CATCHING UP WITH NEWSPAPERS (2/27/2008...)

The Weekly round up of everything we missed...


...and away we go...

SF GATE - SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

SPRING TRAINING
A'S TRYING ON NEW WHITE SOX;
BEANE, CHICAGO GM WILLIAMS SEEM TO HAVE A HABIT OF SWAPPING PLAYERS
- Slusser

The A's have a few players in camp that have experience with the White Sox organization. Go figure. Or don't. It's rather a coincidence of no note.


AROUND THE A'SOSPHERE: DRAFT PICK FOR STEWART? - the Drumbeat

The A's do not get a compensation pick for Shannon Stewart. No. For one he was not arbitration eligible and two he signed a minor league deal with Toronto. He might has well have signed with Chiba Lotte.


BASERUNNING DISAPPOINTS GEREN IN INTRASQUAD GAME

Bobo gets mad...sort of. But not really. The A's made a bunch of Spring Training blunders on the base paths. You would think they would since most concentrate on hitting and maybe a little fielding. Baserunning is for Spring Training.


If the A's are going to be effective in 2008 one thing they have to take advantage of is baserunning. It might be why Bobo is upset. You will see the A's run more, but be efficient, and take the extra base when it presents itself. This isn't small ball. It's smart baseball. When you have players who can't run (Daric Barton, Dan Johnson, Jack Cust) you don't run. When Mark Ellis and Aaron Cunningham are on the base paths - you let them test the waters.


A'S GET CREATIVE TRYING TO STAY HEALTHY - Slusser

Most of EiO has been waiting for Zachary to weigh in on this. A staple of his issues with the A's front office has been their poor communication with players and poor medical staff.

"Sayles, who moved up to head trainer when Davis' new position was created, was instrumental in getting the new machines (he did all the research) and adding Nishio to the staff. Sayles and Davis made the recommendations to Forst, who helped present the requests to GM Billy Beane and A's President Mike Crowley. They got all they wanted."

That's the A's chain of command. If you notice, Billy Beane is in the same breath as Mike Crowley. It shouldn't have to go through an 'assistant GM'. David Forst is the 'assistant GM' in name only. Beane is no longer the active General Manager of the A's. And it is a good thing. Forst has tried to shore up some of the glaring deficiencies in the A's business model.


The A's have not bothered to keep up to date on what players do during the season as far as their conditioning let alone the off season. Why? Beane has always had a 'master plan' as for what he wanted. You could make the argument that the A's specifically did not want to know what players were doing as to not appear complicit in any PED use.


It is worth mentioning it as a possibility.


Slusser did get the quote from Forst but did not appear to have a follow up question;

"We're certainly aware of the health issues we've had the last two years, and to a certain extent, they undermined some things we were capable of doing."

The last two years. The crying 'injuries taking their toll' broken record the A's delivered as their excuse for 2007 rings hollow and there is your tuning fork. Or something than seems analogous.


Recall that the A's bought a special machine for Tim Hudson's consistent injuries. Note; AFTER several occurrences of the injury.


The fact remains that organization has been reaping the benefits of the MLB revenue sharing program and crying poor for far too long. They have a sweetheart deal with the Coliseum ($1 Million a year lease - you can't get that with some buildings in San Francisco) and still complain about it. They relied on the Raiders to supply their weight room and facilities when they returned. The Raiders are smart enough, like most football teams, to take their training room with them in the off season. Too much liability in leaving that stuff around.


Yes. The A's have done a poor job of running their organization and while the proof is now pudding based you will not hear a peep about it from certain other websites or the media to drive the point home.


It is, as the French say, "eh...".


LANSFORD HACKLES OVER ANY TARNISHING OF A'S RECORD - Henry Schulman

The article let's Carney Lansford talk about any questions of his time with the A's and PED use. Lansford takes the same approach that most professional athletes do is to defend with a 'non-denial denial'.


Whenever you encounter a piece of exercise equipment in a gym you can begin to deduce that there will also be a form of PED use associated with the use of the equipment. Whether it is supplements you can buy over the counter or anything else. When you do things that are not 'normal' when it comes to improving health then you have to 'knock it up a notch' with nutrition and beyond. Try lifting weights on a regular basis while still eating fast food 10 times a week over the age of 27. Your internal organs will seize.


This message is brought to you by GNC and P90x.


A'S GOING TO TOKYO GET SWEET CASH BONUS

The A's players are going to receive a cash bonus north of $40,000. It will be interesting to see how this is handled. When you are a professional athlete and play in another city you are paid pro-rated related to their based salary on those games in that state. Therefore, you have to file tax returns in any state you play in. Unlike a beat reporter who is paid on a salary that is not pro-rated. Income is paid in one state no matter where you travel.


Professional athletes don't have it as bad as stand-up comics or musicians as they might hit 30 states in a given year. Part of the reason you see well-known performers sticking to one coast or the other in the later years - too much paperwork.


