SB Nation - Mark Ellis

Oakland A's 2000-2009: All-Decade Team and Best Moments

baseballgirl — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:00:16 -0000

Interested in the Warriors? Golden State of Mind is holding one of their huge events on Friday January 8th. There's a rumor of a great special guest. Thought I'd pass it along...

via farm1.static.flickr.com

Decade posts are all the rage lately, so we're going to do our own. You may have seen this post from Big League Stew on Yahoo, naming their MLB All-Decade team. It is pretty much what one would expect; Posada (C), Pujols (1B), Kent (2B), Jeter (SS), A-Rod (3B), Bonds (LF), Ichiro (CF), Vlad (RF), Manny (DH), Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson (SP), Rivera (Closer). I can't really argue those names, but I thought we could make up an all-decade A's team, and share favorite moments of 2000-2009.

To refresh your memory:

2000 Roster
2001 Roster
2002 Roster
2003 Roster
2004 Roster
2005 Roster
2006 Roster
2007 Roster
2008 Roster
2009 Roster

My Picks:

Catcher:

Ramon Hernandez - He was the catcher during the A's golden years of 2000-2004; he caught Mulder, Hudson, and Zito, and was a big part of getting the A's to the playoffs.

First Base:

Jason Giambi - Need I say more? Not only was Giambi one of the best players in the league during his heyday, but he has had less than zero competition the in years since he left.

Second Base:

Mark Ellis - Ellis started in 2002 for the A's, and played the rest of the decade, with the exception of 2004. A tremendous defensive player, with some good offensive years, Ellis is the only player to really choose in this category.

Shortstop:

Miguel Tejada - Tejada, like Hernandez, played for the teams of 2000 to 2004, and his position on the A's has never been successfully replaced. This is a no-brainer call as well.

Third Base:

Eric Chavez - Like Ellis, Chavez has been the name filling the position for the entire decade, but over the last few years, it has literally been in name only. Still, when he was good, he was good, and a big part of the A's early 2000 playoff runs.

Outfield:

This was where my little experiment got really fun. Can you think of outfield stars on the Oakland A's from 2000-2009? Are we left with Terrence Long? Did Jermaine Dye play long enough--and was healthy enough--to count? What about Mark Kotsay? This was a struggle.

I've narrowed it down to: Mark Kotsay and Nick Swisher for sure. The third spot could go to either Jack Cust or Jermaine Dye, with an honorable mention to Eric Byrnes. What do you think?

Designated Hitter:

Frank Thomas - Yes, Thomas played one year of the 2000's with the A's. It was an awesome year. He wins my vote.

Starting Pitchers:

RHP: Tim Hudson - Hudson takes this for his years with the A's early in the decade. Honorable mention to Dan Haren.

LHP: Barry Zito - His Cy award and his victory against Johan Santana in 2006 seal this spot for me. Honorable mention to Mark Mulder.

Closer: Huston Street. I'll save Andrew Bailey for the next decade.

Manager:

Can I abstain from a vote? Of course I think Ken Macha made his share of mistakes, but Art Howe certainly made some questionable decisions (with much better teams) as well. To paraphrase a player on the Twins in 2002; "We (the Twins) couldn't beat lefties this year, why did Hudson start twice, when Mulder and Zito were in the series as well?" Match that series fail against Ken Macha's use of Mecir/Rincon in the infamous Zito game to lose the AL West to the Angels and Macha hitting Melhuse/Long against the Red Sox with the tying run on third and less than two outs, and it's a tough call. I pick...Stomper?

Worst Moment of the Decade:

I know there will be probably be votes for the Jeter flip, but on some level, I figure that was a one-in-a-million baseball play; it didn't make or break the series itself, and the run in question would have only tied the game. Far worse to me was watching Jermaine Dye break his leg, or Mecir and Rincon being chosen to relieve Zito, with Hudson waiting in the wings for a one-game winner-takes-all start. But the very worst back-to-back at-bats were turned in by Long and Melhuse against Derek Lowe and I pick those combined at-bats as the worst moment of the decade. I was there in person for all of the above events, and that one definitely hurt the most.

Best Moment of the Decade:

This was a really, really tough call. Apparently, I attended a lot of A's playoff games in this decade, since I was also there in person for both of these picks too. My runner-up award goes to the Ramon Hernandez two-out, bases-loaded bunt against the Red Sox in extra innings. Not only was it a complete surprise to everyone on the Red Sox and the fans in the park, but it won the first game of the series for the A's, and may have given them the momentum to take the subsequent day game, as well.

