Another Second Half Heater is Improving the A’s 2026 Outlook

You might remember the then Oakland A’s catching your eye in the second half last season. After a putrid 37-61 record in the first half the A’s finished strong at 32-32 in the second half giving fans hope for the future.

Fast forward a year, as the [REDACTED] Athletics wrap another sub-80 win season, and you will find them in the same boat from last year, only with the sails catching a bit more wind. At the time of writing this the A’s are seven games over .500 in the second half with a more complete team than we have seen in several years.

I know it might sound crazy. Getting exciting about a non-playoff teams second half might seem pointless to some. But, the A’s have been building something that might be able to to turn into something faster than you may think.

Last season’s surge (for lack of a better word) was due to their offense. Lawrence Butler, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker, and others were all contributing to a level of seriously completive baseball. However, the A’s pitching mirrored a minor league team giving themselves a fairly limited ceiling.

What we have in the second half this season is different.

Pitching is Coming Around

When the A’s added Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, and Jose Leclerc the pitching definitely improved. Three veterans who have had success, no matter the variation, was a step in the right direct. Although not nearly enough to change the trajectory of the team, the staff did improve.

Over the course of the season the A’s were finally able to see a few arms blossom from inside their organization. Either through drafting or reclamation projects, the A’s were able to add a few arms that have at least established themselves as major leaguers, which they could not say back in March.

The rotation has seen three arms emerge as potential future pieces. Lefty Jacob Lopez and his seven-foot extension, funky sidearm delivery, and low velo fastball that batters struggle to pick up for one reason or another was the first to catch eyes.

Lopez was moved to the rotation quickly and over 17 starts pitched to a 3.96 ERA across 84 innings where his kitchen sink approach with five different pitches, all sitting 90 mph or below, kept batters from finding comfort in the box. He managed to post a 10.97 K/9 while also inducing soft contact which limited damage.

Injury sidelined him in September but what we saw in his first real stint in the majors was enough to make me a believer. It might be closer to a back-end starter than a front-of-the-rotation arm, but the A’s will take any organizational wins that they can get.

Another arm who profiles more of a back-end guy is J.T. Ginn. Ginn was a former highly rated prospect who came to the A’s back in 2022 in the Chris Bassitt trade with the Mets. Injury held him back to a point that many wrote him off as a prospect. After debuting with some success last year, Ginn took a big step this season posting a 4.57 ERA, 4.64 FIP, and 3.71 xERA.

Ginn was the type of pitcher opposing fans didn’t know much about but afterwards found them selves wondering who is that? Not because he dominated a lineup, but instead because of how much his stuff stands out.

The problem was consistency and location, which did result in some hard hit balls, but I often left impressed after seeing several pitches each start that show what made him a top prospect. In my opinion, his slider is his best pitch and one that can keep him in the league while his sinker has the movement profile to be a plus pitch but needs some command work.

Overall, Ginn impressed me; ERA and other more baseline stats aside. If I’m the A’s, I’d be excited about having a back end of the rotation of Lopez and Ginn, both of whom have not reached their ceiling. But, what I’d be most excited about is the guy with “ace” potential.

That guy would be Luis Morales, who didn’t debut until the second half. The now-23-year-old was always an underrated prospect in my eyes. A 97 mph fastball with good ride usually will find you a place in the majors. His sweeper has goofy movement and his slider brings another breaking ball with a few added ticks of velocity.