SB Nation User Blog: Zonis

Sweeney to DL, Barton called up

Zonis — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:36:14 -0000

Athletics placed outfielder Ryan Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 3, with a sprained left knee.
The A's decided to make the move after he reported little progress in his injured knee Monday. Rajai Davis will continue to play center during Sweeney's absence.

Athletics recalled first baseman Daric Barton from Triple-A Sacramento.
Barton will take Ryan Sweeney's place on the roster. He has a .245/.365/.385 line in the minors before the recall.

A's continue their strange strategy of holding onto players who are injured on the active roster for as long as they can before DLing them. After all, who likes playing with a 25 man roster? 23 will do.

Barton has been hot lately. April he was frigid, May he was warm and June he's been hot. We will see how he does if he is put into the roster, or if he is just to rot on the bench.

Prospectus Status - May 28th

Zonis — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:40:13 -0000

Its been almost a month since the last Prospectus Status, and since it is an off day for the big club, I thought it would be a nice time to check up on how our prospects are doing right about now.

With Draft Day coming up quickly on June 9th, we will probably have a new Mid-Season Prospect List project after the draft. Because its mid season, we will not do it as we did in the off season, 1 at a time, but more likely in large groups, perhaps 10 at a time, averaging the results.

Pitcher of the Month for May:

[SC] [FG] Vin Mazzaro, RHP

2009 Stats		G	W-L	ERA	IP	H	BB	K	SV	WHIP
SAC (oak)	AAA	10	2-2	2.38	56.2	42	17	44	0	1.04

Mazzaro has been awesome in May, with a 1.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and holding batters to a .149 batting average. Mazzaro could be called up soon, perhaps in the double header against Texas. But, there is also just as likely a chance that the A's keep him there all year, as he would have to be added to the 40 man roster, and as we have seen a number of the A's top pitching prospects struggle in the majors with out enough experience at AAA (ie; Cahill and Anderson).

Hitter for the Month of May:

[SC] [FG] Corey Brown, CF

2009 Stats		G	Bavg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB	R	2B
MID (oak)	AA	29	.339	.426	.616	5	25	3	21	12

Brown hit .337/.415/.675 in the month of may after coming back from injury. I would not be supprised if Brown got promoted to Sacramento soon, along with Adrian Cardenas, who could very well get promoted back to Sacramento after his demotion, as Cardenas as also continued to tear up Midland.

Onto the list.

[SC] [FG] Trevor Cahill, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 10 2-5 4.45 54.2 58 24 24 0 1.50

[SC] [FG] Brett Anderson, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 8 2-4 4.98 43.1 49 13 24 0 1.43

[SC] [FG] Chris Carter, 3B/1B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 45 .276 .381 .464 5 35 5 38 17

[SC] [FG] Aaron Cunningham, CF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

OAK MLB 5 .077 .077 .154 0 1 0 1 1

SAC (oak) AAA 12 .286 .340 .551 2 9 3 10 7

[SC] [FG] Gio Gonzalez, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 2 0-0 7.27 8.2 11 7 7 0 2.08

SAC (oak) AAA 7 1-1 4.70 30.2 29 21 33 0 1.63

[SC] [FG] Adrian Cardenas, SS/2B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 18 .177 .254 .258 0 11 1 8 5

MID (oak) AA 24 .402 .487 .619 2 26 2 24 11

[SC] [FG] Sean Doolittle, 1B/RF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 28 .267 .364 .448 4 14 0 17 5

[SC] [FG] James Simmons, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 9 2-2 5.32 44 52 21 31 0 1.66

[SC] [FG] Vin Mazzaro, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 10 2-2 2.38 56.2 42 17 44 0 1.04

[SC] [FG] Josh Donaldson, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 41 .278 .398 .457 4 33 2 32 13

[SC] [FG] Michel Ynoa, RHP

[SC] [FG] Jemile Weeks, 2B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

STO (oak) A+ 1 .167 .167 .167 0 0 0 1 0

[SC] [FG] Henry Rodriguez, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 3 0-0 0.00 5 3 1 11 0 0.80

