The 2023 MLB season is warming up as pitchers and catchers have officially reported, and spring training draws closer. In this series of articles, TGH is going to be giving an early look at every team’s projected pitching rotations ahead of Opening Day on March 30. Here is the 2023 pitching rotation for the Oakland Athletics.
**Note: As these are very early projections, the pitching rotations are subject to change before the season officially begins.**
The Athletics finished the 2022 season with a record of 60-102, landing them dead last in both the AL West and the American League as a whole. Their team’s ERA was 4.52, with a collective batting average of just .216.
1. Shintaro Fujinami
2022 stats: N/A
Fujinami is joining the the Oakland A’s for his first MLB season in 2023. He began his professional career when he was 19-years-old in 2013, playing in both the JPCL and JPWL in Japan.
2. James Kaprielian
2022 stats: 5-9, 4.23 ERA, 134.0 IP, 63 ER
2022 was Kaprielian’s second-consecutive year pitching over 100 innings. His wins fell and his ERA rose, but not worringly so. He’ll likely get even more innings this season.
3. J.P. Sears
2022 stats: 6-3, 3.86 ERA, 70.0 IP, 30 ER
Sears spent his rookie year with two teams, the Yankees and the A’s. He pitched a total of just 48 innings with Oakland, but started 10 games with them.
4. Drew Rucinski
2022 stats: N/A
Runcinski last played in the MLB back in 2018 with the Miami Marlins. He’s spent the last three years in the South Korean leagues, and joined the Athletics in December of 2022, set to start for them next season.
5. Ken Waldichuk
2022 stats: 2-2, 4.93 ERA, 34.2 IP, 19 ER
Despite pitching just 34.2 innings last season, Waldichuk is in line to get much more work in 2023. He started seven games last season, and could be moved to the bullpen if he proves himself more effective in small bursts.
Stay tuned for more breaking MLB content, including trade deadline information, power rankings and more news from every team.
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