When you hear that the 2023 Oakland Athletics are historically bad, that’s not an exaggeration.
They are, indeed, historically bad.
As of Tuesday afternoon, their record stands at 9-34.
They have dropped three straight and eight of their last ten games.
That record is obviously terrifying, but the stat that shows just how bad the A’s have been is run differential.
“Worst total run differential 43 games into a season (all MLB teams, 1901-2023): 2023 ATHLETICS, -160 (not a typo), 1932 Red Sox, -129; 1938 Phillies, -122; 1996 Tigers, -114; 1903 Cardinals, -114; 1951 Browns, -113,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Worst total run differential 43 games into a season
(all MLB teams, 1901-2023):2023 ATHLETICS, -160 <—— not a typo
1932 Red Sox, -129
1938 Phillies, -122
1996 Tigers, -114
1903 Cardinals, -114
1951 Browns, -113 pic.twitter.com/PhNackz7kK— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 16, 2023
Take a minute to digest that: the 2023 A’s have the worst run differential 43 games into a season…by 31 runs.
Wow.
There are few words to describe what the A’s ownership has done with the team.
Since failing to qualify to the 2021 postseason (after making it in 2019 and 2020), the A’s tore things apart and traded their best and most valuable assets for prospects.
They did it to save costs and money.
It’s sad they prioritize that over competing.
Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt, Elvis Andrus, Sean Murphy, and many others left the organization in the last two years via trade or free agency.
The A’s were the worst team in the American League in 2022, but they are outdoing themselves and are now, with some difference, the worst team in baseball.
As it turns out, if we are looking exclusively at run differential, they might be the worst team in the last 120 years.
We can’t help but feel bad for fans in Oakland, as they are about to lose the franchise to Las Vegas, too.
The post The A’s Are Shattering Awful MLB History appeared first on The Cold Wire.