There's some other blah-blah-blah in the article about the intrasquad games and Mike Piazza retiring if he can't find a job...well, isn't that redundant?



RAMBLING ROUTE FROM CONCORD TO CAMP;
GISSELL HOPES TO RETURN TO JAPAN WITH A'S


Chris Gissell. Sorry, still remembering the episode of Family Guy.

(click to view episode)


Chris: Hey Hector, how long have we known each other?


Hector: Since first grade.


Chris: Yeah, yeah. You 'member that time you called me Chris Gristle?


Hector: I think so.


Chris: Well burn for it!! [sets him on fire]

Still the best quote of the episode; "Go suck a railroad spike I haven't got any money."


Gissell isn't going to make the A's. He's a AAA placeholder. He might have a few different pitches but none of them grade as a plus pitch.

INSIDE BAYAREA.com - OAKLAND TRIBUNCE

PROSPECT ZIEGLER HAS HAD SHARE OF BIZARRE INJURIES;
THE RELIEF PITCHER HAS FRACTURED HIS SKULL TWICE OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD



Brad Ziegler has run into a lot of baseballs. A little bit in this article about his dropdown to sidearm. EiO feels Ziegler could have made a difference in the A's pen as early as July of last season. Their failure to stop the bleeding led to their horrible record of blowing leads and saves.



DUCHSCHERER LONG LOBBIED TO START - Joe Stiglich



Blah-blah-blah...Duchscherer wants to start and has for some time.



GONZALEZ IS CENTER OF ATTENTION AT FIRST WORKOUT



Carlos Gonzalez intro fluff piece. The knock on Gonzalez is that he is coasting on talent and is not focused. Hopefully the A's keep him in Sacramento for six weeks before starting his arbitration clock. The A's have a habit of not allowing players to dominate a level before moving them up. Let a guy wreck a league and then deal with the adjustments necessary the next time through the same teams.


Makes sense?


Yah, too much sense.



FINDING A CENTER FIELDER NEAR TOP OF A'S TO-DO LIST;
DENORFIA, SWEENEY AND GONZALEZ ARE AMONG THE CONTENDERS TO FILL THE VOID LEFT BY OFFSEASON TRADES OF KOTSAY AND SWISHER - Joe Stiglich



It's curious that this is even a discussion. The A's traded for Denofria for a reason. Gonzalez won't be ready and still gets poor jumps on balls and while Sweeney has played in center he is not suited for it. The White Sox have a habit of thinking any outfielder who can run needs to play in center. Including guys who can't run like Nick Swisher.



OFFSEASON ANGST PUT CROSBY TO WORK EARLY;
A'S SHORTSTOP HIT IN HOME BATTING CAGE, DREAMING OF INJURY-FREE SEASON - Joe Stiglich



Blah-blah-blah. Bobby Crosby's batting cage. Do beat reporters just copy each other's articles?


Unfortunately Bobby is one of Billy's Boys. Bobby's injuries have not been flukes or 'impact injuries' (what the hell does that mean, anyway?). He turns his back to a pitcher in an effort to get more torque on his swing and he tried to pull everything. This is why he can't get out of the way when pitchers pitch inside. He broke his ankle sliding into home plate when there was no play at the plate but felt he had to try and bowl over the catcher because he is such a badass.



DINARDO NO STRANGER THIS TIME AROUND - Joe Stiglich



Blah-blah-blah. DiNardo is a left-handed soft tosser. Dallas Braden changes the grip on his sinker. Duchscherer is altering his change.



MY SPRING WITH THE OAKLAND A'S - James Simmons



Lame title for an article by A's pitching prospect James Simmons. Simmons is about two years away from a big knock on the door to the big leagues. 3rd starter stuff. Decent groundball numbers so far and fared well against AA hitters as a 20 year old last year.



DEVINE PUTS PAST IN THE PAST;
NEW A'S RELIEVER IS REBUILDING HIS CONFIDENCE AFTER A ROUGH DEBUT



Joey Devine, simply Devine has a problem. Injuries. And the hyperbole about his stuff is starting to get annoying.

"His sinker is outstanding...he has movement, velocity. We're trying to get him to get real consistent around the strike zone. But he's smart, competitive. His stuff is there."

That's not just Bobo being positive. Devine, simply Devine has had several injuries (hip, which make him a natural to be an Oakland A's player and back...again...) and that has retarded his development. He does not have a repeatable motion as a pitcher and as a result he is all over the map in his delivery to the plate. It's not 'effectively wild' either. That works at the minor league level since most hitters aren't clued in to pitch recognition and sequencing. At the major league level you get lit up. And Devine, simply Devine has been lit up at the major league level.


Again, if Rick Peterson were around this would be a no-brainer. Devine, simply Devine would be the A's closer by June and Huston Street would be a trading chip to bring in a quality infielder (please, oh, please, Chase Headley or Jed Lowrie or Tony Granadillo or Matt Antonelli or Mark Wagner - there's two Boston guys right there...)

