BlogsMonday's Hot Corner Depth Chart
by grover
on Dec 1, 2008 2:16 AM PST
About a week ago I made a joke about posting a list of 3B prospects currently within the A's organization. Since I didn't bring up salb's height or Nico's goat affection some people didn't realize that I was telling a joke. So I'd like to set things straight once and for all...
There is no list.
Because there are no legit 3B prospects in the Oakland organization at this time.
That's the joke! HA!
Ha ha.
Heh.
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Beane: Building a More Complete Team
by Taj Adib
on Nov 30, 2008 8:00 AM PST
Billy Beane, circa September 2004, from In Billy We Trust: Billy Beane Visits Athletics Nation, Part Two:
The best team that we've had here and the one that was the most disappointing, and this is going to sound crazy, but it was the 2001 team. I thought that was a great, great team. It had everything. It was a dynamic club, it had speed, it had defense, it had everything you'd want in that kind of a situation.
(Italics courtesy of me).
Billy Beane's teams of the past decade-plus have not often been characterized as dynamic, speedy or particularly strong defensively...at least not all at the same time. And yet, the man himself believes his best work came when his team had all three such components back in 2001. I think that since that time, he's been attempting to re-create the multi-dimensional aspect of that club. But with limited payroll flexibility for the better part of this decade, he's had to settle for whatever he could cobble together with his meager resources.
But now with an owner willing to spend a little and a young, relatively inexpensive core to build around, Beane may finally have the "perfect storm" brewing from which to realize his goal of fielding a truly "dynamic" club for 2009. I think Beane took a big first step toward that goal by trading for Matt Holliday. Holliday not only brings a much needed righty power bat with good contact skills, but he's also a very good baserunner (28-for-30 in stolen base chances last year) and he's a solid defender in left field. Holliday is quite the offensive dynamo all by himself, but Beane is obviously not stopping there.
With his aggressive courtship of Rafael Furcal, Beane is giving the strongest indication yet that he's placing a premium on adding a "true" leadoff hitter and speed to the top of the batting order in an attempt to better balance the offensive attack. On top of that, Beane may also go back to his OBP/power roots and re-acquire Jason Giambi.
If the grand plan were to come together in such a way (i.e. free agent contracts to Furcal & Giambi) the A's could feature 4 players who could all conceivably hit 30 or more homers next season (Cust, Holliday, Giambi, Chavez) and 4 players who could conceivably steal 20 or more bases (Furcal, Holliday, Ellis, Davis). When was the last time that happened? That's what is called "balance" folks and Beane is definitely trying to build it into his system.
There's probably a lot more work necessary to make the pitching staff truly dynamic for 2009, but that's for another day...
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"A's Caravan" Info That Might Interest Local Fans
by Nico
on Nov 29, 2008 8:08 PM PST
Just a quick "between posts post" until the next one appears. Local fans might be interested in the upcoming "A's Caravan," which is rolling through Bay Area communities next Wednesday-Sunday, connecting with fans and adding star-muscle to a couple of holiday charity drives.
Are there folks on AN who have participated in the A's Caravan in past years, and if so what can you report about it? Any insights would be appreciated, as the caravan has never passed through my house, a prison, a barnyard or a sleazy tavern, and as a result I have never seen it in action.
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A's Shopping List
by notsellingjeans
on Nov 28, 2008 10:13 AM PST
The missus and I are out the door to use my credit card, but since Friday's my front page day, I thought I'd quickly post my A's wish list, in order of priority, in the spirit of the biggest shopping day of the year:
1. Rafael Furcal - "The Torpedo" lunched with Beane and checked out Bay Area real estate while in town Tuesday. (I'm guessing that the "businessmen" outside of the Burger King on Hegenberger weren't part of the tour). I wish that Furcal could have been persuaded before he left town for the Dominican Republic; the skeptic in me is afraid that Torpedo is waiting to see if a preferred team will bowl him over with an offer. I'm still optimistic.
2. Nick Johnson - I'd be thrilled with a trade of Javier Herrera and/or Richie Robnett for him, but I hope he wouldn't require any of our top eight arms on the farm. Potential .400 OBP guy with 20 homers, along with projected league-average-or-slightly-better defense. With only one year and $5.5M remaining on his contract, he figures to be cheaper than Giambi, and is obviously a better defender.
3. Randy Johnson - Johnson is likely to require only a one-year commitment, and he has an excellent k-to-walk ratio. He's also a Walnut Creek native and only five wins away from 300, so perhaps there's some sentimental value to bringing him in as well. His biggest problem is allowing home runs, and the Coliseum would help suppress that. Johnson also wouldn't require the A's to yield a draft pick. I think that a few of the A's young pitchers could benefit from watching Johnson's preparation for each start and intensity. I like him much more than Brad Penny, who has a high walk rate and literally quit on the Dodgers during the last two weeks of the season, packing up and going home early.