However, considering that the A's could not close out the series, it takes a little luster out of the moment looking back. Which is why my number one moment is this, which needs no introduction:

Strange, since this wasn't even a game-winning hit, but somehow it captured the moment when all of the A's fans in the park realized that this wasn't going to be another ALDS ending in heartbreak; that the A's were going to the ALCS for the first time in a decade and a half. Coupled with the goosebump-inducing cheer of "Marco" "Scutaro" from the entire stadium, this moment elicites warm and fuzzy feelings that can still be regenerated in the current tough times.

We continue the winter meetings all this week, but I thought we could share some A's moments of the decade as well. Best? Worst? What/who am I missing? What would you change?

Billy Beane Exclusive Athletics Nation Interview: Season End 2009 Part II

Tyler Bleszinski — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:00:22 -0000

Yesterday was part one of the Beane season ending Athletics Nation interview. Today is part two. I won't set this one up, I'll just let the interview speak for itself.

Hope you enjoy and can start looking forward to 2010. I know I am.

Blez: The starting pitching has really matured nicely with quite a few early ups and downs which you said you expected. The overall team ERA is fourth best in the AL.

Beane: Is it really? I didn't know it was that high. We fluctuated back and forth.

Blez: Not the starting pitching on its own, the whole staff together. It includes the bullpen.

Beane: And the bullpen has been spectacular. Numbers-wise, we'll have somewhere around 113-114 games started by rookies, which is an incredible number. I'm guessing that's the highest in the major leagues.

Blez: I'm guessing no one else is close.

Beane: It has been as we expected and we've had some good days and had some bad days. If you look at the guys who've been in there regularly, certainly Brett, who has gotten progressively better there from the start of the season and certainly Trevor Cahill has as well. Particularly look at his last six or seven starts. You remember the kid is 21 years old. He would've been a junior in college this year and eligible for the draft and here he is in the majors with double digit wins in our league too. The American League is not a forgiving place for a rookie pitcher, so I think he's shown himself nicely. Gio (Gonzalez) who came up and had some really tough starts, but he's definitely shown flashes of what he can be. I think overall we have to be pleased with some of these guys. The thing that was tough was losing (Josh) Outman who was pitching very well and you saw what this kid could become.

Blez: I was just going to ask about some of the progress of the injured pitchers like Dallas Braden, Vin Mazzaro, Joey Devine and Michael Ynoa?

Beane: Yeah but finishing up on the starting pitching, we certainly expected some ups and downs with the young starting pitching, there have certainly been more ups than downs. All the guys have justified our faith in them from their time in the minor leagues. I think they have a chance to be even better this year. We've stretched them out a bit in September here. Some of the guys we lost, we had to patch a starting rotation together in an effort to reduce some of the innings of some of these guys and in Vinny Mazzaro's case we were just very conservative in shutting him down. In another situation if we were fighting for a division, Vinny would probably still be out there but we want to be very, very conservative in how we treat these young guys. Some of the success, and the fact that we're fourth in the league, the credit goes to the bullpen which as I said has been absolutely phenomenal. After taking arguably our best reliever out of the equation in spring training in Joey Devine, it gets us very excited with what that bullpen will be like next year to think we'll be adding Devine to it.

To address the injury situation, Joey is doing great. He's right on schedule to be on a normal routine from the first day of spring training on. So we have complete faith that he's going to be back and at 100 percent next year. In Josh's case, he had the surgery a little later but he's doing great. If anyone knows Josh, he's a real hard worker. As far as his timetable, it's a little early now, but it's almost a full calendar year. There are cases where some guys come back a little earlier, some a little later, but you have to assume it's going to be a full calendar year. All indications are Josh is on that timeline.

Blez: It seems like it might be a little difficult to put a rotation together next year given all the candidates you have. Pleasurably difficult, if that makes sense.

Beane: Yeah definitely, it will be a good problem to have. I don't think you can have enough good starters with the injury factor and how difficult it is to go out and find them when you lose one. If it's a problem, it's one I welcome. In Dallas' (Braden) case it was just unfortunate with that infection in his foot, but when a starting pitcher has missed as much time as he has, there becomes a cutoff point where it becomes unrealistic that he can come back at any point during the remainder of the season. Dallas, in a very short time, established himself as a very good major league starting pitcher and one of the best ones we had on our staff so it's disappointing to lose him as he would've had a major impact on how we're finishing up now.

Blez: I was going to get into the bullpen, but it must be nice to feel like you already have one aspect of the team covered going into this offseason. You've got Ziegler, Bailey and Wuertz still around and if you throw in Joey Devine. That's four solid rocks of your bullpen already set for next year.

