Mariners and A's similarities.
Spoiler [+]
There’s something rather interesting going on over in the AL West; the only four team division in baseball is really only offering three different teams this year. There are still four franchises, but Oakland and Seattle have apparently decided to put the exact same team on the field this year.
If you go to the team pages here on the site, it’s impossible to avoid the similarities. We’ll start on the mound, which is where both teams strengths lie.
SEA: 2.78 BB/9, 7.26 K/9, 0.55 HR/9, 44.6% GB%, .290 BABIP, 5.8% HR/FB, 3.10 FIP, 3.50 xFIP
OAK: 2.97 BB/9, 7.11 K/9, 0.55 HR/9, 49.4% GB%, .288 BABIP, 6.5% HR/FB, 3.18 FIP, 3.45 xFIP
Both pitching staffs have accumulated +7.7 WAR which puts them in a tie for first place in the American League. In both scenarios, the starting rotation has done the bulk of the good work, with both teams receiving quality performances from every member of their rotation.
Both staffs have also had to adjust to losing their closers to injuries, as David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey have spent the entire year on the DL. Replacement closers Brandon League (three consecutive blown saves) and Brian Fuentes (AL leading six losses) have both struggled at times, but their bullpens have been rescued by nondescript right-handers with similar names – David Pauley in Seattle, David Purcey in Oakland.
While the pitchers are the strength of both organizations, the position players are another story. Billy Beane and Jack Zduriencik both put together rosters of players who had good defensive reputations and hoped to get enough offense from a few key hitters to make up for the fact that neither team had much in the way of power. Well, the no power aspect has turned out to be true, as the Mariners are last in the Majors in home runs with 24 – the A’s have 25, and are only ahead of the M’s in launching balls over the fence.
Additionally, the defense part of that “pitching and defense
If you go to the team pages here on the site, it’s impossible to avoid the similarities. We’ll start on the mound, which is where both teams strengths lie.
SEA: 2.78 BB/9, 7.26 K/9, 0.55 HR/9, 44.6% GB%, .290 BABIP, 5.8% HR/FB, 3.10 FIP, 3.50 xFIP
OAK: 2.97 BB/9, 7.11 K/9, 0.55 HR/9, 49.4% GB%, .288 BABIP, 6.5% HR/FB, 3.18 FIP, 3.45 xFIP
Both pitching staffs have accumulated +7.7 WAR which puts them in a tie for first place in the American League. In both scenarios, the starting rotation has done the bulk of the good work, with both teams receiving quality performances from every member of their rotation.
Both staffs have also had to adjust to losing their closers to injuries, as David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey have spent the entire year on the DL. Replacement closers Brandon League (three consecutive blown saves) and Brian Fuentes (AL leading six losses) have both struggled at times, but their bullpens have been rescued by nondescript right-handers with similar names – David Pauley in Seattle, David Purcey in Oakland.
While the pitchers are the strength of both organizations, the position players are another story. Billy Beane and Jack Zduriencik both put together rosters of players who had good defensive reputations and hoped to get enough offense from a few key hitters to make up for the fact that neither team had much in the way of power. Well, the no power aspect has turned out to be true, as the Mariners are last in the Majors in home runs with 24 – the A’s have 25, and are only ahead of the M’s in launching balls over the fence.
Additionally, the defense part of that “pitching and defense