The Weekly round up of everything we missed...


...and away we go...

MLB - oaklandathletics.com

NOTES: RARE FREE AGENT BROWN FITTING IN;
A'S OUTFIELDER FINDING ROLE AMONG PROSPECT-LADEN ROSTER - Mark Thoma

A puff piece on Emil Brown. One of the stranger off season signings by the A's. Thoma mentions Keith Foulke as a free agent signing but not Mike Sweeney for some reason. Brown's role on the A's is not known at least to him. Another example of the A's failure of communication with their players.

"It's nice to have a right-handed hitter who hits left-handers well."
- Bobo (Bob Geren)

Yes, it is. But who is Bobo talking about? It can't be Brown. He has a career line of .264/.338 /.439 vs. left-handers. That's 5th outfielder 'nice'.


BLANTON THROWS SIM; Joe Blanton threw a simulated game. The press has been alerted.

"He was aggressive, and when he made a couple pitches he didn't like, he was a little emotional...it looked like him in a real game."
- Bobo (Bob Geren)

Maybe it's the cynic in us but there could be a point made that Bobo was referring to Blanton making pitches he didn't like rather than the emotion.


RODRIGUEZ IMPRESS; Bobo quotes runneth deep.

"Henry Rodriguez was, wow,...he threw the ball very hard, showed a real good changeup, too. He's obviously an upcoming power pitcher."
- Bobo (Bob Geren)

Evidently, he is. Thanks for the notice there, Bobo. Wouldn't have figured that out unless we read any prospect related resource.


FOULKE MOVING ALONG; Foulke threw on flat ground.


YOUNG TO STANFORD; Jim Young is moving on to be Stanford's senior assistant athletic director of media relations...sound like a made up title. Senior assistant. You have to wonder if this is not a step down for Young. Maybe he just got tired of the A's and wanted to take a step back.


THE KIDS ARE COMING; The A's are doing one of those mini-baseball camps. Somebody warn Brad Ziegler.


NOTES: MENTAL STRENGTH KEY FOR ROBNETT;
STRONGMAN AWARD WINNER WANTS TO WORK ON APPROACH AT PLATE - Mark Thoma

"While Robnett still has work to do on the field, his approach to his workouts earned him the Mike Frick Award, which isn't based simply on how many pounds a player can lift, but also on a player's commitment to improving himself physically."

Mike Frick was an A's reliever, and probably future closer, who died in an unfortunate accident with a drunk driver in the truck he happened to be riding in.


Richie Robnett just isn't going to make it. At least not with the A's. Robnett was new to baseball at Fresno State and for some reason the A's took him in the first round of the 2004 draft. It's curious since the A's have such a horrible track record of molding raw talent into skill and ability on the baseball field.


While Robnett was named to a post season all star team last season out of AA - he was also 23 years old and in his 4th minor league season out of college. His .316 On Base Percentage and 130 strikeouts in 490 At Bats doesn't speak well. He has 420 K's to just 161 walks in almost 1500 minor league At Bats.


MAKING AN IMPRESSION; Bobo quote; "He's been impressive in the [bullpen sessions]...Henry Rodriguez threw a 90-mph breaking ball in the dirt, and he went down and blocked it like it was nothing.."



Bobo has received criticism in the last year of being 'too positive' with his players. He's quote machine so far in 2008 is nothing but sugary sweetness for everyone and everything including Justin Knoedler - the catcher in question.


THEY KNOW WHO'S ON FIRST; Bobo took the A's players indoors to go over rundown plays. Possibly to avoid another Bobby Kielty injury. Sure, Kielty is with another team, now. But him tearing up his knee in a routine Spring Training run down drill will be part of A's lore for many years when it comes to taking drills seriously.



HERE AND THERE; Keith Foulke is 'better...Eric Chavez is being babied (which is a good thing for his injuries but bad for his attitude)...A's play intrasquad games. Zachary has sat through several intrasquad games and has said they are great as few fans show up and most of the A's 40 Man Roster is in attendance.



EVELAND WANTS TO PARLAY MINORS SUCCESS;
LEFT-HANDER HAS STRUGGLED IN TWO STINTS AT MAJOR LEAGUE LEVEL

Basic stuff about Eveland in that he's been rushed to the major leagues with two organizations. He lacks a change-up and that, more than any other pitch, is something the A's will not stand for. Just like Dave Duncan and the ego monster Tony LaRussa were insistent on pitchers having the splitter/forkball, the A's insist on quality change-ups with their pitchers. Joe Blanton's last few months in AAA were spent with his change-up as his primary secondary pitch. He got knocked around a bit until he learned how to utilize it effectively. When he did he got called up.


Eveland's situation is not much different.


NOTES: LEFTY SMITH CALM, NOT SPEEDY;
ONE OF MANY COMPETING FOR JOB USES COMMAND TO GET HITTERS

A get to know Greg Smith article. Smith doesn't work with a lot of velocity but uses control to get batters out. Much like Justin Duchscherer. Different in that Smith is a left-handed soft tosser.


