billy Beane that has fallen into serious disrepair. The team has been projected by the experts to finish in the cellar of the AL West and the newly minted Baseball News Network has the A’s finishing the season at 71-91. And help is certainly not on the way from within the organization. The team ranks has the 21^st best minor league system in the league, with only two Top 100 prospects (#30 1B Matt Olson and #81 SP Sean Manaea). If the A’s want to be successful, they’ll most likely have to search outside the organization to get that help.

Couple those two facts with penny-pinching owner Lew Wolff and a disastrous stadium situation and the future only gets bleaker and bleaker. In a way, it’s good that some change has occurred and that Beane has risen to a new rank. Maybe the new blood will help the poor product that the A’s put on the field last season and help them capture that very elusive World Series title they have been yearning for.

Despite the negative outlook for the coming season, hope springs eternal. There is a reason they play the games after all. So without further ado, here are your 2016 Oakland A’s:

Starting Lineup

CF Billy Burns (.294/.334/.392, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 26 SB in 125 games)
1B Yonder Alonso (.282/.361/.381, 5 HR, 31 RBI in 103 games w/ SD)
LF Khris Davis (.247/.323/.505, 27 HR, 66 RBI in 121 games w/ MIL)
RF Josh Reddick (.272/.333/.449, 20 HR, 77 RBI in 149 games)
3B Danny Valencia (.290/.345/.519, 18 HR, 66 RBI, in 105 games w/ TOR & OAK)
C Stephen Vogt (.261/.341/.443, 18 HR, 71 RBI in 136 games)
DH Billy Butler (.251/.323/.390, 15 HR, 65 RBI in 151 games)
2B Chris Coghlan (.250/.341/.443, 16 HR, 41 RBI in 148 games w/CHC)
SS Marcus Semien (.257/.310/.405, 15 HR, 45 RBI in 155 games)

Bench
C Josh Phegley (.249/.300/.449, 9 HR, 34 RBI, in 225 AB)
1B/LF Mark Kanha (.254/.315/.426, 16 HR, 70 RBI in 124 games)
IF Jed Lowrie (.222/.312/.400, 9 HR, 30 RBI in 230 AB)
CF Coco Crisp (.175/.252/.222, 0 HR, 6 RBI in 126 AB)

Starting Rotation
RHP Sonny Gray (14-7, 2.73 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 169 K in 208 IP)
RHP Kendall Graveman (6-9, 4.05 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 77 K in 115.2 IP)
RHP Chris Bassitt (1-8, 3.56 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 64 K in 86 IP)
RHP Jesse Hahn (6-6, 3.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 64 K in 96.2 IP)
LHP Rich Hill (2-1, 1.55 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 36 K in 29 IP w/ BOS)

Bullpen
CL Sean Doolittle (1-0, 4 saves, 3.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 15 K in 13.2 IP)
SU Liam Hendriks (5-0, 2.92 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 71 K in 64.2 IP w/ TOR)
SU Ryan Madson (1-2, 3 saves, 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 58 K in 63.1 IP w/ KC)
RHP John Axford (4-5, 25 saves, 4.20 ERA, 62 K in 55.2 IP w/ COL)
LHP Marc Rzepczynski (2-4, 5.66 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 41 K in 35 IP w/ SD & CLE)
RHP Fernando Rodriguez (4-2, 3.84 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 65 K in 58.2 IP)
RHP Charles Brewer* (1-1, 2.92 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 7 K in 12.1 IP in AA)

*Brewer was signed on 3/31/2016 to a 1-year/$700,000 contract. Felix Doubrant was placed on waivers and DFA’d to make room for him on the roster.

Disabled List
SS Eric Sogrard (60-day DL, strained groin, out 3 months)
RP Jarrod Parker (60-day DL, Tommy John surgery, out 4 months)
SP Henderson Alvarez (60-day DL, Tommy John surgery, out 2 months)
RP RJ Alvarez (60-day DL, elbow reconstruction surgery, out 2 months)
LF Sam Fuld (60-day DL, wrist soreness, out 6-7 months)