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| Can Lester lead Oakland to the W.S? Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images |
The Oakland A’s made it known through trading for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel a few weeks ago, that they were putting all their chips toward the middle of the table and going all in to win the World series this season. Now they have added another ace like pitcher to what is becoming a rapidly improving rotation.
By: Michael Hanley
The Athletics have acquired Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and cash from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for power slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The Red Sox will also receive Oakland’s competitive balance pick in the 2015 draft.
Jon Lester was one of the top pitchers available as the trade deadline neared. He certainly could be put into the category of an ace pitcher with the numbers he has posted this season and quality of all his pitches. Lester so far this season has posted a 10-7 record with a 2.52 ERA and a 149 strikeouts to only 32 walks in the strikeout to walk ratio, which is outstanding.
If you remember, he was one of the major reasons why the Red Sox went onto win the World Series last season.After a regular season in which he went 15-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 213 ⅓ innings pitched, Lester shifted into a whole other gear once October came calling. He was lights out in the postseason as he became the ace of that staff during the title run,going 4-1 with a miniscule 1.56 ERA.
The Athletics already had a very strong rotation as it was with Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija and Sonny Gray as their top three in the rotation. Lester now adds a third ace to the staff in addition to Gray and Kazmir. That might sound crazy to say, but if you look at their numbers, you could certainly make the case for both pitchers. Both Gray and Kazmir have identical records of 12-3 and nearly identical ERAs posting 2.65 and 2.37 ERAs respectively. It is similar to the situation that the Dodgers currently have in their rotation with the two distinctive aces at the top of their rotation in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
Adding Lester to this mix will give Oakland a top three at the top of their rotation that could easily be called the best in baseball. All three pitchers are so sound and fundamental when it comes to getting their pitches over for strikes. Yes all three can overpower batters with a fastball for a strikeout but they also can make even the best of hitters look foolish at times when they have command of their offspeed pitches and get hitters to go after a pitch that starts in the strike zone and gets that bite at the end up nearly diving into the dirt.
There is no set way in which hitters can consistently get hits off these these three top pitchers, they are constantly making adjustments and mixing up their pitches to keep opposing lineups off balance and thinking instead of just reacting and swinging at a pitch.
Yoenis Cespedes though will be missed in this Athletics lineup. His batting average was not impressive this year or in any of the seasons he played with Oakland but it goes well beyond just that. The power numbers he produced were remarkable for a player at the beginning of his MLB career. He has already hit 66 home runs in total since making his major league debut with the A’s in 2012. He was a bat in that lineup that was feared by most of, if not, all pitching staffs that were up against him.
Not only could he crank out the home runs nearly at will but also he is a very intelligent hitter as well knowing to not just limit himself to a home run hitter. Cespedes also was terrific at spraying his hits all over the field, using all of the ballpark and it dimensions to his advantage. A great example of that is the 26 doubles he has hit in total so far this season. Jonny Gomes and newly acquired outfielder Sam Fuld will be a solid platoon at the left outfield position but they will not be able to replace all of the power Cespedes provided.
His outfield arm will also be sorely missed as he gunned down runner after runner with his cannon of an arm. He dazzled all of baseball with some of his incredibly accurate throws to get runners out, plays that no one in their right mind could think be made with how much velocity and ground Cespedes had to cover on these throws from the outfield.It is an underappreciated part of the game but can play such an important role in close games and Cespedes was the master at getting these outfield assists.
Now with Lester in the fold, the Athletics have put themselves in a great position to have a true chance to win their first World Series title since 1989. They have a strong starting rotation, a balanced lineup that can score runs in many different ways and a bullpen that has been for the most part solid and reliable enough to get the job done. General Manager Billy Beane no matter how this season turns out, has put all his chips in the middle of the table, giving his team a great chance to have a special October.