Smith has had his strike out rates drop as he has climbed the minor league ladder. That is not such a bad thing for a pitcher if their groundball rate is high. Unfortunately Smith's is not high. Just a tip over 1.0 groundballs per flyball. With the A's defense you would hope that Smith could 'learn' to pitch to contact and let batters beat the ball into the ground. However, more than likely Smith is looking at a career as a LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY).


MOBILE ARTILLERY: Bobo watched the A's outfielders uncork from the outfield. Everything seems to be fine. Why wouldn't it be with Bobo?


CATCHER-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT: Bobo was a catcher in his time as a player. Blah-blah-blah piece about dealing with the A's spat of younger catcher's.


FOULKE'S INJURY NOT A CONCERN: Bobo is not concerned about Keith Foulke missing drills.


TWELVE THROW TUESDAY: The A's groupings for their intrasquad games.


MURPHY EYES FULL-TIME MAJOR LEAGUE DUTY;
MIDDLE INFIELDER KNOWS OPENING EXISTS WITH SCUTARO TRADED AWAY

The sudden fascination with Donnie Murphy escapes EiO for the most part. In six seasons and nearly 2,000 At Bats Murphy sports a limp .350 On Base Percentage with nearly twice as many strikeouts as walks (363 - 183) and a grand total of 196 extra base hits (only 42 home runs). His defense isn't great, either. But the crux is that he is being pushed as the next Marco Scutaro.


Skootch wasn't the stand out that fans think. His legacy is marked by late inning heroics. Not great defense or consistent hitting. His minor league totals also are better than Murphy's. Is Murphy Skootch-Lite? No. More like Donnie Hill v 2.0.


NOTES: GEREN UNHAPPY WITH BASERUNNING;
ATHLETICS RUN INTO UNNECESSARY OUTS IN FIRST INTRASQUAD GAME

A rare negative comment by Bobo;

"We're trying to put an emphasis on base running, and I was very disappointed in that today...it was awful, actually."

GOOD GLOVE MAN:


You will see more of this in the near future. The media pumping up Jack Hannahan. The A's are looking to unload Eric Chavez. The most likely candidates are San Diego, the Dodgers, the Giants and the Astros. Chavez may not make it to July with the A's.


CHANGE OF VENUE:


The A's major leaguers moved from the minor league facility to the Muni. It's amazing what counts as newsworthy in the spring.


TRUE BLUE:


Casey Myers umpired an intrasquad game and with be a player-coach with Midland this year.


EiO always rooted for Myers but he seemed to be not one of Billy's Boys.

CATCHING UP WITH (REPRISE)...

Any day with a reference to Depeche Mode is a pretty good day. Even if they were overrated because of a huge fan base that worshipped them and made them out to more than they were...Joy Division (and New Order) over 'Fast Fashion' every day of the week and twice on Sunday.


...and away we go...

SF Gate - the San Francisco Chronicle

YES, BLANTON IS THE ACE, SO PLEASE PASS THE SUSHI; Ray Ratto

Ratto is an average columnist. He bats about .250 as far as hitting the mark. And his On Base Percentage is directly tied to his Batting Average.


Ratto is trying to make a case that Blanton is not a number one starter but the A's really don't have a choice. A recurring topic with Ratto is lambasting trades by Beane. Who else, in Ratto's eyes might be the number one starter?

[quote]

"That someone else? Probably Rich Harden, although Billy Beane's Blackberry also will have some input."

[/quote]


What the hell is that supposed to mean.? It is tiresome. The assertion that somehow technology is a crime in the baseball world. Every professional, college and high school program uses technology of some kind. The data is still compiled by hand though intelligently via scripts and other hack and work arounds. It isn't limited to baseball, either. Is there a sport that does not gauge performance and log it into a computer or database?


Note, Ratto's column was more than likely written and submitted to the online site for the Chronicle via a nasty old computer and their network.


Ratto tries to make implication that the A's roster turn over is somehow higher than other teams in baseball. It isn't. It's on par with any other team.


Ratto really draws ire in his closing;
[quote]

"And though his numbers suggest more a No. 3 starter than a No. 1 (and his Baseball Prospectus projection for 2008 - 12-11 with a 4.40 ERA - pretends to confirm this)..."

[/quote]


Bite our collective ass, Ratto. Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections time and again have proven near dead accurate in most cases and each year is graded the best among all of the other tools used for player projections. When there is time EiO will compare Ron Shandler, Bill James and PECOTA to see how the three match up.


[quote]

"So Blanton prepares for the opener in Tokyo as though he will be an Athletic for a decade to come - even though we all know better."

