It is not a secret that Oakland A’s ownership has gone out of their way to destroy the franchise. They have succeeded in what may be a historic level.
After their 18-3 pasting at the hands of the Texas Rangers on Saturday, the A’s have a -100 run differential after 21 games. Not only is that 50 runs worse than the next team on the list, but the A’s are on pace to finish the season at -771 runs overall.
Oakland A’s pathetic season could reach historic levels
Should the A’s current pace hold, their ineptitude would reach historic levels. The modern era record for the worst run differential is -345, a mark reached by the 1932 Red Sox. The infamous 1899 Cleveland Spiders, at -723, hold the all time MLB record. That is the type of company that the A’s could keep.
As unlikely as it may be, that record could fall. Ken Waldichuk and Kyle Muller are solid prospects, but both have been hit hard in the early part of the season. Shintaro Fujinami (14.40) and James Kaprielian (12.23) have the highest ERAs of any pitcher with at least ten innings this season. While Kaprielian has been sent to the bullpen in an attempt to get him back on track, the A’s have insisted on keeping Fujinami in the rotation. Chances are, that run differential will explode every Saturday.
This is all by design. A’s ownership gutted the team to make them unwatchable. This way, they could use the lack of fan support as a handy excuse to head to Las Vegas for even more money. What is unexpected is how historically awful the A’s have been this season. Operation Implosion has been wildly successful, even beyond their wildest dreams.
The Oakland A’s are on pace for a -771 run differential this year. That type of ineptitude would set a new major league record.
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