[SC] [FG] Rashun Dixon, CF

[SC] [FG] Fautino De Los Santos, RHP

[SC] [FG] Arnold Leon, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 12 1-1 4.35 20.2 23 11 17 1 1.65

[SC] [FG] Josh Outman, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 9 2-0 2.90 40.1 32 18 31 0 1.24

[SC] [FG] Corey Brown, CF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 29 .339 .426 .616 5 25 3 21 12

[SC] [FG] Brett Hunter, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

KAN (oak) A 8 0-0 6.52 29 23 33 26 0 1.93

[SC] [FG] Sam Demel, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 18 0-2 0.98 18.1 13 6 17 7 1.04

[SC] [FG] Andrew Carignan, RHP

[SC] [FG] Tyson Ross, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 8 0-2 3.86 30.1 32 14 22 0 1.52

[SC] [FG] Nino Leyja, SS

[SC] [FG] Matt Sulentic, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 30 .283 .341 .442 3 13 11 19 5

[SC] [FG] Craig Italiano, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 9 3-5 6.05 41.2 45 25 41 0 1.68

[SC] [FG] Gregorio Petit, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

OAK MLB 7 .250 .250 .300 0 1 0 2 1

SAC (oak) AAA 35 .277 .315 .358 1 9 0 14 8

[SC] [FG] Jason Christian, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 43 .253 .326 .373 3 31 13 26 5

[SC] [FG] Andrew Bailey, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 21 3-0 2.12 29.2 15 12 37 2 0.91

[SC] [FG] Jared Lansford, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 8 0-1 9.00 11 13 12 1 0 2.27

[SC] [FG] Carlos Hernandez, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 1 1-0 3.60 5 7 2 3 0 1.80

STO (oak) A+ 8 2-4 5.31 40.2 42 18 32 0 1.48

[SC] [FG] Dusty Coleman, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 45 .287 .374 .551 7 32 6 29 17

[SC] [FG] Cliff Pennington, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 42 .273 .360 .329 0 11 16 20 6

[SC] [FG] Petey Paramore, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 25 .263 .404 .342 1 16 1 11 3

[SC] [FG] Matt Spencer, OF/1B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 10 .244 .256 .366 0 7 0 7 3

STO (oak) A+ 30 .274 .338 .573 10 29 3 20 5

[SC] [FG] Javier Herrera, OF (Released)

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0

[SC] [FG] Landon Powell, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

OAK MLB 12 .211 .295 .395 1 11 0 4 4

[SC] [FG] Travis Banwart, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 9 5-1 2.47 51 49 12 28 0 1.20

[SC] [FG] Jeff Baisley, 3B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 39 .209 .298 .306 1 10 0 16 10

[SC] [FG] Robin Rosario, OF

[SC] [FG] Grant Desme, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 45 .274 .330 .463 6 18 15 36 11

[SC] [FG] Joel Galarraga, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 13 .357 .449 .476 0 6 0 9 3

[SC] [FG] Jermaine Mitchell, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

STO (oak) A+ 43 .247 .356 .329 1 12 6 24 5

[SC] [FG] Daniel Thomas, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 5 0-1 13.50 3.1 7 3 6 1 3.00

[SC] [FG] Scott Mitchinson, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 4 0-1 4.74 19 23 6 16 0 1.53

[SC] [FG] Ronny Morla, RHP

[SC] [FG] Anthony Capra, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

KAN (oak) A 8 0-3 4.57 41.1 39 18 45 0 1.38

[SC] [FG] Tyreace House, OF

[SC] [FG] Brad Kilby, LHP <

Prospectus Status - May 2nd

Zonis — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:15:20 -0000

Its a month into the season, and the big team is doing very poorly. Thus, all the more reason to look down below and see how our future is doing. Lets take a look at what our Top 50 Prospects, as decided by AN over the winter, have done thus far.
Prospectus Status Player Awards for April:
Hitter of the Month: Adrian Cardenas, SS/2B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 19 .372 .443 .590 1 19 2 13 10

Pitcher of the Month: Andrew Bailey, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 11 2-0 1.15 15.2 3 6 18 0 0.57