[/quote]


In the words of Bill Maher; 'Be more cynical'. What the bloody hell is Ratto talking about? How many players actually stay with the team that drafted and developed them any more? Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera. There are two. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in Boston came from other organizations. Barry Bonds came from Pittsburgh. Johan Santana is with the Mets. As is Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran. Miguel Cabrera, Miguel Tejada...it can be ventured that a majority of the top 100 players in MLB as of 2008 came from another organization that drafted them.


Ratto need a hit because he went down on three strikes on three pitches in this piece.


CROSBY ARRIVES AT ATHLETICS' CAMP WITH NEW BATTING STROKE

[quote]

"Working in conjunction with a video tape, Crosby identified a couple of sore spots in his approach and thinks he'll see a difference once games start. He had too much movement into pitches, creating holes in his swing."

[/quote]



Crosby's swing has not been the problem. It's his approach. He tries to pull everything he swings at rather than driving the ball to the gaps and taking advantage of the opposite field. In 1143 plate appearances in the last three years Crosby has seen a three ball count just 179 times. He has a grand total of 94 walks in those 1143 plate appearances.


THE HARDEN STUFF; We went over this in the MLB Catch Up yesterday. But here's another Bobo quote; "Even his warm-up pitches were hard. The ball was really coming out of his hand well."



Bobo said the same thing about Henry Rodriguez. And probably half a dozen other pitchers he was asked about.


AROUND THE BASES; Blah, blah, blah. Who has reported to camp.



SPRING TRAINING;
FOR NOW, A'S JOHNSON IS STEP AHEAD OF DOCTORS


Dan Johnson is the new Adam Piatt. A serious of weird health problems and is left to twist in the wind by the A's brass.


[quote]

"A recent bout of sinusitis turned so severe, Johnson revealed Monday, that he had to spend eight days in the hospital late last month - and he nearly had to have a hole drilled into his forehead."

[/quote]


Add that to the torn hip cartilage (how many A's players have had hip injuries the last several years?), the sunscreen sprayed into his eyes (that was misdiagnosed - the semantics involved 'not being correctly diagnosed'), vertigo and Ken Macha.


All seems to be well as reports have Johnson raking the ball.


Good. It is tiresome to watch DJ get the shaft.


The A's have manipulated the guy and jacked up his swing to serve their own purposes as trade bait and not toward winning. They insisted he pull the ball more in an effort to run up his HR totals. What John does so well is wear out left-centerfield and not pull the ball - he's a gap hitter. And he was a damn good hitter prior to being tarnished by the string of A's hitting coaches.




A'S OWNER LEW WOLFF SAYS NEW STADIUM IS ON TRACK TO BE BUILT

Blah, blah, blah. An AP article that reads like a press release. Probably because it is. The real estate scam Wolff is trying to pull over should surprise nobody in professional sports. Wolff used the A's as a front to buy land from an ailing Cisco and its management. If Fremont will stop the process by just asking the question - 'What do we get out of this besides window dressing?' this will all be over.


The Keebler Elf is a prick. Stating that the A's just won't stay in Oakland provides us the opportunity to label him the douche bag he is. His son Keith, who is heading the scam, then would be the douche nozzle.


Drive along the freeways in Oakland and near Emeryville and you can spot a half dozen sites that would house a ballpark. Abandoned warehouses. Rusted train yard. It can all be had for a tenth of the price the A's paid Cisco.


The long and short of it is that Wolff is going to be 79 years old this year. How much money does a dying man need? The stadium would only profit ownership and not do a single thing as far as the product the A's put on the field. A legacy would be keeping the A's in Oakland and building a jewel out of a tarnished landscape doomed by changes in the business world. Sheer greed would to build a shopping mall and condos surrounding a half-baked ballpark.




A'S GOLD GLOVER CHAVEZ HEALTHY BUT CAUTIOUS AFTER THREE SURGERIES

[quote]

"It will be normal for Chavez to be a step or two behind the rest of the Athletics this spring training following three operations in three months..."

.[/quote]


Yah, it's normal since Chavez is a streaky hitter and the downsides of his streaks usually begin in April, last through May and winds up hitting his stride in August. In his career Chavez' line before the All Star Break (by the way - he has never been an All Star; begging the question what the fuss is all about) .256/.336/.462 after the All Star Break .286/.360/.516. He is a different player.


Chavez had a batting cage installed at his home. So did Bobby Crosby. You have to wonder if there is going to be a boom in companies specializing in batting cages. Maybe a makeover reality show.


[quote]

"With as many new faces as ever in this franchise, Chavez offers stability. He is the longest-tenured member of a team that is accustomed to seeing its big-name players leave for big money elsewhere."

[/quote]


Well, that simply isn't true. The A's turnover, again, is not more than they have had in the past and Chavez is so damn streaky - how can it be said he offers stability. Chavez might be a big name to A's fans as they have bought the hype. The rest of MLB sees him for what he is an underachiever who consistently shrinks when faced with a challenge.




BRADEN RETURNS TO CAMP WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE

A puff piece on Dallas Braden.


