To Billy Beane's credit, Chris Ellmann failed to sign out of high school. Milwaukee had thrown at least two million dollars Ellmann's way, and even as a fifth round choice, he barely gave it a sniff. To Amit Patel, though, this was an opportunity to learn. If the A's had budgeted more money for the draft, Ellmann could've been a steal. Then again, it could've been millions of dollars wasted on a player who may never pan out. It would be a lesson for another day.
The A's entered the 2020 All-Star Break at a respectable 48-42, but ahead of only the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. The Texas Rangers (57-34) had a sizable lead in the division, and the best record in the league to boot. Hitting, not surprisingly, was the strength of Oakland, as the team led the AL in runs (496), batting average (.277), and on-base percentage (.346). Francisco Lindor was leading all of baseball with a .374 average. Sueo Mihara and Carlos Correa were 1-2 in the league in RBI, and Lindor led MLB with a WAR of 5.6.
But the experiment to put low-cost, ground-ball pitchers on the mound had disastrous results. The A's starting pitchers had accumulated a 5.30 ERA, the second-highest in the AL, with a subpar defensive efficiency of .673, 10th out of 15 teams in the league. If not for Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.47 ERA, 104 K in 106.1 IP), the A's might very well have had the worst pitching staff in baseball.
Despite all of the shortcomings, the A's were competitive, and Patel had made good on many of his promises to team owner John Fisher: Score more runs (1st in the AL). Have a winning record (.533 winning percentage). Acquire a hometown player (Mark Appel). All of this, Patel hoped, was in line with the long term goal of reaching the postseason. But he also knew as quickly as he had been named the A's GM, it could all be taken away with one misstep or one bad break.