Beane: Breslow has also pitched very well for us and Blevins and Kilby have done very, very well in coming up. We've got a very good bullpen right now and looking ahead to 2010 it's one that could conceivably be better. We feel very good about that position.

Blez: You also add to that mix one of the starting pitchers that might not make the rotation because of all the starting pitching candidates you have.

Beane: These are all good problems to have and it isn't something we've had lately. Still you have keep injuries in mind and be careful. We do have high hopes that Joey will be 100 percent ready to go come the spring. The past few years have proven that you have to have depth if you're going to be successful for 162 games.

Blez: The situation with Justin Duchscherer is obviously very sad and it almost seems callous to talk about baseball in terms of him, but do you anticipate him being a part of the team in 2010 or is the situation too tenuous right now?

Beane: First and foremost, contractually, he's a free agent. It's not a unilateral decision we can make. In short, we hope he is doing well. We need to respect what he's going through right now and from a professional standpoint, also monitor it and deal with it when the time comes. But anyone who has seen Justin pitch for the five years he's pitched for us, it's pretty easy to recognize he's a really good pitcher and will be valuable to anybody. As to how we go forward, we'll know once we get into winter, but not one we can answer right now. I don't think there's any shortage of people around here who aren't fans of the person and also fans of the talent.

Blez: How do you feel about your draft this year? You drafted Grant Green and addressed the need for a shortstop. But when you're looking at Max Stassi, he slipped to later in the draft because of concerns over signability. Is that something that you're looking at to spend a little more of the organizations' dollars in terms of going after someone who other teams might have passed on because of the concerns of signability?

Beane: Yeah, that's why we were able to get him where we did. If you look at an organization that's trying to rebuild from within, it's one area you can improve yourself, it was a conscious decision this year to take some chances on guys who might be difficult signs but we thought were very talented players. We had not done that in previous years and we're a little bit behind the curve because of it. If you look at the lifeblood of an organization like ours, it's going to come from within. If we're going to compete, we're going to try and bring in as many good young players as we can because that's really where the bulk of our future lies. In Max's case, this is a really impressive 18-year-old kid. We thought that and a lot of teams did as well. We weren't unique there. But based on what I've seen so far, we couldn't be happier that not only did we draft him, but we signed him. We think he could be a really good major league player and that it could happen quicker than most people think for a high school kid. He's really impressive and has been since the first day he put on our uniform.

Blez: Do you think he was ultimately first round talent?

Beane: That's what we saw him as is a first round talent. We did and hence why we had to compensate him as he had a full ride to UCLA. I just feel fortunate we were able to get him and able to sign him.

Blez: You said the lifeblood of a small market organization comes from building from within, but the 2009-2010 free agent season is right around the corner. I know you can't really talk about any upcoming free agents or anything, but if you had to look at your shopping list for next season what are areas you'd like to improve for your team?

Beane: Free agency usually starts five days after the World Series and it isn't really an area historically we've been involved in. In understanding what we're trying to do here especially long term, when you sign free agents, you're giving up draft picks. We have to be cognizant of that in that whenever you're bringing players in it isn't just cost, but what you're giving up in terms of standing in the way of long-term development of a younger player who might be there for a long time. Historically, we haven't been in the free agent market early. It doesn't mean that we don't go through the exercise of looking at the club needs and how they will addressed either short term or long term. We usually start a little earlier than people think, at least internally, but we will be looking at it over the next month or month and a half. I would expect us to try to continue what we've been doing here, particularly in the second half, which is creating a young team that has a chance to get better and better each year and one that can stay around for a while.

Blez: Speaking of free agents, Adam Kennedy is going to be a free agent at the end of the year. He obviously came in and did some amazing things for the team. Is he someone you're interested in bringing back, especially as he has already expressed interest in coming back? He seems like he'd be a good stop gap solution at third base until Brett Wallace is capable of taking over that position.

Beane: There are some things that you have to address pretty quickly. I agree with you in that Adam Kennedy has just been outstanding for us this year. If you consider the fact that he'd never played third base as we put him over there when Ellie (Mark Ellis) came back and he was learning the position at the major league level, we're very happy with not only what he's provided on the field but in the clubhouse too. He's a grinder and he brings a certain mentality to the game that I think is very positive. That's going to be one of the things I'm going to have to deal with pretty quickly after the season. The best thing I can say is that we've been very pleased with Adam and he's been great to have around. As far as him coming back next year, it will definitely be a topic of conversation. But from Adam's end, Adam is a free agent and he has the ability to choose where he wants to go. Rest assured we'll be having conversations internally and we'll be having a conversation with his representative as well as Adam himself.

Blez: What about Jack Cust? The team is seemingly pretty desperate for power and that's one thing that Cust does well.