[quote]

"If his numbers as a starter are questionable, his numbers as a reliever are solid evidence of future success. He held opponents to a .200 average as a reliever, as opposed to .303 as a starter, with an ERA of 2.16 in six relief appearances."

[/quote]


Repeat: 'SMALL SAMPLE SIZE'. Braden won his debut against the Orioles as he was named the starting pitcher only hours before the game. The Orioles had never faced him before let alone seen him. He lost his next 8 decisions.


Braden is more than likely going to be a mid-reliever. Before the 4th inning last year as a starter hitters hit under .260. After the 4th they hit .360. Yikes. He doesn't have the stuff to face batters the third time around.


EMBREE'S READY:


And EiO says, who cares? Embree was given the veteran soft treatment by the media in 2007. He blew four saves and helped the A's to have the worst save percentage in the American League. His groundball to flyball ratio dipped below 1.0 and his K rate has also dropped. He is a LOOGY by trade and the A's are paying him nearly $3 Million to do what Braden can do for a 1/6th of that total.


AROUND THE BASES:


Blah, blah, blah. This that, nothing of importance or interest.


MEYER SADDLED WITH 4TH OPTION



Dan Meyer has another option due to all the time he lost in 2006 with his injury. The article suggests that Dana Eveland has a better chance at the 5th starter spot because he was involved in a trade in the off season. How about because he is the more effective pitcher? The article states that Meyer couldn't get his breaking ball across for strikes in a warm-up session.


Briefly:


Noting you haven't already read.


EVELAND, DINARDO AMONG CANDIDATES FOR STARTING JOBS WITH A'S



[quote]

"Welcome to the A's youth movement, in which nine of the 30 pitchers in camp have a year or more of big league experience."

[/quote]


Will they please stop? Teams carry only 12 pitchers or fewer on the 25 Man Roster. Obviously the rest in the major league camp are going to be minor leaguers. Damn. This is starting to make EiO wonder if analysis is needed of rosters the last few years to stop this ridiculous trend.


[quote]"Eveland was the cornerstone of a trade that sent ace Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks. "[/quote]


Pretty sure he wasn't. Damn sure it was one of the best outfield prospects in baseball - Carlos Gonzalez. Aaron Cunningham might be the A's starting centerfielder in 2008 and Brett Anderson is a huge sleeper.


There's some blather about Lenny DiNardo. EiO doesn't understand the de facto DiNardo appeal.


NOTES: Keith Foulke strained his calf and visa issues continue for Santiago Casilla.


A'S CHAVEZ EITHER WILL ICE THIS SEASON OR HE'LL MELT



Ah, Ray Ratto. Let's see what his next attempt garners.
[quote]

"He now acknowledges that he should have at least consented to the surgery on his right shoulder a year earlier. "I was just afraid of surgery, that's all," he said."

[/quote]


There's a word for that. Ends in 'ussy'.
[quote]

"Over the years, Chavez has been knocked for being an injury magnet, but also for not absorbing the leadership mantle on an increasingly callow team. This part will drive Billy Beane nuts, because he regards chemistry as being slightly less important to baseball than trigonometry, but though chemistry is trumped by numbers, numbers create leaders, and Chavez as the longest-serving and best-paid Athletic is past due to reassemble the numbers that make a leader."

[/quote]


Trigonometry? Beane has often brought in veterans to smooth the clubhouse as Art Howe and Ken Macha were not trusted by Beane. What did Bill James say what was the most important factor in the Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004? Team chemistry. Beane was a player. He knows a big factor in chemistry is winning and the A's have been sporadic in that sense over the years. Bad starts, late finishes.


[quote]

"...if the A's are serious about not being the 95-loss clown car many people think they will be, he had better deliver it."

[/quote]


Only Ratto thinks this. The 'many people' must be the people he doesn't bother to ask. Or they are bitter Giants fans. Though bitter and Giants fan does seem synonymous.


So, Ratto is a glaring 0-for-2 in the last week. And he's struck out embarrassingly.


CRISP PREFERS TRADE TO BENCH



Jacoby Ellsbury has the centerfield job all but locked up in Boston. Crisp is the better glove man but Crisp is such an offense liability he is regressing to near Neifi Perez territory. Crisp might be a great Hacking Mass player but he doesn't need to come anywhere near the A's roster. The A's have already suffered through Terrence Long and Mark Kotsay (save one good, but not great year). The A's have oft been rumored to be coveting Crisp. Then again, any centerfielder who can play great defense and make A's pitchers better are always coveted.



A'S SPRING TRAINING;
STARTING IS A RELIEF FOR DUCHSCHERER




This is not a knock on Susan Slusser but the Justin Duchscherer as a starter angle has been played to a seven lives death.


[quote]

" I'm excited as hell," he said. "I wanted to start the whole time I've been here; it's what I expected to do. The whole time I was in the bullpen, I was like, 'When are you going to give me a chance?' But I did pretty well out there, so they said, 'We can't move you.'"