4. Eduardo Morlan - This year's Rule 5 draft-eligible crop is thinner than it's been in year's past. There's probably a few good reasons for that - in the post-PED era, rosters are going to be slightly younger, and the high cost of free agents makes it more essential than ever to protect young talent. With apologies to PT's yen for James Skelton (Tigers catcher), I think that Eduardo Morlan of the Rays organization is the best player available in a very thin Rule 5 crop. A nice combination of good stats and upside, if his fastball returns to the mid-90s after slipping a few ticks this year. Morlan will likely be picked before the A's turn to draft, but the team could always trade up, a la Ryan Goleski (with much better results, hopefully).
(I don't actually think the A's will take a Rule 5 pick; if they really wanted an extra reliever, they could've simply protected Brad Kilby).
Assuming that Crosby gets traded for a low-level non-roster player, and that Herrera/Robnett are traded for Johnson, these moves would put the A's roster at 40 entering Spring Training. I'm also assuming that Embree gets offered arbitration, declines, and eventually signs with another team, yielding the A's another draft pick.
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Happy Thanksgiving, AN!
by baseballgirl
on Nov 27, 2008 6:00 AM PST
I wish all of you an amazing holiday, and lots of turkey, or turducken, or tofurkey, or whatever you will be eating today.
I dub this the "As an A's fan, what am I thankful for?" open thread.
I'll start. I'm thankful that we are at least trying to compete for 2009. And I'm thankful that we still have our A's in Oakland, at least for another season.
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How Are We Feeling About Chavez?
by baseballgirl
on Nov 26, 2008 6:00 AM PST
According to Eric Chavez,
"I'm about three months or so out from surgery right now, and rehab has been going really, really well," Chavez said. "I'm not going to start with baseball activities until January or late December, but talking to the doctors and trainers, we all pretty much feel like I'm ahead of schedule. So if I had to guess right now, there'd be almost no doubt; I fully expect to be ready for everything by the time Spring Training starts."And I fully expect to play third base."
From Mychael Urban's mailbag:
I've been hearing that Chavez won't be healthy next season. Are we kidding ourselves by hoping that he is?
-- Justin D., Stockton, Calif.Have you heard this from anyone with a medical background and access to Chavez's most recent post-op evaluations? Have they been supervising his offseason workouts? If so, go ahead and believe them.
If not, all you have to go on is Chavez's word, and when is the last time Chavez flat-out lied or was overly optimistic about anything baseball related? The answer is never. He's as honest of an athlete about himself as you'll ever find, so when he says that rehab is going well and he expects to be healthy, I'm going to take him at his word.
Assuming that we all are going to take Chavez at his word, how do you see his impact on the team this season? I don't feel the same hopelessness about Chavez as I do about some other players. In certain cases, I think that the touted talent might be overrated, and I cringe every time someone says "They never lived up to their potential", because I really think the bar was set too high. I feel that Chavez did (and perhaps still does) have all the potential in the world, he did not live up to his only because of injuries. I think it's a shame that we didn't get a healthy Chavez, and I will always wonder what he could have been for the A's had he stayed healthy through the years.
Now that we are looking at him as a possible third baseman candidate this season, I don't know what to think. I have missed his defense in every way possible, and I agree with Urban (gasp!) when he says that Chavy tells it like it is; he isn't one to be overly optimistic. I have a small glimmer of excitement about Chavez that I haven't had in quite a while. I have missed him, and nothing would thrill me more than a successful season from him this year.
Thoughts?
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The Holliday Acquisition And Being Good In 2010 - Not Mutually Exclusive
by Nico
on Nov 25, 2008 6:00 AM PST
I've heard a lot lately about the A's had better contend in 2009, since they have potentially compromised the very seasons for which they have seemingly been rebuildling: 2010-2012. I'm not sure the A's see it that way and here's why...
Let's assume the A's do not keep Holliday beyond 2009, because if they do then clearly they have taken care of the 2010+ seasons by making the trade. I think Beane and Co. looked at 2009 and saw the potential for a third consecutive sub-.500 year, saw the chance to acquire a huge asset for 90 cents on the dollar, and decided that improving the team now would be better both for team and fan morale (which translates into improved performance and improved interest/revenue, respectively), and that it could be done without preventing the team from moving forward in 2010 and beyond.
In 2010, the A's believe their rotation can be anchored by two very special pitchers in Cahill and Anderson, plus Gallagher (who should really be hitting full stride if he's going to), plus the best of Eveland, Gio, Mazzaro, Braden, Simmons - in other words, the rotation figures to be very, very good from 2010-2012, and a stellar rotation is the backbone to a team's success.The bullpen, with Devine, Ziegler, and Blevins under contract control for years to come, and with a slew of promising relief prospects at every level, is going to be very solid and will not require the A's to pony up any money or talent in order to have an enviable pen.
Meanwhile, come 2010 the A's can, if they choose, still employ Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Sweeney, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Mark Ellis, Eric Chavez, Jack Cust, Furcal if he is signed, the better or readier of Barton and Doolittle, and a Holliday-lite addition that the team will be able to afford, be it Jason Bay or an equivalent right-handed hitter with good power.