Beane: You have to respect what Jack has done and the fact that he does have power on a team that doesn't have significant power. Once again, I'm not sure we could answer that question now. But he's arbitration-eligible so it isn't like he's a free agent. You have to respect Jack has hit 30 plus homers for us in a year and he probably isn't going to reach that this year but he's still our leading home run hitter. He and every other player on the team will be subject to evaluation going forward, not just for next year but for many years ahead. These are the things we get to do in October and November.

Blez: There was a lot of discussion heading into the season that Jack was going to try and cut down on the strikeouts so he could hopefully bring up the batting average. It didn't seem to work out. Do you think the focus on cutting down on those strikeouts wound up hurting his performance?

Beane: It would be better for Jack to answer that one. Jack is going to hit home runs. He's going to strike out. He's going to take his walks. The other thing about Jack is that 99 percent of the season, on a team that has more than its share of injuries over the past few years, Jack is ready to go out there every day. He keeps himself in good shape. There has rarely been a day that Jack has been here when Bob can't put him in the lineup. With the situation we've had the last three years, it's been nice that he's been healthy and available.

Blez: This is year three of the five-year rebuilding plan if you count the rebuilding starting after the 2006 season, but this would be the third year of the remaking of the team (Beane corrected me stating that the rebuilding actually started with the trading of Haren in late 2007). I know it's really early because we haven't even finished 2009 yet, but how do you feel about the team, especially because teams like Texas are on the rise and Anaheim remains a good team? Do you think the team will take that giant leap forward in year four of this rebuilding process?

Beane: I don't think you can really say until you start to go into the offseason and formulate next year's team. I think in the last couple of months, I've seen us put in some building blocks for a team that's going to be good. There's still a lot of areas that we need to improve on and some of that improvement will come by adding players from the minor league system but also just through these players getting better over time. I think it's hard to put a timetable on it, but anyone who follows this team on a regular basis can look at some positions, whether it be the pitching staff or in the field and say, this guy is a good young player and he has a chance to get better. As far as the timetable, it's tough to do. We're putting together a team that has a chance over the next few years to continue getting better and better. At what rate is hard to predict because sometimes young players will surprise you and develop quicker than you think, particularly when there is a lot of them that have a lot of confidence, but in some cases they can disappoint. When you take a guy like Brett Anderson over the course of a full season and chart his improvement, I think everyone is excited to see how good he can actually be next year after having a full year under his belt. And if you multiply that by say 25 guys, sometimes they can surprise you. The building blocks are in place and when that happens I certainly couldn't predict. I'm definitely very excited about what they could become.

Blez: Do you think Bob Geren is an ideal manager for this team simply because one of his strengths appears to be working with younger talent?

Beane: Absolutely. If you look at going into August in last place and you've traded away some of the most experienced and in some cases the best players, it's impressive to do what this team has done over the last couple of months. Case in point is this past weekend in Anaheim. The Angels had a chance to clinch the division and these guys never let up. I think that's the best indication in getting these guys to play the way they're playing in the month of September when other teams have more to play for than you do. He's been a young player himself at the major league level. He's managed at every single level. He's coached at every level. So he brings a lot of experience and a lot of it comes from dealing with younger players. It's been very much a positive that's revealed itself over this transition for us.

Blez: Is it the type of situation where maybe he grows up as a manager as the team grows up? Meaning that he becomes more comfortable in being a manager and dealing with veterans and veteran personalities as the team heads towards being more competitive.

Beane: Everybody in any position usually grows a lot the more you deal with those different circumstances. I'm sure there are some things Bob might do different today that he might not have done his first year. I think that comes with experience. Bob is gaining that and gaining it on the job. He's organized and guys are playing hard for him. He's prepared and Bob has all those things.

Blez: As usual, thanks so much for all your time.

Also, in case you're interested in a little more Beane, I did a more general interview for SBNation.com that ran yesterday. And please remember to participate in giving on behalf of AN to the Donor's Choose Social Media Challenge. It's for a great cause. Thank you.

Jered Weaver Wins 16th, Angels Win 95th

Rev Halofan — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:46:22 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Kendry Morales (19) steals home past Oakland Athletocs' catcher Kurt Suzuki during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Browse more photos »

Final Score in Oakland: Angels 5, Athletics 2

Jered Weaver won his 16th Game, Brian Fuentes got his 47th save, Juan Rivera hit his 25th HR and Kendry Morales stole home (a career first) on a botched pickoff play as the Angels tuned up for the playoffs against the Swingin (and missin' as they struck out 8 times) A's in Oakland. 5 Angels scored a run apiece and four had single ribbys.

