Assessing the A's at the halfway mark of the season
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DETROIT -- While the All-Star break is still a few weeks away, the A’s hit the official middle of their 162-game season on Tuesday at Comerica Park.
Through rose-colored glasses, we can celebrate that the Athletics are playing .500 ball in the two games since, having split the final two games of the series against the Tigers following an 8-0 loss in Thursday’s finale.
The reality is that the club’s 32-49 record in the first half and last-place division standing means improvements can be made. Those numbers also don’t do justice to the many intangibles that suggest this club is better than its record implies.
“I think we’ve competed with the best teams enough to prove to ourselves that we can do it,” said right fielder Brent Rooker, “and I also think we’ve learned that we have a long way to go to get to where we want to be.”
Let’s dive into what has gone well so far and what needs to change going forward.
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Managing the ebb and flow
The A’s got off to a 20-16 start in 2025 that garnered some buzz about postseason potential. They then won just three of their following 24 games, including losing streaks of 11 and nine.
They are 10-10 afterward and remain competitive, with many tools available for what could be a pleasantly surprising season. At the very least, the club’s younger talent has had plenty of invaluable game experience and opportunities to mature.
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Youth movement
• Jacob Wilson is challenging Yankee Aaron Judge for the MLB lead in hits and batting average. He also leads American League All-Star Ballot voting for shortstops … and is considered a frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year honors.
• Denzel Clarke has won four consecutive Play of the Week awards for his ridiculous defense … and he made his MLB debut just 30 games ago.
• Rookie Nick Kurtz has 11 home runs this season … after hitting just 12 total across his three-season Minor League career.
• Jacob Lopez is among AL leaders for strikeouts in June … and he has just nine career MLB starts.
“Last year, we began this process with guys like Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “At the end of the year, we saw Jacob Wilson. We’ve matured Shea Langeliers.
“With the progression of these young players, it's nice to see them have success.”
With an average roster age of 28 years, the A’s are tied with the Phillies as the eighth-youngest team in baseball.
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What needs work
The Athletics have allowed 10-plus runs an MLB-high 19 times this season, up from 13 in all of 2024. The bullpen is part of that, having posted a 6.31 ERA over the past 14 games, with 12 blown saves since May 6.
Aside from on-field struggles, the pitching staff is also dealing with:
• The A’s landed a big veteran free agent in José Leclerc on Jan. 17, expressly to help shore up the back end of the ’pen, only to lose him to a right lat strain after just 10 appearances.
• Ken Waldichuk showed great promise in 2023 as the A’s No. 2 prospect before a UCL injury stole his entire ’24 season and all of ’25 to this point, although he’s expected to rejoin the club sometime in July.
• Brady Basso sustained a left shoulder strain on March 24. He was pulled from his rehab assignment on June 18 for further evaluation.
• Joey Estes, who finished 7-9 over 25 games (24 starts) in 2024 for the A’s was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas after a pair of rough starts to open the season.
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Help is on the way
Four of the 10 A’s on the injured list are position players, which affects the offense as much as the defense. The good news is that seven of 10 are expected back by the end of next month at the latest.
Parting words
One of the A’s greatest intangibles might be good chemistry. The club takes its job seriously, but there’s no brooding after a tough day. The bond among veterans and newcomers alike keeps things light and makes it easier to move past the first-half challenges and work through those to come in the second half.
While a postseason push isn’t likely in the cards this year, with everything the Athletics bring to the table, there’s also no reason not to aim high.
“You have to believe that, until you're mathematically eliminated, you still have an opportunity to win,” Kotsay said. “And that's the mindset right now.”