It’s no surprise the Oakland Athletics are playing well as a unit; it’s just a bit surprising who’s leading the charge. Likewise, guys who were originally expected to propel the A’s toward the postseason haven’t quite gotten the job done.
The team has a bit of everything.
There’s guys like Grant Balfour who have dominated, but it isn’t a surprise. There’s men like Jarrod Parker and Yoenis Cespedes who’ve had some ups and down but overall they’ve had decent years. Players like A.J. Griffin aren’t having the best of years, but it’s neither a surprise nor a disappointment.
To make it on this list, one of two things has happened.
The player entered the season with fairly big expectations and he hasn’t met them. But not just that, he hasn’t even come close. Or there’s the opposite. A player had little expectations and wildly overshot them.
There are eight players on this list: four in each category.