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Four Reasons Why The Oakland A's Will Surprise You This Season

The Oakland A's seem to shock the baseball world every year when they trade away star players and assemble a rag-tag group of players, only to make it to the postseason. This has become the norm since Billy Beane took over as the team's general manager, and this year is no different.

After trading away all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays, losing out on the Jon Lester sweepstakes and trading another power hitter in Brandon Moss, this year's lineup was looking bleak. Don't count them out yet, because here are four reason why the A's will once again surprise you:

4. Billy Butler will be better than Brandon Moss was

There's a certain love/hate relationship between fans and hitters who hit a ton of home runs but can only hit .200. That player was Moss. Luckily, Beane found a serviceable replacement in Butler.

Sure the homers were nice, but Butler provides much more than that. He's coming off one of his worst years of big league baseball, but he has a strong track record of being a very productive first baseman in the American League. Keep an eye on him to bounce back this summer.

3. Marcus Semien will not be another Stephen Drew

The A's thought they struck gold when Drew was acquired midway through the season in 2012. Unfortunately, his injury-ridden stint with the club was average at best and he was promptly let go.

Since the young Semien was traded from the Chicago White Sox this past offseason, he has taken a firm grasp of the starting shortstop position. Already hitting .289 this year, he leads the team in RBIs with eight in just 10 games.

He may not be an all-star this year, but he has a good chance to grow into a star with Oakland.

RELATED: 36 Years Later, Oakland A's Back At HoHoKam Park

2. Coco Crisp who?

We all love Coco Crisp. The name in itself sounds delicious, but the man has had nagging injuries for the past couple of years with his latest one not looking good for the 35-year-old centerfielder.

Do not fear, A's fans, Sam Fuld has filled in and exceeded expectations. His .361 batting average and eight runs lead the team, and he has been playing some stellar defense. If he can continue this trend, Crisp will become a distant memory.

1. Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir

Just 10 games into the season and the A's have the best 1-2 punch in the majors. Sure it's early and the sample size is small, but in a combined 28.1 innings, Gray and Kazmir have allowed two runs while striking out 25 batters.

They were both terrific last year, but to emerge past the Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw/Zack Greinke duo and the five aces on the Washington Nationals will be a real challenge. So far this season, they look ready to impress some people.

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