[/quote]


Again, failure by the A's to have decent arms from their minor league system fill the bullpen. Brad Ziegler should take that role in 2008.



LINDEN LIKES BLUE-COLLAR TEAM



Ah, it's not a season until we hear from sage Todd Linden.


BRIEFLY: Foulke's calf injury, Jared Lansford was at the A's ST Facility and Santiago Casilla still has not shown up in camp.



COMMENTARY;
ASSESSING THE 'MONEYBALL' PAYOFF




Kevin Goldstein had a nice two cents on Moneyball a few days ago:
[quote]

"I'm done talking about Moneyball - and so should you be."

[/quote]


Heaven.


Murray Chass is damn good writer who happens to write about sports. In this case he wanders a bit and takes the Beane Rhetoric:


[quote]

"You'd like to be 50 for 50, but that's the imperfection of the draft," he said. "That was the point of the process for us. The complete randomness is why we did what we did. I think the draft up to this point has been pretty random. The average number of players teams get to the big leagues is two. The idea was to try to do something objectively to compare decisions down the road."

[/quote]


Beane has been dishing this line for years. The A's had 7 picks before the second round. How many teams have more than two? A majority of teams have fewer than two. First round picks generally have a better chance to become big league regulars. With that in mind the A's should have nailed at least 5 or 6 major league regulars in the first round and with their sandwich picks. They got three. Really two. Blanton and Swisher hit Oakland, Mark Teahen is in Kansas City (for a less than consistent closer). The players that scouts and front offices and even stat heads scoffed at; McCurdy, Obenchain, Fritz and Brown didn't make it.


Take it for what it is worth. EiO considers the 2002 draft a wasted opportunity and a near debacle.




Tomorrow we'll hit the rest of the newspapers and online sites.

CATCHING UP WITH...

Any day with a reference to Depeche Mode is a pretty good day.


Elephants in Oakland is going to begin using columns for certain aspects of the site. 'Catching Up With...' will be a media recap from the previous day(s). 'It Ain't Easy Being Green (and Gold)' will be posts that are heavy on opinion but based on evidence (fact, statistics, and analysis). If you have any ideas for naming columns, please fire off an email (elephantsinoakland@gmail.com). We are looking for 7-10 solid column names.


...and away we go...

MLB.COM - Oakland Athletics' Site

SUZUKI STAKING HIS CLAIM AS A'S LEADER

This is a typical puff piece on a player. In this case it does not deliver anything we don't already know. Why is it a puff piece? There isn't a negative word about Kurt Suzuki in the article It explains how much hard work and how dedicated he is...so are most professional athletes. Suzuki really isn't that different. What the article does provide is a few of the throw away quotes that will be forgotten before you leave the article. That's not a knock on KZ, just a reality of what kind of filler material is loaded into the media hopper on a regular basis.


NOTES: WELL-TRAVELED CUST SETTLING IN;
SLUGGER RELISHES RETURN TO OAKLAND, POISED FOR BIG SEASON

The article proposes that Cust has a starting position locked up for the first time in his career. That's specious reasoning. Designated Hitter isn't really a position, is it? Cust is listed as DH for the fact he is terrible in the field. He has played the outfield and 1st base. It wouldn't be a surprise if Cust is playing in the outfield on Opening Day with Daric Barton at DH and Dan Johnson at 1st base.



EVELAND IN THE MIX; the next note in the article suggests that Dana Eveland is a possible 5th start for the A's in 2008. Again, that's fairly obvious. He does have major league service time, though Chad Guadin might be the 5th starter and given the opportunity to start later in April the first time the A's need a 5th starter. Eveland has weight control issues and the A's seldom use Spring Training as a testing ground. It is very rare that a player truly wins a spot out of Spring Training with this organization. The last pitcher to do so was Jeff Tam way back in 2000. But at this stage who knows what David Forst has decided?



RODRIGUEZ REPORTS; Henry Rodriguez reported to spring training, which is a note in and of itself as a lot of players seem to be hitting a wall with visa issues throughout MLB. Rodriguez impressed Bobo (Bob Geren), then again Geren is impressed by the sun rising every morning. It is a bit ridiculous to get a quote from Geren on a prospect he has never seen and makes him sound out of the loop; "He's supposed to be an incredible talent...He's supposed to throw up close to 100 [mph]." That sounds like something a fan might say. Rodriguez has good stuff but lousy control - striking out more than a batter an inning but his strike out to walk ratio was 106/58. He didn't give up a lot of hits but a lot of guys got on base.



GAUDIN GETS A MOVE ON; Chad Gaudin has began running which is a good sign of recovery. However it has to be in the back of A's fans minds that the A's have a history of pushing injured players back into the line-up, particularly out of spring training. See; Rich Harden. Gaudin, if you recall, was the guy Elephants in Oakland championed in the off season last year and was arguably one of the better starters in the American League before the All Star break. Again, he had hip and foot injuries that he pitched through and put up a ton of unnecessary innings. Something that Bobo should have been lambasted for but was not.