Athletics Nation 2009 Top 50 Prospects

[SC] [FG] Trevor Cahill, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 4 0-2 5.40 20 20 15 7 0 1.75

[SC] [FG] Brett Anderson, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 4 0-2 5.01 23.1 24 8 14 0 1.37

[SC] [FG] Chris Carter, 3B/1B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 21 .326 .408 .500 2 23 2 17 9

[SC] [FG] Aaron Cunningham, CF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 3 .333 .333 .583 0 4 0 1 3

[SC] [FG] Gio Gonzalez, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 4 1-0 2.12 17 13 9 18 0 1.29

[SC] [FG] Adrian Cardenas, SS/2B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 19 .372 .443 .590 1 19 2 13 10

[SC] [FG] Sean Doolittle, 1B/RF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 21 .260 .367 .481 4 14 0 14 3

[SC] [FG] James Simmons, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 4 1-0 5.59 19.1 22 8 15 0 1.55

[SC] [FG] Vin Mazzaro, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 5 0-1 3.37 24 25 12 17 0 1.54

[SC] [FG] Josh Donaldson, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 19 .212 .360 .357 1 14 0 15 5

[SC] [FG] Michel Ynoa, RHP

[SC] [FG] Jemile Weeks, 2B

[SC] [FG] Henry Rodriguez, RHP

[SC] [FG] Rashun Dixon, CF

[SC] [FG] Fautino De Los Santos, RHP

[SC] [FG] Arnold Leon, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 7 0-0 4.97 12.2 17 7 8 1 1.89

[SC] [FG] Josh Outman, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 4 0-0 5.23 10.1 12 6 11 0 1.74

[SC] [FG] Corey Brown, CF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 9 .345 .457 .448 0 2 2 5 3

[SC] [FG] Brett Hunter, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

KAN (oak) A 4 0-0 7.07 14 10 13 12 0 1.64

[SC] [FG] Sam Demel, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 8 0-0 1.17 7.2 3 3 9 3 0.78

[SC] [FG] Andrew Carignan, RHP

[SC] [FG] Tyson Ross, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 3 0-2 4.40 14.1 18 6 8 0 1.67

[SC] [FG] Nino Leyja, SS

[SC] [FG] Matt Sulentic, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 9 .324 .324 .514 2 5 2 7 1

[SC] [FG] Craig Italiano, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 4 1-2 5.40 18.1 15 13 19 0 1.53

[SC] [FG] Gregorio Petit, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 19 .239 .270 .338 1 3 0 6 4

[SC] [FG] Jason Christian, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 20 .284 .341 .473 3 15 4 14 3

[SC] [FG] Andrew Bailey, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

OAK MLB 11 2-0 1.15 15.2 3 6 18 0 0.57

[SC] [FG] Jared Lansford, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 8 0-1 9.00 11 13 12 1 0 2.27

[SC] [FG] Carlos Hernandez, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 5 1-3 4.74 24.2 23 13 22 0 1.46

[SC] [FG] Dusty Coleman, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 21 .333 .407 .597 3 15 3 15 6

[SC] [FG] Cliff Pennington, SS

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 18 .232 .358 .321 0 1 6 11 3

[SC] [FG] Petey Paramore, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 10 .167 .286 .267 1 3 0 4 0

[SC] [FG] Matt Spencer, OF/1B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

STO (oak) A+ 22 .271 .333 .553 7 22 3 14 3

[SC] [FG] Javier Herrera, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

MID (oak) AA 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0

[SC] [FG] Landon Powell, C

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

OAK MLB 6 .111 .227 .167 0 4 0 1 1

[SC] [FG] Travis Banwart, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

MID (oak) AA 4 3-0 1.31 20.2 19 7 11 0 1.26

[SC] [FG] Jeff Baisley, 3B

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

SAC (oak) AAA 17 .175 .278 .254 0 7 0 6 5

[SC] [FG] Robin Rosario, OF

[SC] [FG] Grant Desme, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

KAN (oak) A 20 .239 .307 .388 3 9 2 14 1

[SC] [FG] Joel Galarraga, C

[SC] [FG] Jermaine Mitchell, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