What looked like it might be a combined 2-hit shutout fell apart in the 9th inning when closer in waiting Kevin Jepsen gave up some hits and soon had to be rescued by Fuentes, who was good for a little inherited runners scoring drama on the mound himself before striking out Mark Ellis and inducing a popup from Nomar Garciaparra to finish the game.

Weaver, the Angels' likely Game 2 ALDS starter, looked dominant in striking out 5 A's. Rookie Sean "Telletuby" O'Sullivan added 2 innings of scoreless relief. Bullpen questions, though, abound, as a routine inning by Jepsen forced manager Mike Scioscia to use Fuentes as a laugher suddenly became a save situation. While Fuentes calmed it all down, it was not exactly a reassuring appearance by the Save-Maestro.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Jered Weaver

210 votes

Brian Fuentes

15 votes

225 votes | Poll has closed

A's Attempt To Sweep Angels Is A Fundamental Failure

Nico — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:31:08 -0000

For all the hoopla over hits and diving catches, baseball often comes down to the details in between. In the bottom of the 1st, Mark Ellis had a Bobby Abreu ground ball glance off his glove into short CF. Both he and Pennington went to 2B to cover, while Rajai Davis just stood there like he thought he was Jack Cust getting a 2-strike fastball down the middle. 3 players, all of whom could easily have gone after the ball and held Abreu at 1B, none did. This became even more important when Torii Hunter hit a crisp DP ball to Pennington, but with Abreu at 2B, not at 1B. Singles by Vlad Guerrero and Kendry Morales would give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the 3rd, a single by Eric Patterson and a double by Cliff Pennington put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Rajai Davis hit a bouncer to 3B. If both Patterson and Pennington both hold, it's 2nd & 3rd with one out, and Daric Barton's subsequent grounder to 1B scores a run. If they both go, then Figgins has to concede Pennington going to 3B in order to cut down Patterson at the plate -- or he can tag Pennington out and allow a run to score. But the A's played it all wrong: Patterson came to the plate, cut down pretty easily, while Pennington held at 2nd. Suddenly, the A's didn't even have a runner at 3B with less two out, nor a run on the board, and they would come up empty in the inning.

Even in the 7th, when the A's, now trailing 5-0, put the first 5 men on base to chase Joe Saunders, with 3 runs in Oakland had 1st & 3rd with nobody out but for the second time in the game, could not get that runner at 3rd home. That's partly because Eric Patterson thought he'd try to bunt on Darren Oliver, but he popped the bunt up to Figgins. After 5 hitters in a row have reached base, you can't hand the other team an out by popping a bunt up. Especially not when you're Eric Patterson, and don't exactly have your defensive skills, your terrific eye, or your HR power to fall back on. Rajai Davis bounced into a DP to end that frame, and would later bounce out to end the game -- and end his hitting streak at 14 games.

Hey, down 5-0 in the 7th, the A's battled again and got as close as 5-4 and that's good. But just with some fundamental play -- the ability to, you know, go get a ball that's rolling nearby, the ability to get runners home from 3rd with nobody out -- we might be celebrating a series sweep right about now. Instead, it's onto Seattle for the A's last off-day tomorrow...and then Felix Hernandez on Tuesday night.

A's Sweet On Sowers -- Suzuki Leads 16-hit Barrage As Carson, Kilby Get "Firsts"

Nico — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:31:33 -0000

Rajai Davis started the bottom of the 1st by striking out against Jeremy Sowers, and if Sowers knew how to "sell high" he would have called it a day right there and then. Mark Ellis followed with a HR, then Kurt Suzuki followed that with a double and the next four batters singled. By the time Sowers exited with nobody out in the 2nd, he had allowed 9 hits and a walk, and would be charged with 6 runs.

Leading Oakland's 16-hit attack were Suzuki (single, double, HR), along with Nomar Garciaparra, Bobby Crosby, Daric Barton, Matt Carson, and Cliff Pennington (2 hits a piece).

Did he say Matt Carson? That's right -- Carson got his first big league hit today, shortly before getting his second one. And on the same day, Brad Kilby earned his first major league win. That's because Gio Gonzalez, on his 24th birthday, could not get through a 4th inning that featured a key error by Crosby but also Gioesque wildness and an inability to pitch through adversity. Just another day at the office for the A's bullpen, though: 5.1 IP, 1 run.

Six in a row for the A's, who are over .500 since the All-Star Break and sizzling in September. Don't fall in love in September? Why not -- I have nothing better to do.

Could it be...? No, it can't be... OMG it really is! It's a Minor League Update!!!

grover — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Hello again.

