Athletics' early success has them as an early postseason contender

Athletics' early success has them as an early postseason contender originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After finishing the last four seasons under .500, two of which had 100+ losses (2022: 60-102 and 2023:50-112), the Athletics have looked like a viable contender to make the postseason. At 19-18, the Athletics are the only team above .500 in the American League West and are a game and a half ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

The Athletics look like they could win the division or make it into the wild card; that success comes as a surprise, as the team is still in its transition of moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Athletics' early signs of success have them as an early favorite to make the postseason

The Athletics have not received some to little production from three of their core hitters: first baseman Nick Kurtz (.252 batting average with a .818 OPS), designated hitter Brent Rooker (.177/.598) and outfielder (.220/.743). Despite this lack of production, the Athletics ranked third on 's list of six teams whose success early on has made them postseason contenders.