2018 MLB Preview: Oakland A’s

Basic Stats:

Final Record: 75-87

Offense

fangraphs.com

Pitching

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The Superstar: Khris Davis

Davis put up a monster line in 2016 with 43 HRs, 91 Rs, and 110 RBIs, and in the heart of his prime there is little reason to expect something different in 2018. His splits were relatively even across both halves of the season, and with the A’s looking to be improved on offense with a full season of Marcus Semien and the breakout of Matt Chapman there is even more upside to Davis’ counting stats.

The Sleeper: Sean Manaea

Manaea fell apart a bit in the second half, but he was a Top 50 player in the first half of the season with almost 9 K/9, 3.56 FIP, and 15.2% K-BB%. He did put things together in the last month of the year, and it was only a terrible month of August that hurt his numbers. He’s only 25 years old and could be a sneaky pick for a breakout star in Oakland.

The Guy to Avoid: Jed Lowrie

This is really tough call for Oakland as many of their player seem undervalued in early mock drafts. I’m going with Lowrie here just for the fact that he played a full season in 2017, and his injury history tells us that it is unlikely he will repeat. He has topped 100 games played only 3 times in the last 8 years. While I put him here as a guy to avoid, where he’s going in drafts he’s still worth the risk given the production he’s capable of. I’m only concerned if he’s my top SS heading into the season.

The Prospect To Watch: Franklin Barreto

Don’t give up on Barreto after a lackluster cup of coffee in 2017. This kid has the makings of a future fantasy stud - double digit power and steal potential and likely to stick at SS for the foreseeable future. He’s raked at every step along in his development, and most times playing with players much older. He was 21 years old last year and made it to the Major Leagues, and Barreto has a bright future ahead of him.