Oakland Athletics receive ‘F——‘ from ESPN for team’s April performance

Through a month and change of baseball, the Oakland Athletics have won six games. They are only one of two teams to not reach double-digit wins yet this season.

But that’s not all. The team’s on-field performance is being overshadowed by owner John Fisher’s attempts to move the team to Las Vegas.

READ MORE FROM SACTOWN SPORTS: Bay Area reporter says if A’s don’t land in Vegas, the team could get sold

ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently graded every team through the first month of play. While the A’s weren’t the only team to receive an F, they were the only club to get multiple minuses next to their F grade. Schoenfield focused first on the off-field storyline before pointing out the team’s poor performance.

That’s a big fat “F” as in … Fisher. Yeah, John Fisher, the owner who announced the team has agreed to buy land near the Las Vegas Strip with the idea of building a stadium and moving the team there for the 2027 season. Meanwhile, the A’s have a possum living in the visiting team broadcast booth, the lowest payroll in the majors and have lost games 18-3, 17-6, 13-1, 12-2, 11-0 (twice) and 10-1. In that 17-6 loss, they walked 17 batters. Their starting pitchers are 0-15 with an 8.51 ERA. The A’s moved to Oakland in 1968 and have the sixth-best winning percentage in the majors since then. They’re not going to have a winning season in 2023.

In that collection of stats is a new league record, too. With their starting rotation going winless through 31 games, the Athletics have set a record for the longest season-opening streak for a team not getting a win from a starting pitcher.

And Schoenfield doesn’t even mention the team’s attendance record. At Wednesday’s game, 2,685 fans show up. So far this year, the team is averaging just under 10,000 fans a game, peaking with the home opener.

You've probably heard that Oakland's AAA affiliate often brings in more fans than the MLB team.

But last night's Oakland A’s game only had 2,583 fans, which is less than their AAA, AA, and A+ affiliates averaged last season.

This has become a disaster.

(🎥: u/rjohnstone13) pic.twitter.com/2tm33kVjbh

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 3, 2023

Are there any bright spots? At least one.

Brent Rooker was named the American League Player of the Week. In a week full of games, the 28-year-old outfielder scored eight runs on five home runs and a double, hitting .417 while driving in 11 runs. With six walks and two hit-by-pitches, his on-base percentage was a whopping .545 against the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds.

And it wasn’t just last week that Rooker showed out. The A’s left fielder is hitting .320 with nine home runs and 22 runs batted in.

For A’s fans, things will probably get worse before they get better.

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