Another A's Issue

I was talking to Diana after she read my last post about the A's attendance issues, and as an A's fan herself, she pointed out a source of frustration for her with the team: They don't keep players for very long and they're always a group of plucky youngsters.

From 2008 to 2009, the A's only returned 4 of 10 opening-day starters. Those same 4 players (Suzuki, Ellis, Sweeney, and Chavez) were also the only starters that returned from 2009 to 2010. That's a 60% turnover rate every year.

The Cubs, meanwhile, returned 7 of 9 opening-day starters from 2008 to 2009, and the only difference between their 2009 opening-day lineup and 2010 was swapping out Marlon Byrd for Milton Bradley. That's a 10% - 20% turnover rate.

It's hard to get enthusiastic about a team you have to get to know again year in and year out. Plus, why get invested in a player if you know they're likely to not be there next season? Not to mention that it's just hard to win when without veteran players, and I'm not talking about old stars who are past their prime. I'm talking about players who are mature and in their prime. The A's haven't had those for a very long time.

So if you're looking for yet another reason you can't get butts in seats Lew Wolff, there's a big one.