A's are Becoming Fun Again

Jason Burke | Jul 25, 2024

Jul 23, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) smiles alongside outfielder Seth Brown (15) during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

For the last three seasons, the Oakland A's have been designed to lose. They lost 102 and 112 games the past two years, and are on pace for a 64-98 record this year. By most fan's standards, that's not something they'd be interested in watching. Yet, if it wasn't for the whole relocation of the franchise that has turned the fans that have stuck with this team away, then there would be a groundswell of interest in this team right now, because they are in fact, interesting.

At 41-63, the A's are in last place in the AL West, but in watching them play against the Los Angeles Angels the past two series, both in Oakland, it would be tough to say that they're a worse team than the Angels. Granted, the A's are 5-1 in those games, but they have also completely outplayed L.A., a team that has at times just seemed disinterested. Oakland outscored the Angels 43-15 in those six games, and even if you take away the A's 13-run outburst on Friday night, they would still have double the amount of runs scored.

The A's have also won series against some pretty good teams, namely the Philadelphia Phillies (64-38) and Baltimore Orioles (60-41) this year. The goal for Oakland in 2024 was to make some strides in the win column after a 50-112 campaign, but to also be more competitive. While their record may not indicate a huge improvement, their run differential of -67 is tied with the Tampa Bay Rays (51-51) and two runs better than the Toronto Blue Jays (46-55). While neither team is in contention this year, they are looked at as much better clubs.

The A's are still building for the future, and right at this moment, that future is looking a little better on the field. Lawrence Butler has been one of baseball's best hitters in the month of July, hitting a ridiculous .413 with a .471 OBP that includes eight homers, five doubles, two triples, and 24 RBI. He was batting .188 when the month began, but has raised that all the way up to .254 for the season during a scorching hot month.

Shea Langeliers is second on the team in home runs with 19, following closely behind Brent Rooker (23). Langeliers is also second in homers among catchers behind Seattle's Cal Raleigh, who has 20 on the year.

Brent Rooker has been one of the best bats in baseball in 2024, ranking fifth in wRC+ (168), behind just Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Marcell Ozuna. He has also been the third-best hitter in MLB in July, with a 280 wRC+. Somehow he wasn't an All Star.

A surprise addition to the list of July contributors is shortstop Max Schuemann, who ranks eighth in wRC+ with a 215 after batting .375 with a .478 OBP, three homers, ten walks, and 18 runs scored. With Butler settling in at the top of the A's lineup, Schuemann has been getting on base nearly half the time to provide him with opportunities to put runs on the board.

For many A's fans over the years, when questioned about why they root for this team, and not the one across the Bay that won three World Series titles in five seasons, the answer was along the lines of "they're more fun to watch." The 2022 season had a couple of moments, like Stephen Vogt's home run in the final game of the year, in the at-bat game of his career. Last year didn't provide a ton of positive memories between the Las Vegas relocation announcement, and the team losing 112 games.

This year, while they're still flirting with a 100-loss campaign, the A's are beginning to be fun to watch again. With fans in Oakland rightfully tuning out, and the potential fans in Sacramento and Las Vegas not ready to tune in just yet, it's just too bad that nobody is willing to watch.

The joy of being an A's fan is following the stories from season to season. World Series titles are nice, but for any fan base they're few and far between. Giants fans won three in the past 15 years, and now they're always mad at decisions being made by the front office. The Dodgers won in 2020, but they catch flack for winning in a shortened season. The Rangers won last year, but look to be sellers at the Trade Deadline. Winning a World Series isn't going to be what makes fans happy long-term.

Baseball is an escape for fans for half of the year. Day in and day out they tune in to keep tabs on their club. Winning is nice because it provides bragging rights for a brief period of time. But it's the story of how that championship is won over a number of years that is the real lasting memory.

While most fans in Oakland are done with this team, the players are doing their best to provide some final positive memories at the Coliseum.