Rich Hill Leads List Of All-Star Worthy Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are having yet another down year despite having several All-Star candidates on the team.
Before the season started, if you were told the A's would have a pitcher, not named Sonny Gray, who is second in the league in wins, a player hitting .343, and another in the top 10 in home runs, you would assume Oakland is doing well.
That, however, is not the case. The A's have some players with great individual numbers, but the team as a whole can't put it all together.
If you're an Athletics fan, one of the only things to look forward to this season is to see those players who are having good individual seasons in the All-Star game.
Every team gets at least one All-Star, no matter how well the team is doing. It's always nice for the team to have multiple All-Stars so there's no doubt each player deserves it.
With the 2016 All-Star game just over a month away, here are three Athletics players who have the best chance of making the American League team.
1. Rich Hill - Starting Pitcher
Hill has been, by far and away, the best pitcher for Oakland this season.
Before this season, the last time he was a full time starting pitcher was in 2007 with the Chicago Cubs. The odds Hill would make an All-Star team were not very high, but here he is among the league leaders in many categories.
But his Bugs Bunny curve and his high strikeout rate has put him second in the league in wins (8) and ERA (2.25).
The 36-year-old has never made an All-Star team during his 12 year career, but this could be the year he finally gets the call.
2. Khris Davis - Left Field
Davis has been exactly what the Athletics thought he would be after acquiring him in a trade during the off-season.
He strikes out a lot, but he can hit the ball a long way and drives in runs. He's currently tied for sixth in the American League in home runs with 14.
Davis goes through stretches when it seems like he can't miss the ball. He can also go through stretches when he can't even touch the ball.
Even if Davis doesn't make the American League All-Star roster, it would be nice to see how far he can hit the ball in a Home Run Derby.
3. Danny Valencia - Third Base
Valencia is having the best year of his career right now. He's batting .343 which would be good for the third best average in the league if it wasn't for the games he missed while on the Disabled List.
He's played in just 39 of the team's 57 games, but he has easily been the best hitter on the team.
For most of his career, Valencia has been a player who would only play when there was a left handed pitcher on the mound.
Now that the A's have him playing every day, the third baseman has taken advantage of the opportunity.
The biggest disadvantage for Valencia is the abundance of talent at third base in the American League. Names like Josh Donaldson, Manny Machado, and Todd Frazier are all third basemen who will more than likely make the team.
