As the Oakland Athletics prepare for their four game series with the Detroit Tigers, now seemed as good a time as any to start looking at MLB Standings as they relate to the A's. We'll be looking at standings early in each series stream just to keep you up to date as to where the A's are in the AL West and the Wild Card. The wild card race doesn't really kick into gear until after the All Star Break, but it's worth keeping track of it anyway. I've posted both sets of standings below.
In the West, the Rangers jumped out to a quick 9-1 start, but have lost two straight, and more importantly, they've lost Josh Hamilton for six to eight weeks with a fractured humerus. You never wish injury to opposing players, but this provides a big opportunity for the rest of the West. Given the roster moves this past offseason, it's unlikely that we'll see any of the four teams run away with the division. However, a strong push heading into Memorial Day weekend could position one of these teams for a playoff run.
The AL Wild Card is basically a jumbled mess right now because it's so early. The Kansas City Royals have a half game lead over the Yankees, Angels and White Sox. We'll keep track of the Wild Card in each of these updates, but we won't get into serious discussion about the field until the summer.