On May 14, the Oakland Athletics were 19-25. They were in last place in the AL West, sitting 9 1/2 games out of first and already 4 1/2 out of the second AL wild card. And only a fool would've thought this was a problem for Bob Melvin's guys. You see, there's a history here.

During the tenure of general manager/(now) executive vice president Billy Beane, the A's have had a knack for getting hot at some point from mid-May to late June. 

  • In 2018, the A's were 34-36 through June 15, which was a whopping 11 games out of the second wild card. They would finish 97-65, winning that wild card spot with ease. 
  • In 2013, the A's were 20-22 through May 15, sitting seven games out in the AL West. They would end up 96-66 and win the division by five games. 
  • In 2012, they finished June at 37-42, 13(!) games out of first. They would go 94-68 on the season, stealing the West from the Rangers with a dramatic five-game move in the last week. 
  • In 2006, the A's were 23-29 through May 30, which was five out in the AL West. They would go 93-69 and win the division. 
  • In 2003, they were a solid 35-29 through June 12, but that was eight games back of the Mariners. The A's would finish 96-66 and in first place. 
  • We all remember the "Moneyball" group in 2002, right? The A's were 20-26 after a loss on May 23. They would go a ridiculous 83-33 (LOL) to end the season -- a stretch that included the historic 20-game winning streak -- to finish in first with 103 wins. 
  • In 2001, at various points the A's were 2-10, 11-20 and then 35-40 before they surged to 102 wins and the AL wild card. 

This all happened on Beane's watch. It's happening again. 

Since that 19-25 record after May 14, the A's have gone 39-19 and now occupy a playoff position. They are conceivably within striking range of the Astros at 6 1/2 games back in the West.

Obviously the history with different players than this current iteration doesn't matter, though I'm not sure it's a coincidence with how Billy Beane builds teams. You'll typically see lots of young players or veterans getting regular playing time for the first time, guys playing in new positions or deep rosters with lots of flexibility. In situations like this, it can take time for players to settle in. 

"Early in the season it's a lot of feeling stuff out," Matt Chapman says of his experience with the A's. 

It also seems like they are constantly banged up, especially in the rotation. Losing Frankie Montas amidst his career year to a PED suspension didn't help matters. 

"We just have guys consistently step up, whether it's from someone getting hurt, going down (to the minors), whatever," Chapman said of the adversity. "We're able to push through those things." 

Also, specifically with this group, it pre-dates the majors, says Chapman. 

"I think it kind of dates back to the minor leagues," he said. "That was kind of like how our team operates. I don't know if it's like we're feeling our way into the season or if we have to force adversity upon ourselves in order to start playing better ball. At the beginning of the season, everybody's roles aren't yet defined and we had a couple injuries."

Even in 2017, the young and non-contending A's finished very strong, winning 17 of their last 24 games. Why didn't they parlay it into a hot start to the 2018 season? Much like them not starting hot this season after a surge in 2018, that's apparently just not how they roll. 

"There's really nothing I can say that properly puts into words why we play better in the second half," Chapman said. "We're definitely a tightly knit group and have a good camaraderie. Once we start getting confident and comfortable, loose and having fun, that's when we play our best brand of baseball." 

One reason they are great right now is Mr. Chapman himself. Last season, he finished seventh in MVP voting and garnered his first Gold Glove. This time around, he's even better and made his first All-Star Game. 

At present, the almost-criminally underrated Chapman is hitting .278/.363/.546 (142 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 22 homers, 59 RBI and 65 runs. He's second among AL position players in WAR to You Know Who. Here's a good litmus test to how overlooked Chapman is: Think of all the great third basemen in baseball right now. Alex Bregman, Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rendon, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, the up-and-coming Rafael Devers and Yoan Moncada and we could keep going. Chapman has the highest WAR among the group. What percentage of baseball fans would have thought that? My hunch is the overwhelming majority would guess Arenado leads and we'd get down several names before Chapman came up. 

Not only does Chapman rake with big power, but he picks it at third as well as anyone. Yes, even Machado and Arenado, who have the reputations that Chapman should. I told him he makes it look easy and he laughed. 

"I'm glad it looks easy because it feels hard," he said. "Just a lot of work, I guess. I know it sounds like a cliche but every ground ball I take, I try to make sure that it's game-like and I don't ever wanna miss a ball. If I drop one (in practice) I get mad. I try to catch everything that's hit my way and that gives me confidence for the games." 

It shows. Chapman leads all third basemen with 11 defensive runs saved to this point. 

This surge isn't all Chapman, of course. He's just the MVP candidate. Beane teams have had superstars in MVP conversations for years, but they've also long had "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" bunches. Ramon Laureano is having a breakout offensive season to go with his excellent defense. Marcus Semien has been great. Matt Olson has been hitting for power. Robbie Grossman provides consistent OBP. Liam Hendriks has been a godsend in the bullpen. Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson have anchored the rotation. And the roster is littered with key role players. 

It's just another Beane group finding success -- something we've grown accustomed to seeing more than a handful of times over the past two decades. The surge is no surprise and it's likely to continue. They have felt things out, worked around adversity and settled in. Now it's time to sit back and watch the surge continue into October.