STO (oak) A+ 21 .219 .329 .288 1 2 3 9 2

[SC] [FG] Daniel Thomas, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 5 0-1 13.50 3.1 7 3 6 1 3.00

[SC] [FG] Scott Mitchinson, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

STO (oak) A+ 4 0-1 4.74 19 23 6 16 0 1.53

[SC] [FG] Ronny Morla, RHP

[SC] [FG] Anthony Capra, LHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

KAN (oak) A 3 0-0 3.21 14 10 6 20 0 1.14

[SC] [FG] Tyreace House, OF

[SC] [FG] Brad Kilby, LHP

[SC] [FG] David Thomas, OF

2009 Stats G Bavg OBP SLG HR RBI SB R 2B

STO (oak) A+ 3 .167 .286 .167 0 0 0 1 0

KAN (oak) A 17 .284 .360 .493 4 10 5 18 2

[SC] [FG] Ryan Webb, RHP

2009 Stats G W-L ERA IP H BB K SV WHIP

SAC (oak) AAA 7 3-1 7.43 13.1 21 10 12 0 2.33

Mixed findings thus far. We have had a lot of success offensivly, but the organization's highly touted offense has been in great flux all year. Gio is doing well at AAA, but we have something weird going on with Mazzaro and Simmons, who's ERA and Periferals don't match (Simmons should be better, Mazzaro worse).

Adrian Cardenas got promoted to AAA, but has yet to play due to rainouts. Chris Carter is behind him waiting for a promotion (as is the rest of the red hot Midland team outside of Josh Donaldson).

But the biggest supprise thus far has to be David Thomas, who was put 49th by AN this off season, only to tear up Kane County and get promoted to Stockton. Also breaking out from his ranking on the list is Dusty Coleman, who is on fire in Kane County, not that his fellow SS/3B Counterpart, Jason Christian, is doing bad at all.

Middle Infield is now a strength of the system, which is shocking, as this time last year, we had no good prospects at 2nd Base, Shortstop or Third Base at all. Now we have about half a dozen.

Hat tip to The Baseball Cube for the stats.

Prospect Status - April 22nd

Zonis — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:57:16 -0000

I have decided to dig out the Top 50 Prospect Chart we all made during the off season, wipe the dust off it, and put it to use. I will use the list to keep track of our minor leaguer's performances through out the season. Every couple weeks I'll post the list again, with the updated line. That way, we can see how well we chose our prospect list.

Key:
Letter Grade = John Sickels Letter Grade
BA# = Baseball America Top A's Ranking
Mi# = Minor League Ball Community Prospect List Rank
BP# = Baseball Prospectus Top A's Rank
#X = Baseball Prospects Star Grade
S# = Scout.com's Top A's List

SC = StatsCorner
FG = FanGraphs

NOTE: FIP or wOBA stat will be placed for the level the prospect spent the most time at. FIP will be used for Pitchers, wOBA for Hitters. .000 or 0.00 indicates that the stat is unavailable.

Format: Place. [StatsCorner] [Fan Graphs] [2008 FIP/wOBA] [Player] [Level] [2009 FIP/wOBA] [UP/DOWN (from last post)]

[SC] [FG] [2.63] Trevor Cahill, RHP [MLB] [5.27]

[SC] [FG] [2.81] Brett Anderson, LHP [MLB] [4.10]

[SC] [FG] [.384] Chris Carter, 3B/1B [AA] [.356]

[SC] [FG] [.384] Aaron Cunningham, CF [AAA] [.399]

[SC] [FG] [3.92] Gio Gonzalez, LHP [AAA] [5.20]

[SC] [FG] [.374] Adrian Cardenas, SS/2B [AA] [.483]

[SC] [FG] [.398] Sean Doolittle, 1B/RF [AAA] [.377]

[SC] [FG] [3.26] James Simmons, RHP [AAA] [2.84]

[SC] [FG] [3.00] Vin Mazzaro, RHP [AAA] [4.13]

[SC] [FG] [.276] Josh Donaldson, C [AA] [.334]

