If you squint just so, it’s possible to look at the latest collection of little known names that the Athletics have on their roster and imagine them flirting with contention. More likely, however, is a sub-.500 team of moving parts, many of which will be discarded or dealt as maestro Billy Beane continues to defy convention in hopes of a title that has eluded the A's since 1990. Focus, then, on the one player who seems as likely as any to stick around Oakland all year: outfielder Khris Davis, who quietly bashed 42 homers last season (tied for third in all of baseball). That included this monster shot against the Royals back in September, when he sent a Dillon Gee offering 473 feet deep into the fountains in Kauffman Stadium’s centerfield. That power will play.
