The 2024 A’s Had A Great July, A Great July, And A Great July
No, I didn’t fall asleep with my head on the keyboard causing it to type “control V” repeatedly. The 2024 Oakland A’s had a great July 3 times over and it could reverberate throughout the “known Sacramento years” to come.
1. Great July Record Reminiscent Of 2017
It’s tempting to draw comparisons between the 2024 A’s and the 2017 A’s but when you look at the differences, in some ways what the 2024 A’s did in July is more impressive. The 2017 A’s, coming off dreary 2015 and 2016 seasons and more of the same the first half of 2017, began their return to goodness-leading-to-greatness with the arrivals of Matt Chapman and Matt Olson.
It wasn’t a July phenomenon, though, as Chapman batted just .193 in July upon being called up and didn’t get settled in until August. Olson had just 12 plate appearances in July before taking the league by storm in August.
But the real difference is that in 2017 the A’s called up the two future stars, while in July, 2024 there were no new studs responsible for Oakland’s first winning month in two years. July 2024’s success was not on the back of Jacob Wilson, nor Tyler Soderstrom (25 PAs before hitting the IL). It was carried by players in their mid-20s whom we had heard from before: breakouts by Lawrence Butler, continued strong performance by JJ Bleday, continued mashing by Brent Rooker, dependable starting pitching from JP Sears and Mitch Spence, and so on.
In any event, July was a terrific month for the A’s as they put together a 15-9 record with plenty to build on as they await the returns of key prospects Wilson and Soderstrom. Given how well the A’s have played absent those two (now 22-14 since the start of July, a .611 winning percentage that translates to 99-63 over a full season), there is reason for optimism in Oakland.
2. Smart Trading Deadline
Then, halfway through a promising month the A’s made some key decisions. Perhaps two of their best moves were the ones not made: Oakland decided to hang onto Brent Rooker and Mason Miller despite the considerable interest in each. Both have several years remaining on their contract and keeping them signaled that the A’s intend to be competitive soon — a plan that just a couple months ago seemed difficult to fathom.
As for the trades the A’s did make, they may have struck some gold with the Lucas Erceg deal. In particular, starting pitcher Mason Barnett has #2 SP upside that he looks like he has a chance to realize.
A 3rd round pick of the Royals, Barnett is off to a terrific start with AA Midland where he is now 2-1 in 3 starts with a 1.10 ERA. All the peripherals check out: 16.1 IP, 14 hits, 3 BB, 21 K. The A’s were in dire need of more SP prospects with “front of the rotation” upside and Barnett adds one who could push for a spot on the big league roster in the next year.
Also intriguing is the addition of outfielder Jared Dickey. Dickey comes with the risk of being a “tweener” as his best defensive position is still unclear and he lacks power. But the 22 year old was having a fine season with KC (.269/.360/.424) and there is plenty to like about his start with Lansing (.293/.373/.362). In particular, Dickey’s 9.1% BB rate and 15.2% K rate are auspicious.
I will wait to say anything good about Will Klein until he has an appearance that isn’t horrific, but the raw stuff is there. More to the point, as much as I like Erceg and genuinely wish him well, the fact is that for all our worries about Miller’s arm it was Erceg who missed time this season with forearm tightness — he seems to have gotten through it but it’s a reminder that cashing in on his value, and getting someone of Barnett’s caliber in return, was a smart move.
Time will tell on the A’s other trade, Paul Blackburn for Kade Morris, but it’s worth noting that Blackburn’s upside was often overstated. He has pitched like a “mid-rotation SP” all of half of one season, when he very much earned an All-Star berth in 2022. Even then he faded badly in the second half and he currently sports a 4.82 career ERA. It’s a relatively low bar for Morris to clear, and he is just 22 with “3rd round” pedigree on his side.
So along with playing great baseball on the field in July, the A’s also may have nailed it at the trading deadline.
2024 Draft Class
But wait, there’s more. If you’re not excited about the A’s 2024 draft selections then you’re not paying attention — which is actually understandable given that they are in low-A Stockton or the A’s AZL complex in Arizona.
2021 is, currently, the “draft which might save the A’s” — save them, sadly, from the horrific trades that were supposed to anchor the rebuild. But 2024 has a chance to be another key haul. So far it has done the near impossible, which is draw widespread praise from national pundits who usually can’t wait to underrate the A’s and their prospects.
Nick Kurtz has, so far, been as advertised showing why the A’s ignored published rankings and said he was their “1.1 choice all along”. Prior to the draft I wrote a piece suggesting Oakland should pick from amongst 4 “good choices” (Bazzana, Condon, Caglianone, Wetherholt), but I have since done a complete 180 as I have learned more about Kurtz and why the A’s regard him so highly.
No one knows what the future will bring, but I will hereby declare I was wrong and the A’s scouting department knew best and I will defend the A’s pick regardless of how it eventually looks in hindsight.
Certainly Kurtz’ debut in Stockton has only reinforced why he was coveted by the A’s. Known for his patience and power, in his first 5 games Kurtz is 8 for 19 with 5 BBs and 3 HRs. That’s an early slash line of .421/.542/.947 and as a quick riser you can expect Kurtz to be in the conversation when big league 1Bmen are discussed for 2026.
Another high pick, 3rd round selection Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, has elite “contact skills” that have drawn “Wilson-lite” comparisons. Kuroda-Grauer has also hit the ground running in Stockton: 8 for 17 with 3 BBs and 1 K.
We haven’t seen SP Gage Jump yet, but he and 3Bman Tommy White, Oakland’s third and second picks, cracked the updated “top 10” A’s prospect list: White ranks #4, Jump #9 and the consensus seems to be that Oakland may have nailed it this draft — obviously only time will tell but it’s a welcome narrative echoed by many who often don’t give the A’s much credit.
A .625 winning percentage for the month, shrewd deals and maybe even more shrewd non-deals, and a much praised draft that is already looking sharp. Now that’s a great month.