[SC] [FG] [000] Michel Ynoa, RHP

[SC] [FG] [.365] Jemile Weeks, 2B

[SC] [FG] [2.97] Henry Rodriguez, RHP

[SC] [FG] [.360] Rashun Dixon, CF

[SC] [FG] [4.20] Fautino De Los Santos, RHP

[SC] [FG] [2.74] Arnold Leon, RHP [AA] [3.72]

[SC] [FG] [3.54] Josh Outman, LHP [MLB] [8.17]

[SC] [FG] [.372] Corey Brown, CF [AA] [.450]

[SC] [FG] [0.00] Brett Hunter, RHP [A-] [6.20]

[SC] [FG] [3.05] Sam Demel, RHP [AA] [1.70]

[SC] [FG] [4.04] Andrew Carignan, RHP

[SC] [FG] [3.30] Tyson Ross, RHP [A+] [6.48]

[SC] [FG] [.385] Nino Leyja, SS

[SC] [FG] [.362] Matt Sulentic, OF

[SC] [FG] [2.94] Craig Italiano, RHP [A+] [5.38]

[SC] [FG] [.287] Gregorio Petit, SS [MLB] [.253]

[SC] [FG] [.388] Jason Christian, SS [A-] [.336]

[SC] [FG] [4.42] Andrew Bailey, RHP [MLB] [1.33]

[SC] [FG] [2.84] Jared Lansford, RHP [AAA] [9.20]

[SC] [FG] [2.04] Carlos Hernandez, LHP [A+] [3.45]

[SC] [FG] [.362] Dusty Coleman, SS [A-] [.471]

[SC] [FG] [.368] Cliff Pennington, SS [AAA] [.409]

[SC] [FG] [.319] Petey Paramore, C

[SC] [FG] [.309] Matt Spencer, OF/1B [A+] [.276]

[SC] [FG] [.328] Javier Herrera, OF

[SC] [FG] [.340] Landon Powell, C [MLB] [.286]

[SC] [FG] [4.55] Travis Banwart, RHP [AA] [3.64]

[SC] [FG] [.357] Jeff Baisley, 3B [AAA] [.346]

[SC] [FG] [.000] Robin Rosario, OF

[SC] [FG] [.000] Grant Desme, OF [A-] [.331]

[SC] [FG] [.000] Joel Galarraga, C

[SC] [FG] [.315] Jermaine Mitchell, OF [A+] [.260]

[SC] [FG] [2.66] Daniel Thomas, RHP [A+] [8.30]

[SC] [FG] [2.13] Scott Mitchinson, RHP [A+] [3.86]

[SC] [FG] [3.36] Ronny Morla, RHP

[SC] [FG] [3.87] Anthony Capra, LHP [A-] [2.13]

[SC] [FG] [.355] Tyreace House, OF

[SC] [FG] [4.23] Brad Kilby, LHP

[SC] [FG] [.384] David Thomas, OF [A-] [.376]

[SC] [FG] [4.02] Ryan Webb, RHP [AAA] [6.97]

As you can see, quite a few players on the list have yet to play this year, for a variety of reasons. Most are in Extended Spring Training, either fixing their swing or motion, or recovering from injuries. Others, like Michael Ynoa and Robin Rosario, have yet to arrive from the Dominican Republic. Others, such as Rashun Dixon and Nino Leyja, are being held back till Short Season starts in Vancouver, or at least until Kane County warms up above 35 degrees.

The entire list suffers from Small Sample Size Syndrome, so take all those numbers with a grain of salt. Just as Craig Italiano will not likely end up with a 5.38 FIP, Adrian Cardenas will not likely maintain a wOBA close to .500.

NRAF Chicago - Tickets Please?

Zonis — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:25:12 -0000

A while ago during the off season I asked if there were any NRAF's in Chicago that wanted to go to the A's vs White Sox series in the first week fo June, June 1st through 4th. We pretty much settled on Monday June 1st, as it is a discount ticket day.

