The Oakland A’s may be gone, but the franchise’s legacy in the East Bay will live on for years.
In fact, over the next few weeks grieving A’s fans will hear a lot of familiar names and see a lot of familiar faces.
Former Oakland A’s are everywhere for the MLB playoffs: Of the 12 teams playing in the postseason, 11 have direct ties to the Oakland A’s, who are moving to their temporary home in Sacramento next season.
The AL East-champion New York Yankees are the only team without an Oakland connection, but a case can be made that the Bronx Bombers also have a speck of Green and Gold DNA.
Oakland drafted (but failed to sign) soon-to-be two-time MVP Aaron Judge in the 31st round after his senior season at Linden High in 2010.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, (99) Juan Soto, (22) Giancarlo Stanton (27) and others, from left, stand for the national anthem before their MLB game against the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Depending on how things play out in the American League wild-card round, which begins today, two former A’s catchers-turned-managers could face each other in an ALCS matchup: the Guardian’s Stephen Vogt and the Tigers’ A.J. Hinch. If it’s not Hinch’s Tigers facing Vogt, it’ll be the Astros, who are managed by Joe Espada, who spent most of his minor league playing career in, yep, the Oakland A’s system.
Here’s a look at the Oakland A’s connections (and a couple other local ties) to this season’s playoffs:
American League
Detroit Tigers
A.J. Hinch – The former Stanford star was Oakland’s third-round pick in 1996 and was in the majors two years later. After the 2000 season he was part of a three-way trade that brought Johnny Damon, Cory Lidle and Mark Ellis to Oakland.
Hinch previously managed the Diamondbacks (he replaced former Bob Melvin) and the Astros, where he won the World Series in 2017, but two years later was suspended for his part in Houston’s sign stealing scandal. The Tigers’ manager since 2021, Hinch’s Tigers ended the season 31-13 to capture the final AL wild-card spot.
Tarik Skubal – The Tigers’ ace and likely AL Cy Young winner didn’t play for the A’s, but he was born in Hayward and grew up in Fremont, and went 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA in four career starts at the Coliseum.
Kansas City Royals:
Lucas Erceg – The graduate of Campbell’s Westmont High was a key part of the A’s hard-throwing bullpen after making his debut last season. He took over as the Royals’ closer after a mid-season and converted 11 of 13 save opportunities.
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lucas Erceg (70) throws against the Houston Astros in this multiple-exposure frame during the eighth inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Robbie Grossman – The veteran outfielder was a key contributor on the final two Oakland playoff seasons (2019-20) and …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