Then in 2011, a whole new set of prospects will be arriving as some veteran contracts, notably Ellis' and Chavez', expire - freeing up money, if needed, to address weaknesses or concerns. Those prospects include Chris Carter, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, and Jemile Weeks.
In other words, armed with true talent and remarkable depth at the very most important positon - starting pitcher - and armed with a farm system that will be producing legitimate talent faster than the major league roster is losing players to free agency or age decline, with or without Holliday the A's are sitting pretty from 2010 on.
So if the A's are poised to ride the coattails of Cahill, Anderson, and an emerging veteran core of Suzuki, Sweeney, Buck, and Cunningham, starting in 2010, why not make 2009 as competitive as possible, take a shot at contending now, recreate the "culture of winning" the clubhouse knew from 2000-2003, and send the following message out to the rest of the American League: Look out folks, we're good again - and we're only going to get better.
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Rickey
by 67MARQUEZ
on Nov 24, 2008 6:04 PM PST
"If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall-of-Famers."
- Bill James, on Rickey Henderson
I ask you, how does one turn down a request like this?
- Short answer: one doesn’t.
- Long answer: keep reading.
Rickey Henderson burst onto the big-league scene in the summer of 1979. He was a breath of fresh air to an A’s team that was headed to a 108-loss season, and a fan base starving for a superstar since Reggie was traded to Baltimore in 1976. For a certain 12-year old, Rickey represented something greater: hope. Over the next quarter-century, we saw the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly that characterized his career. One thing it never lacked for was excitement.
To ensure you get your money’s worth, this epic- even by my standards- tribute features a story within the story, beginning with Oakland’s favorite son hanging out at his home-away-from-home (plate).
Enjoy.
The famous Topps Rickey rookie card.
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Banking on the "B's" : Buck and Barton
by Taj Adib
on Nov 23, 2008 10:00 AM PST
7/24/2007: I was sitting up in the third deck, right field bleachers of Edison Field (right near the foul pole) when I thought for certain that I had just witnessed the birth of a star. This event certainly didn't occur in the evening sky amidst the smog-fueled ether of Orange County...rather, what I saw took place between the white chalk lines of the baseball field sprawled out in front of me. In the midst of a taut, well-pitched game that seemed like it would be a see-saw battle to the end, one player stood up and took over the game and "willed" the Athletics to victory...and that man was Travis Buck.
The mangy-haired right fielder did a little bit of everything for the A's that game: he destroyed Angel pitching by spraying an opposite-field double to the gap in left-center, pulling a line-drive single to right field and smashing a 2-run homer over the center field wall. He created havoc on the basepaths by stealing a base after his single, after which he eventually scored the winning run. He then helped preserve his offensive campaign by making several highlight-reel plays in right field to rob the frustrated Angel hitters of extra-bases. After it all, the A's had a 4-3 win to celebrate and the birth of a star to consecrate. But then 2008 happened...
Buck's 2008 was the very definition of a "lost year". He never seemed comfortable right from the start of the season and his minor league "get back on track" assignment was derailed by all sorts of strange medical issues. I'm not gonna lie to you, it was a little depressing for me to watch the once-proud Buck (who once brashly threw his helmet in the Yankees' face(s) after a particularly emphatic late-game victory in 2007) flail so horrendously at the plate and visibly lose all confidence in himself. However, after an extended break from baseball activity altogether, Buck seemed like the old brash youth of yesteryear during his September '08 resurgence, where he hit .367 with 4 homers and had 12 RBIs in the final 12 games of the season.
Besides being a nice comeback-kid type story, Buck's recovery back to major league quality-hitter could not have come at a better time...now without Carlos Gonzalez, but with Matt Holliday and Ryan Sweeney in center, Buck now has a vote of confidence from management to jump right back out to right field and resume his ascendancy to stardom...or at least to consistent contributor on a competitive team.
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2008 Cinematic Interlude #2: Chavvy and the Athletic Factory, Chapter One
by monkeyball
on Nov 22, 2008 12:42 PM PST
[Prefatory note: Big thanks to JediLeroy, who lent his kreepy Photoshop skilz to the illustrations, and to FreeSeatUpgrade, who inspired me to do this with his latest installment of Peanutball.]
Chavvy and the Athletic Factory
Chapter One: "I've Got a Green and Gold Contract"
Over a SICKENING MONTAGE OF OUT-MAKING—T-Long and Melhuse taking called third strikes, Jeremy’s Jetered jeté, Tejada and Byrnes Knoblauching their way into infamy, Big Hurt popping out against the Tigers—the opening credits roll:
CHAVVY AND THE ATHLETIC FACTORY
Directed by Billy Beane. Written by Billy Beane. From the novel by Billy Beane. Produced by Lew Wolff. Edited by David Forst. A Crywolffisher Production.
We hear the TOLLING OF A BELL. Fade up on a CLOCK TOWER striking four o’clock:
[Click on the jump for the rest of the Cinematic Interlude.]
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