Now its time to pick our tickets, and reaffirm how many people want to go. Does someone want to volunteer to be the one to buy the tickets and distribute them? Where do we want to sit? Where can we all get tickets together? Should we buy them online or at the Box Office (where presumably we would not have to pay the $15 or so dollars in added "convenience" fees).

So come on NRAFs, GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!

Opening Day 25 Man Roster Predictions

Zonis — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:52:41 -0000

Its been a while since we've had a full blown Rosterbation thread, so lets have at it. What do you project the 25 Man Roster to be for opening day?

My Prediction:
RF Travis Buck
CF Ryan Sweeney
LF Matt Holliday
1B Jason Giambi
DH Jack Cust
3B Nomar Garciaparra
C1 Kurt Suzuki
SS Orlando Cabrera
2B Mark Ellis

C2 Landon Powell
SS Bobby Crosby
CF Rajai Davis
3B Jack Hannahan

SP Dallas Braden
SP Sean Gallagher
SP Dana Eveland
SP Trevor Cahill
SP Brett Anderson

CL Joey Devine
CL Brad Ziegler
SU Santiago Casilla
SU Russ Springer
RGY Mike Wuertz
LGY Jerry Blevins
LNG Josh Outman

DL Eric Chavez
DL Justin Duchscherer
milb DL Gio Gonzalez

When Chavez comes off the DL, he replaces Jack Hannahan on the 25 Man Roster, and replaced Garciaparra as the Starting Third Basema.

When Duchscherer comes off the DL, he replaces whomever is doing the worst of the starting rotation.

Jersey Shopping

Zonis — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:54:42 -0000

So, I am thinking of getting a new Jersey. And I have several that have caught my eye, and I want AN to give me some advice.

Over the summer, I am going to go down south for Study Abroad. How far south? Well, down south to Melbourne Australia! And ever since then, I've been paying a little attention to their representative in the World Baseball Classic, who managed to win their first game over Mexico, before losing in heart breaking fashion to Cuba (after having Cuba down something like 4-2 in the 8th inning, with Cuba doing horribly the entire game, Cuba came back and took the lead in the 8th inning), and their defeat to Mexico.

But there is one thing I noticed immidietly looking at Gameday. Lets see if you notice it too.

Yes, that is the Australian WBC Hat. Look familiar? I'll say.

So I decided that an Australian WBC Jersey might be a fun thing to get. Wether I wear it in Australia (which would probably make me look like a total tourist) or not is up for debate, but it would still be a nice thing to get. And if things worked out, I could even try to grab Former Athletic, Chris Snelling's Jersey if/once they put it up for sale on MLB.com.

Here are the Jerseys. So which one should I get?

Batting Practice Jersey: $79.99

Home Jersey: $89.99

Custom/Player Name Jersey: $99.99

Oh, and I also noticed, for those (ahem) home decorating enthusiests, in the clearance section: FanMats Oakland Athletics Team Carpet Tiles.

Poll

Which Jersey should I get?

Australian Green Jersey

17 votes

Australian Home White Jersey

18 votes

Australian Custom Name Jersey

6 votes

Save up for Chris Snelling's Game Jersey when MLB puts it up for auction

10 votes

51 votes | Poll has closed

Dellums Reaching Out To Congress

Zonis — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:55:43 -0000

Looks like Dellums is getting serious... wait what?

OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) -- A spokesman for Mayor Ron Dellums said Friday that the mayor hopes Major League Baseball will honor the A's commitment to Oakland and that the city will reach out to its congressional delegation in an effort to keep the franchise from moving.

This is a rather idiotic move by Dellums, as it will probably just cost the city a lot of money to get absolutely nothing done. What exactly can he get Congress to do to the A's or Major League Baseball?

Protip: Nothing. Anything they do will likely be shot down in court.

Vertig0/Marine Layer has his take on the subject, including a nice diatribe by an attorney in the comments section.

Rosterbation Situation - Moneypenny

Zonis — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:34:55 -0000

The A's signing of Orlando Cabrera and continued interest in Nomar Garciaparra has lasting repercussions on the 25 man roster. The signing of Cabrera pushes Bobby Crosby out of the Starting Shortstop job, and into some murky waters.

