SACRAMENTO — With the 2025 Midsummer Classic in full swing, capped off by today’s star-studded All Star Game, it is officially the time of year where MLB teams evaluate their first half performances. 

For the Athletics, this break marks the end of the team’s first 98 games in Sacramento, where they’re playing at Sutter Health Park while they await relocation to Las Vegas in 2028. 

As was expected coming into this season, the A’s do not look like a team that will be competing for a playoff spot. However, the emergence of young talent, along with a few standout moments throughout the year have given a glimmer of hope to a fanbase that has been hopeless since the 2022 season.

The A’s currently sit at 41-57 on the year, putting them at last place in the AL West by a seven game margin. Yet still, there is reason for optimism as this is the team’s best record at the break since 2021, when they were 52-40. 

The Athletics’ season thus far can be broken up into three parts.

On May 5th, through 36 games, the A’s sat at 20-16, one game behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the AL West. This marked the most games the A’s had been above .500 since they were 7-5 to begin the 2022 season. The hot start showed fans that the team was improving, and capable of winning games.

The season would then flip completely, with the A’s going 8-28 over their next 36 games, including two separate losing streaks of at least nine games. After such a hot start, this slump, due in large part to poor pitching, put them at 28-44 through 72 games, all but putting an end to any hopes of a magical playoff run in their first year away from Oakland. 

The A’s would bounce back heading into the All Star Break though, breaking even in the remaining 26 games, going 13-13. In this stretch, they won series’ over the Royals, Rays, and Blue Jays. 

The biggest highlight of the season has undoubtedly been the display of young infield talent for the Athletics. 

Rookie SS Jacob Wilson and rookie 1B Nick Kurtz have been undeniable bright spots thus far. Wilson leads the team with 113 hits and a .332 AVG, along with 9 HR on the year, while Kurtz totaled 53 hits, 17 HR and 44 RBI in just 58 games played since being called up.

Wilson, the favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year, will start in today’s All Star game, the first Athletic to do so since Josh Donaldson in 2014. 

DH Brent Rooker was named an All Star alongside Wilson, batting .279 with 106 hits and 20 HR so far this season. Rooker competed in this year’s Home Run Derby, but was narrowly eliminated in the first round. 

Perhaps the most excitement surrounding the A’s this season has come from high-flying centerfielder Denzel Clarke. Clarke has had two jaw dropping home run robberies this season, including one against the Angels on June 9th, where Clarke scaled and extended over the outfield wall to make the catch, sending the baseball world into a frenzy. 

Barring a historic comeback post All Star break, the A’s will once again miss the playoffs this season. They have the fifth worst record in the league, rank last in attendance and have failed to retain much traction in their new home. 

However, unlike in recent years, alongside the negatives, the A’s have shown glimpses of a clubhouse that is slowly trending upward. Young talent, excitement and all, the team will look to continue stringing together wins, and finish the 2025 campaign off strong.

The A’s second half begins this Friday July 18th in Cleveland, the first of lengthy nine game road trip.