In Oakland, Brandon Moss emerges as unlikely star for Athletics

He thinks often about where he'd be now if he'd gone to Japan in 2012, or if he hadn't homered on June 12, or if he had gone 0-for-4 the next three nights

Brandon Moss is second on the Athletics in home runs with 12 and has the highest OPS on the team :: Brad Mangin/Getty Images

He thinks often about where he'd be now if he'd gone to Japan in 2012, or if he hadn't homered on June 12, or if he had gone 0-for-4 the next three nights instead of homering in each game. Maybe he'd be in Japan, or maybe he'd still be in the minors, working odd jobs in the winters. After all he's been through, after all those winters of in Logantown, he is grateful for this, his first real shot in the big leagues. "There was nothing that had to be given to me here," he said of the A's. "They didn't have to give me an opportunity. They didn't have to call me up. They didn't have to give me at-bats when they did. Think about it: I was a 28-year-old who had 600 at-bats in the big leagues but didn't do anything. And they still gave me a chance."