Work called me away for a while and it’s been tough getting back into the groove of things. For those who don’t know, I’m a wildland fire fighter and August got a little busy for those in my career field. So when I disappear again for a couple weeks just remember… I envy your access to in-door plumbing.

Anyways, I want to focus this week’s minor league update on the 40 man roster and the options that are going to have to be decided upon in the coming months. Why do this now instead of waiting until September 1st? The topic tickles my fancy, that’s why. As I seem to have (once again) misplaced my Cap o’ Omnipotence I’m forced to resort to basic logic and common sense reckoning to try and deduce the future roster.

That’s right… none of what I’m about to tell you is guaranteed!

The way I see it, there are 28-29 spots on the future 40 man roster all but guaranteed. On the pitching side, Brett Anderson, Andrew Bailey, Jerry Blevins, Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Trevor Cahill, Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Gray, Jay Marshall, Vin Mazzaro, Clayton Mortensen, Josh Outman, Henry Rodriguez, Michael Wuertz and Brad Ziegler all seem certain to have jobs in the Oakland organization next year. That’s 16 pitchers of varying combinations of success/cheapness/options that aren’t going to be released just to make room on the roster. (There’s a pretty good chance that Outman will open next season on the 60-day DL, opening up an additional spot on the 40 man.) Santiago Casilla and Edgar Gonzalez are both arbitration eligible next season but neither pitched so well that the A’s are going to be eager to give them big pay raises, which could mean either or both players could end up as trade fodder or possibly even released. Dana Eveland is still on the 40 man roster as well, but his poor performance led to a demotion that will keep him from seeing any arby money next season. Unfortunately, Mr. Eveland’s suckitude forced the A’s to use his last option this season; meaning he can’t be stashed on Sacramento’s roster next season without first passing through waivers. Chances are Eveland isn’t going to be one of the 5 best SP candidates for the A’s come Opening Day 2010 and as a lefty with a pulse he’d probably get snapped up by some other team desperate for pitching. Therefore, I think this is good-bye to Mr. Eveland.

As it just so happens, it looks as if the A’s are going to need maybe 3 openings on the 40 man roster just to protect some arms that should attract a lot of interest in the Rule 5 draft. Pedro Figueroa hasn’t advanced past High-A ball but he’s a lefty with a low-90’s fastball. Brad Kilby is another lefty who’s put up back-to-back quality campaigns in Sacramento’s bullpen. Fautino De Los Santos is still trying to bounce back from 2008 TJ surgery but he wouldn’t last long if the A’s made him available for the Rule 5 draft. Jason Ray is in the same boat but I don’t think there’s much risk of someone grabbing him and keeping him on a 25 man roster all season.

There’s also a chance the A’s might be interested in bringing back Brett Tomko or Justin Duchscherer next season. Dan Giese should be fully recovered in time for next season; maybe the A’s are still interested in him as a swing man type. Plus, guys like Sam Demel and James Simmons could be knocking on the door next season and they’d need a spot on the 40 man to do so. Like I said, I could see 3-4 spots going to the guys I just listed and we haven’t even looked outside the organization to find help.

The hitting side of things is even more in flux.

Kurt Suzuki, Landon Powell, Eric Chavez (who?) Mark Ellis, Daric Barton, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis, Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Cust, Tommy Everidge, Cliff Pennington and Gregorio Petit have spots on the 40 man roster. (Although I’m not sure if Petit has another minor league option available to him in 2010… if someone has a conclusive answer I’d appreciate hearing it.) C Anthony Recker is the most prominent bat in the A’s system that would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and I’m not sure if the A’s would consider his departure to be a great loss. So any Recker fans out there can protect him on their 40 man lists, but I’m thinking the A’s leave him off the protected roster. Chris Denorfia and Eric Patterson are both out of options, so if they aren’t in Oakland come Opening Day there’s a good chance they’ll be playing for another organization in 2010. I can maybe see Patterson as a back-up at 2B and in the outfield but I’ve got to squint and angle my head to one side to see it. I think it’s more likely that the A’s will try to bring back Adam Kennedy to serve as a deluxe back-up option/veteran mentor type.

The real twist comes when you consider the minor league bats that the A’s have in AA or higher that aren’t yet on the 40 man roster. Sean Doolittle, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, Corey Brown, Chris Carter and Brett Wallace highlight the next wave of Oakland offense… which could be much more refreshing than the current ripple in the still waters we’ve experienced as of late. Yet again we haven’t looked outside the current organization to determine if maybe there’s another bat to be had.

So bring back Kennedy, add the newbies and you’re looking at 38-39 players on the 40 man roster before the Rule 5 draft. Does anyone see any glaring omissions?

