First place is a great feeling, but for the Athletics, it's also a fragile one. With an 18-17 record through 35 games, they're sitting atop the American League West, but there's a lot of work to do if they want to stay there.

The pitching staff has been a mixed bag. Right-hander Luis Morales started the season strong, taking the mound in the team's third game, but he's since been sent down to Triple-A to work on his approach against big-league hitters. It's a clear sign that the rotation needs more consistency.

Offensively, the A's haven't clicked into gear yet. Catcher Shea Langeliers has been the spark plug, carrying much of the load, but he can't do it alone. First baseman Nick Kurtz is getting on base almost every game, but he's not driving in runs, and both he and Tyler Soderstrom are particularly struggling against left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, designated hitter Brent Rooker is still trying to find his timing after recovering from an oblique injury.

Then there's Lawrence Butler. He signed a team-friendly extension a couple of years ago, but he's not living up to it yet. Butler is a solid defender, but at the plate, he's managed just 18 hits in his first 100 at-bats of 2026. Even when he does get on base via a hit or a walk, he's making costly mistakes on the basepaths. He's been picked off six times this season—more than any other player in the league.

Manager Mark Kotsay's lineup decisions haven't helped either. He's been leaning heavily on platoon matchups, sometimes to a fault. When outfielder Carlos Cortes won the American League Player of the Week award, you'd expect him to stay in the lineup and keep rolling. Instead, Cortes has been sitting on the bench almost every game since. The reasoning seems to be that the team wanted right-handed hitter Colby Thomas to face left-handed pitchers. But Cortes doesn't have a history of struggling against southpaws, and now he might be losing his rhythm from lack of consistent playing time.

If the Athletics want to turn this first-place start into something more lasting, they'll need to tighten up the pitching, get more production from their bats, and make smarter decisions with the lineup. The pieces are there—they just need to put them together.