Okay, apprehend me out.
Since the A's active Yoenis Cespedes in 2012, the aggregation was 228-131 with him in the starting calendar and 43-69 afterwards him in the lineup, including their 15-25 almanac back the trade.
That's a .635 acceptable allotment with him vs. .384 afterwards him. Those are, absolutely simply, amazing numbers. The affectionate of numbers that advance that Cespedes had abundant added of an appulse on this aggregation than a amateur with a career on-base allotment of aloof .317.
Yes, his arm was a affair of legend. But it's not like he was admirable in the outfield. His fielding allotment and ambit agency are both beneath the alliance boilerplate and he absolutely had a -0.7 arresting WAR. Basically, he fabricated aloof as abounding mistakes as he did affective throws.
So what on apple fabricated him so admired to this team? And why accept the A's plummeted in such amazing appearance back they traded him?
Sure, it could be a aggregate of bad luck and really, absolutely ailing timed slumps. But watching the A's bold afterwards bold over this amplitude of a ages and a half, it's acutely added than that. This has gone from a aggregation that would access the ninth inning and, if they were bottomward three runs or less, it acquainted like annihilation could happen, to a aggregation that not alone acquainted like any arrears was too ample of a deficit, but that no advance acquainted safe either.
It has been the complete abashing of the team, the fanbase, and apparently Stomper too. He seems happy, but I bet he's dying inside.
This seems like added than baseball. It's been a complete tonal about-face from the aboriginal bisected of the division back the A's beatific six guys to the All-Star bold and were assertive the alliance in such a way that their league-best almanac absolutely adeptness accept been a bit of an underachievement. How could a aggregation that was this good suddenly, and afterwards warning, become this bad?
It's not like they gave up Cespedes for nothing, either. Jon Lester has been every bit the ace the A's were acquisitive he'd be back they best him up. In eight amateur with Oakland, he sports a 2.54 ERA, 50 strikeouts and 10 walks.
So it's added than aloof missing Cespedes' production. It's added than aloof a crumbling offense. It's not Lester.
Maybe, aloof maybe, Yoenis Cespedes is magic.
Maybe aloof actuality about this team, by arduous force of will and possibly bewitched ability, he fabricated anybody better.
Maybe Brandon Moss, who had aloof one antecedent division (15 amateur account of a season) with an OPS aloft .800 afore abutting armament with Cespedes and accepting seasons of .954, .859 and .854 (before the trade) to accepting an OPS of .548 in August and .223 in September back Cespedes took whatever appropriate ability he had abroad to Boston.
The alone affair (and accept me, it's the only thing) that sheds any array of agnosticism on my "Cespedes is magic" theory, is that the Red Sox are aloof 17-23 back obtaining the slugger. Could it be that the ability works both ways? Does Cespedes alone magically accomplish the A's better? Does he apprehend this? Could this accept been acclimated as a acceding dent to accumulate him in Oakland afterwards 2015 back it was already a foregone cessation that the A's were never activity to be able to allow him?
There are so abounding important questions and, it seems like, no way to get any absolute answers. Is Cespedes magic? Is he the appropriate affectionate of abracadabra that alone works with the A's? Are the A's accursed now that Cespedes is gone? Did Cespedes anathema the A's on purpose or was it alone a byproduct of his trade? How continued will the anathema last? Do they charge to ritualistically cede Eric Sogard? What would the acknowledged ramifications of that be?
If the A's somehow cull it all calm at the aftermost minute, about absurd that is, this will all be fabricated moot. But until then, we all accept to accede the achievability that there was annihilation the A's could do already they traded abroad Cespedes. Because he absolutely adeptness be magic.
Matt is 95 percent kidding, but crazy abundant to about affectionate of accept this. Follow him for added batty A's takes.
Title : Oakland A's: What If Yoenis Cespedes Is Magic?
Description : Okay, apprehend me out. Since the A's active Yoenis Cespedes in 2012, the aggregation was 228-131 with him in the starting calend...