Until the next time...

Yanks edge out As by a hair: win 3-2, make things difficult, head East

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:35:34 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

The face of our game winner, if that says anything about the disconnect between the outcome and play tonight.

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We all should have been able to spend the last 3 innings of this game with our feet up, savoring the recently acquired comfort in our late inning bullpen formula. But instead, I spent the last hour of my life groaning in disbelief at what looked to be a triumphant Oakland rally in the 7th. I think there's little doubt as to where the blame can be assigned here:

The YES Network.

The YES Network and the programming mastermind who mandated the Chevy Player of the Game be broached in the 7th inning. Alfredo Aceves, who had just whiffed the first 2 batters he faced, was listed as a choice, and moments after this Jinx Paradigm dissolved from our screens, Rajai "Bugs Bunny in OF" Davis ropes a single, promptly steals, then scores off Mark Ellis's shot.

Thanks, YES. First Aces gets taken deep by Jack Cust, replacing the O with a 1 in the runs column. Then he can't log the last out of the following inning and needs Phil Coke to come in for relief. Whose fault is that?

As phenomenal as the other non-run-scoring things he did were, my vote would still go to the guy who brought in 66% of our runs with one swing of the bat.

But I'll be honest here. When it comes to the overall landscape of tonight's game, I've argued in the past that I like these types of wins, because when you just eek by, you're saving energy and not overdoing anything. There's definitely something to be said for not giving 100%, but rather giving just enough to come out on top.

And despite the fact the Yankees have won plenty of games by a mere 1 run (17 to be exact, three with a score of 3-2), this time they looked different. Awkward, almost. Less cohesive. Stilted.

And in Toronto, the Red Sox looked the opposite, as they brutalized Roy Halladay in a 6-1 win.

Our dialed-in pitching that has been the ying to our unrelenting offense's yang, seemed forced today. Chad Gaudin's line score looks infinitely better than he did, as he someone delivered the shoddiest scoreless performance since Andy Hawkins' no-hitter loss. In fact, Gaudin somehow only let up 1 hit over 4 and 2/3. The fact he struck out 5 is a bit tempered by the fact he walked just as many.

Aces sheepishly gets the win, despite letting up the 2 runs Oakland put up, and the Phil-Phil-Mo triumverant stopped the bleeding. Maybe it's just the delirium symptomatic of the sixth straight 10pm start, but watching this game reminded me of playing basketball on a cruise ship. I could just never get my footing, the game kept shifting in ways that I couldn't accomodate, and even what felt like money shots would sometimes brick or not reach.

The ever-evolving strike zone tonight may have contributed to this feeling, and the foggy offensive production enhanced it. ARod may as well have worn a Snuggie over his jersey, because he looked like he was auditioning for an Ambien commercial. The demotion of Robinson Cano to the 7 spot threw me off, and maybe had a similar effect on the rest of the 2nd half of our lineup, since only 1 of our 6 hits came from a batter outside of the 1-2-3 hitters.

No one will argue that this wasn't an important win, and if Mo had let up a run and sent this game into extras, I'd be rocking back and forth in a fetal position about now. So the simple thing to do would be to accept the win, take advantage of tomorrow's off day to catch up on lost sleep, and head into the Boston series thinking of nothing but the 7 game lead we're still holding onto.

But the sensical--if not overly analytical and paranoid--part of me is admittedly disarmed by less ignited offense and a less focused defense. If ever there was a time for Derek Jeter to hop on his Captain's Soapbox, it's now. Which coincidentally also happens to be the exact same time that would be perfect for the Yanks to not freeze up.

Unless it's the first pitch, in which case I'd be delighted to see the Yankees exercise a little restraint.

Enjoy the day of rest tomorrow, fans and players alike. The 6-game series out west may be behind us, but one look at our upcoming schedule reminds us we're still a long way from Tipperary.

-CYC

Tomko Teams with Three to Blank Yanks

67MARQUEZ — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:43:48 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

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I guess that's why they play the game.

With Brett Tomko the apparent sacrificial lamb sent out to face the big, bad Yankees, this was one of those games that you marked with an "L" on your magnetic schedule long before the first pitch.

But a funny thing happened on the way to a Big Apple beat-down. Tomko tossed five shutout innings, Rajai Davis and Mark Ellis continued their torrid ways, and the A's walked off the diamond with a 3-0 victory.

Oh and it seems there were some signings tonight, too.

Seems Tomko's arm was not a bomb threat after all. Although he retired the side just once, he was never in any real danger, except for the third when he faced Alex Rodriguez with the bags loaded, and only one out. But Tomko got A-Rod to hit one back to the mound where he started an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play.

