Oakland A’s are in full swing down in Arizona for Spring Training.  The pitching is looking great, and the offense is finally waking up.  Let’s take a look at the key factors for the Athletics’ if they want to win the American League.

1. Make Sure Brett Anderson Maintains His Health. 

Brett Anderson was named the starter on the bump for Opening Day against the Seattle Mariners where he will be in a matchup against King Felix himself, Felix Hernandez.  Anderson didn’t pitch the whole season last year when he was out after Tommy John surgery which requires 13 months of rehabilitation.  He made a great comeback helping in a 2-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers in Game 3of the ALDS, sending the A’s to game four.  Anderson needs to maintain his health and leadership to support the green and gold, luckily for him, he has Tom Milone, and Jarrod Parker on his team if he can't.  This could be a phenomenal year for the Athletics, and Anderson will play a huge roll in that success.  Follow him on twitter too, the dude is hilarious.

2. Reddick Needs to Eat Pie

 Ok, this sounds weird, but the walk off homerun pies were in full affect last season.  It seemed every other game there was a bomb hit in the bottom of the 9th to win the game by the A’s.  The guys in green and gold had 15 walkoffwins last year (14 regular season, one postseason).  Josh Reddick had 32 homeruns last year and 85 RBI’s, both career highs for him.  He was even named the American League Rightfield Gold Glove Award Winner to add to the resume.  If he maintains his bat, and proves that Gold Glove true, the A’s have a fighting chance of taking it all.

3. Ignoring the “Hype” of the Angels

You’re crazy if you have anything negative to say about Mike Trout (besides the fact maybe he put on a little love chub in the postseason).  Oh and that one guy Josh Hamilton adds to an already stacked lineup of Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo, and C.J. Wilson.  The media has been all over the Halos since the signing of Hamilton.  Luckily, looking at the A’s they could care less.  (Secretly I think they keep picturing the disappointed look on Trout’s face when they realized they had to watch the AL West playoffs from home last year).  The A’s need to maintain a sense of scrappiness like they did last year.  Have fun, do their job, and win some games.  As the Angels may be the biggest competition in the league, let’s remember Oakland did make the playoffs over the teams that had both Hamilton and Trout last year, and history has a tendency of repeating itself. 

4. Bullpen Needs to Maintain

Manager, Bob Melvin said at the beginning of spring training how he has never been blessed with so much depth in the bullpen.  If you saw the lineup you would understand why.  They have big names like Jerry Blevins, Ryan Cook, Grant Balfour, and Sean Doolittle.  Each of those guys is capable of getting the job done.  Plus seeing a Balfour/Doolittle rage is quite awesome.

5. One word: Cespedes

All Melvin has to do is keep this guy in the lineup.  Yoenis Cespedes hits the crap out of the ball, while still maintaining a glove in left field.  He also hit a bomb off Melvin in practice recently, with a donut still on the bat.  He’s a beast.  You would have to be to be runner up behind Trout for Rookie of the Year.  He finished last postseason on fire with a .316 batting average, and 23 homeruns in the regular season.  He will hit bombs in the 35 range this season and hit over .300.  Calling it now.  This is the year for Cespedes and the A’s.  If you have a chance to snag him in fantasy, do it.  Or I will pie you myself. 

The A's have a big chance of maintaining what they did last season and then some.  They are the underdogs yes, but the best part of sports are those Cinderella stories.  Let's hope the A's get their glass slipper.