Some might remember that when Miguel Tejada was leaving, there were questions about why the A's did not retain Tejada and play Bobby Crosby at Second Base. The answer was that scouts did not believe that Crosby had the arm angle to play 2nd. He couldn't do it. But now that Crosby has found himself either as a Backup Middle Infielder for the A's, or a Starting Shortstop for a team in even dire need of a Shortstop, we have to ask the question: CAN Bobby Crosby be a backup infielder for the A's, or can he only play Shortstop?

If the A's retain Crosby, that would push Cliff Pennington back to Triple A Sacramento for the few weeks that Crosby is still healthy once the season starts. Pennington does have a slight hope still to make the team opening day, however. If Crosby is dealt before opening day, then the roster slot will go to Pennington. Pennington can also make the roster as the Backup Third Baseman if he manages to out hit and out field the slew of Corner Infielders the A's have brought on board; Jack Hannahan, Jeff Baisley and Joe Dillion. But even in the unlikely event that Pennington can supersede those three, if the A's sign Nomar Garciaparra, Pennington's chances of making the team look bleak.

But, maybe not. As I eluded to above, what if Bobby Crosby does stay with the team, but can't play Second Base? What do the A's do then? After all, its unlikely that Garciappara can play Middle Infield. Mark Ellis is already recovering from Injury, and it would be foolish to go with out a backup for him. That puts Pennington back in the game.

If the A's retain Bobby Crosby, there are a few scenarios that I could see happening.

a) Bobby Crosby learns how to play 2nd Base and becomes the A's Backup Middle Infielder.

b) The A's sign Nomar Garciaparra, and go with a 5 Man Bench with Crosby backing up Shortstop and Pennington backing up the 2B, SS and 3B behind the grizzeled (read: injured) vets.

c) The A's do not sign Garciaparra, but retain Jack Hannahan on the 25 Man Roster, and have Hannahan back up 3B, 1B and 2B.

I think C will be awfully tempting for the A's in terms of versatility, but I do not like it to be honest. We have a complex situation in the infield with several old or injury prone starters. We can not afford to have one player back up 3 positions alone.

So what is the conclusion? Bobby, unless you learn how to play Second Base right now (and Third Base for good measure) and work on it through out Spring Training, you are going to find yourself off the team. And Cliff, if Bobby isn't playing Second in the next week or two, consider your roster spot secure.

Jim Bowden Resigns

Zonis — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:47:16 -0000

Jim Bowden's statement, released this morning by the Nats:

I am today resigning my position as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Washington Nationals. It is an emotional decision that saddens me, but one that I feel is in the best interests of two of the things I love most - baseball and the Washington Nationals.

My resignation is based upon my realization that my ability to properly represent the Washington Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press. I am disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into any of my professional activities. There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part.

Bowden and several of his colleagues have been under investigation for bonus skimming and player age fraud in the last couple years. Combine that with Bowden's less than great reputation as a GM, and rumbling that Ownership was half rooting for something to happen in prelude to firing him, its not surprising that Bowden's resignation came when it did.

Links:
ESPN
MLB
Washington Post
Washington Post

2009 Stats		G	Bavg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB	R	2B
OAK	MLB	5	.077	.077	.154	0	1	0	1	1
SAC (oak)	AAA	12	.286	.340	.551	2	9	3	10	7

2009 Stats		G	W-L	ERA	IP	H	BB	K	SV	WHIP
OAK	MLB	2	0-0	7.27	8.2	11	7	7	0	2.08
SAC (oak)	AAA	7	1-1	4.70	30.2	29	21	33	0	1.63

2009 Stats		G	Bavg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB	R	2B
STO (oak)	A+	1	.167	.167	.167	0	0	0	1	0

2009 Stats		G	W-L	ERA	IP	H	BB	K	SV	WHIP
KAN (oak)	A	8	0-0	6.52	29	23	33	26	0	1.93

2009 Stats		G	Bavg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB	R	2B
OAK	MLB	7	.250	.250	.300	0	1	0	2	1
SAC (oak)	AAA	35	.277	.315	.358	1	9	0	14	8