All the game's runs were scored in the fourth, and good news for you dear reader, they all came on the A's side of the board. Davis doubled with one out, and stole third without a throw before Kurt Suzuki singled him home. Scott Hairston's base hit was followed by a Ryan Sweeney groundout that moved the runners up ninety feet. Suzuki scored on a balk by starter A.J. Burnett, who appeared to stop himself as if time was called. With Hairston on third, Ellis drove him in on a double that eluded Nick Swisher. Make that 20 RBI's in August for the second baseman.

And that was pretty much it, with one more scare in the eighth.

Craig Breslow allowed just a hit, while striking out a pair in two innings of work, and was followed by Brad Ziegler. With two on and two out in the eighth, Ziggy K'd Jorge Posada to douse the fire, and Andrew Bailey pitched a perfect ninth to close out a most improbable win.

UNICORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nico — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:44:58 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Manager Bob Geren screams, "WHAT? Alcohol is illegal??? When did THIS happen???"

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Mark Ellis' walk-off HR, with 2 out in the 9th and the game tied 2-2, had no chance of being high enough to clear the LF wall. Until a flying unicorn swooped down and carried it over the wall. It's been that kind of month for Ellis, who drove in 2 of the A's 3 runs to give him 19 for the month of August.

This after the umpires, on this Turn Back The Clock Day, tried to re-enact the Black Sox scandal in the top of the 9th inning. First they allowed Jayson Nix to reach 1st on an infield hit on which he appeared to be out -- so much so that the entire A's defense took 3 steps towards the dugout before realizing the inning wasn't over. Bob Geren argued. Nix then stole second, but over slid the bag and was tagged out by Crosby. Nix was ruled safe on the premise that Crosby had moved Nix off the base with his glove. Bob Geren argued, but was throw out before he could argue for the cycle in the inning. Undaunted, Andrew Bailey struck out Scott Podsednik to end the inning and the rest was unicorn lore.

This was all made possible by a strong 6+ inning, 2 run effort by Trevor Cahill, a clutch performance by Jay Marshall to get out the two on, nobody out mess left behind by Cahill in the 7th, and a daring "hustle double" by Rajai Davis, followed by a game-tying double by Scott Hairston, in the 8th.

The atmosphere today was fantastic. The A's did the Turn Back The Clock event beautifully, from the uniforms to the black and white Diamond Vision, to the scoreboard's "PHI" for the home team's linescore, to the Depression Era music, to Dick Callahan's presence in a straw hat sitting behind an old-time mike at an outside table down by the A's dugout.

Just a great day overall capped off by Unicorn magic. Enjoy it for the next 36 hours, because Brett Tomko is starting on Monday night to try to continue the theme of great depression.

A's Try Strategy Of "Giving Up 12 Unanswered Runs." It Doesn't Work.

Nico — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:56:34 -0000

It started well and ended well for Oakland, which scored the game's first 3 runs and the game's last 3 runs. Unfortunately, the 12 runs KC scored in between turned out to be a bit of an issue, win-wise.

Zack Greinke wound up going 7 strong, but early on it looked like he might be knocked around and knocked out. The first four A's reached in the top of the 2nd, capped by Mark Ellis' two-run single, which was followed by Adam Kennedy's RBI ground out.

Meanwhile, for two innings Clayton Mortensen did more dazzling than not, striking out 5 the first time through the order, not allowing a hit and following up two leadoff walks in the 2nd by striking out the side. The next time through the order? That would be 6 for 8 with 2 HRs and a sac fly.

My "quickie analysis" on Mortensen is that I liked his changeup a lot -- it's what Mazzaro lacks as he throws everything hard, and what Gio doesn't throw often enough to keep hitters from guessing "fastball/curve." Mortensen also did a good job, in general, of keeping the ball down, but like Cahill had stretches where he could not throw strikes on command. He's a work-in-progress, but I saw enough good things to want to see more of him down the line.

The A's 9th inning teAse was more than just an enjoyable finish to a blowout loss. First and foremost, Tommy Everidge tied Cliff Pennington for 7,452,112th on the all-time career HR list with 1, launching a majestic shot to right-center off of Royals' closer Joakim Soria, who entered a 12-3 game "just to get some work in." But by the time Ellis had HRed, Pennington had beaten out a bouncer to deep 1B (note to Soria: when covering 1B, do not look to Brett Anderson as your role model), Rajai had dunked a single, Soria wound up throwing 30 pitches -- perhaps enough to put his availability in question for tomorrow's game that begins in just over 15 hours.

All in all, a crap sandwich in which the bread was enjoyable.