October is finally here and playoff baseball is in full swing.  The Oakland A’s have won the AL West two years in a row now, and will face the Detroit Tigers in an ALDS rematch.  Last year these two teams played the full five with the Tigers advancing to the ALCS.  This year the A’s look to get some playoff revenge and advance further into October. Here’s five keys for the A’s to have a successful run this postseason.

5. Coco Crisp

As they say where Coco goes so do the A’s.  The green and gold’s leadoff hitter has had a career season with his first 20/20 year of 20-plus homeruns and stolen bases.  Crisp is key to getting the A’s offense off to a good start and getting some momentum going at the plate.  Last year, Crisp made an unforgettable catch in center field to rob a homerun; his defense goes without saying, but the A’s need Crisp to be a force at the plate as well. 

4. Defense

Speaking of defense, last postseason, the A’s made some questionable defensive plays and some plays that should have been made, weren’t.  The 2012 team was a young group of guys with not a lot of postseason experience; this year it’s different.  When it comes to October baseball, there’s no room for error; the A’s need to be on their toes throughout the whole game and not let the hype of postseason get to them when on the field.  They have a Gold Glove caliber third baseman in Josh Donaldson and a defending Gold Glove winner in right field in Josh Reddick.  They have the guys who can make some great plays, they just need to be sure to execute those plays on the big stage.

3. Yoenis Cespedes

There’s no doubting the impact a healthy Cespedes has on this team.  When the Cuban Missile’s in the A’s starting lineup he adds a homerun threat that helps the hitters surrounding him.  He hasn’t had the season he was expected to have, but he did play very well in September.  The only issue is the question of his health when it comes to his shoulder, which kept him out of the lineup for the final two games of the regular season.  Manager Bob Melvin has said that Cespedes will be in the lineup for Game 1, either as a designated hitter or left fielder.  When Cespedes is kept out of the lineup, the A’s struggle.  They were 83-51 with him in the lineup compared to 13-15 when he was held out of the lineup.  The A’s have relied on the long ball this season, and Cespedes is the guy you’d want at the plate in must score situations.

2. Starting Pitching

The A’s pitching staff hasn’t disappointed this year.  Some starters have had some ups and downs, but the young guns of the A’s continue to grow and develop with each start.  Bartolo Colon will get the ball in Game 1, rookie Sonny Gray gets the nod for Game 2, Jarrod Parker will pitch Game 3 in Detroit, and Daniel Straily will get the start in Game 4, if necessary.  The 40-year-old Colon has had a remarkable year and will look to continue his success in the postseason.  He has experience in the playoffs and can get the A’s going in the right direction.  Gray has lived up to the hype and has proven he can handle the pressure of big games.  Last October, Parker was the A’s number one starter and did a fine job against these Tigers, he’ll look to continue his strong performances against the Tigers in Detroit and a big Detroit crowd.  Straily has been iffy throughout the season, but has really stepped up in some big games as well.  The A’s success this postseason will depend on starting pitching; these four guys need to shut down a very good Tigers offense, and they have the talent to do just that.

1. Bullpen

The number one key for the A’s in the playoffs is a good bullpen.  Towards the end of the season, All-Star closer Grant Balfour and Ryan Cook struggled, which is worrisome heading into a big ALDS series.  The 1-2-3 punchout of Sean Doolittle, Cook, and Balfour, has proven to be effective in the past, but these three have had their struggles over the course of the season.  In order for the A’s to advance and be successful this postseason, they need their bullpen to be lights out.  No matter how many runs the offense scores, or how many shutdown innings the starters pitch, none of it will matter unless the bullpen is able to do their job and close the door. 

The A’s weren’t favorites to win the AL West, despite shocking the world and winning the division title last year.  They always seem to fly under the radar, but they like it that way; gives them a little more incentive and something to prove.  They didn’t end the 2012 season the way they wanted to, as the Tigers ended their postseason hopes.  Now it’s time for the A’s to get some revenge and knock the Tigers out of the playoffs.  This series will feature two of the best teams in baseball, and just like last year’s ALDS, it’s sure to be a fun, exciting, and dramatic five game series.