DUCHSCHERER THRILLED ABOUT SHOT TO START;
RIGHTY MAKING TRANSITION FROM RELIEF AT A'S SPRING TRAINING CAMP

Zachary had a chance to talk to Justin Duchscherer a few years ago for a pre-interview. The interview never took place. At the time one of the big questions was about Duchscherer's car accident, pitching in Sacramento and relieving vs starting. Duchscherer was diplomatic about his role with the A's. Clearly, though, he preferred starting. At the time the A's were not sold on Duchscherer's stuff and the ability to get through the batting order three times. That's what a starter is required to do; get through the batting order three times and hopefully get 20 outs or more. Do the math. 20 outs is 6 2/3 innings. Limit the opposition to 3 or fewer runs and that's a pretty good day on the bump.



The article summarizes Duchscherer's off season and the call from Bobo about having a different role come Spring Training. Duchscherer's father is mentioned in the article and he has been a constant presence in Duchscherer's career. Nice guy, too.


NOTES: HARDEN ENCOURAGED BY WORKOUT;
RIGHT-HANDER HAS BEEN LIMITED BY INJURIES PAST TWO YEARS

When isn't Harden and the A's encouraged by a workout? It has come to pass that any printed or spoken word positive about Rich Harden's health is accepted with as much faith as the lone gunman theory and the JFK assassination. Yes, it is that bad. Really. Yes, when the A's director of public relations is quoted on a player's health, Jim Young, that has to be taken as proof positive even the A's brass has pretty much gone to looking for flubber-like substances as a solution.



OWNING UP TO OPTIMISM: Ugh. Lewis Wolff, the Keebler Elf and the bane of Elephants in Oakland's existence. Zachary made a comment last Spring that Wolff sat near him during a simulated game at Papago Park. With only two dozen people in the stands it took everything he had not to jump up and get in Wolff's face, "I might have eventually been tossed by security and permanently banned from attending anything in Phoenix. I still think I made the correct choice...for the most part."



Wolff spouts nothing but jeweled quotes about the ballpark fraud surrounding Fremont and the trades in the off season. Owners should be seen and not heard. Particularly Oakland professional sports owners. Wolff is simply an investor. He cares very little about the sports teams he owns and hangs around for the PR and to pump of the value of an organization for a later sale. There are huge tax write-offs with professional sports teams and Wolff takes advantage of every loophole.



PACING THEMSELVES: Today catchers are going to begin throwing down during their drills. Good. The A's were terrible throwing out runners. While some blame goes to a pitcher in that they are responsible for holding runners close, Jason Kendall was just awful throwing out runners. No matter who the pitcher was he was awful. Kurt Suzuki was only marginally better. Not bad enough to make Frank Robinson cry bad, though.



"Hello, my name is ..."; Yes, yes. The A's have 'new' faces. Every team does. Every year there is turnover and the minor leaguers are only recognized by family members. Zachary and Kerry met Andre Ethier's mom a few years ago at the A's facility and were both sad that a cool guy and terrific baseball player was trade. Even if it was for a personal favorite of Zachary's, Milton Bradley.


FRICK RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED TUESDAY;
HALL OF FAME TO RECOGNIZE BROADCASTING EXCELLENCE

Ridiculous. Bill King has been snubbed again in favor of someone who is alive. That sucks so much animal testicle on such a grand scale that that dinosaurs needed to be added to cover the magnitude of this shameful act.


NOTES: CATCHERS LOVE IT AROUND THE PLATE;
A'S BACKSTOPS PROVE TO BE A MORE PATIENT BUNCH WHEN BATTING

This part of the article attempts to 'prove' that A's catchers walk rates justify that they are more patient at the plate. Two immortal words when it comes to statistical analysis; SAMPLE SIZE. Rob Bowen and Kurt Suzuki totaled 302 plate appearances to Jason Kendall's 312 and the article tries to compare that to all of the American League. Doesn't work that way. Stats have to be based on a decent comparison. Suzuki had 248 plate appearances. If you want to compare Kendall to Suzuki that comparison can be made; Kendall had .39 walks per plate appearance to Suzuki's .98. But patience, is that really determined by walks? What about pitches per plate appearances? There Kendall has a minuscule edge of 3.79 to Suzuki's 3.76. Kendall did have an extra 62 plate appearances compared to Suzuki...



TOO EARLY TO TELL: Recall when Bobo was discussing Rodriguez? "There's no real evaluation going on at this point...at this point, it's just for them to get in shape." Ugh. Contradiction?



NAMELESS WORKOUTS CONTINUE: You can't make this stuff up. Within a few dozen words Geren is quoted, "[Greg] Smith's control was impressive and [Dana] Eveland showed a good breaking ball and had some good run on his fastball...Arnold Leon again looked extremely polished for his age." Really? Seriously.



RADIO GUESTS: Robert Baun. Worse than Hawk Harrelson. Just terrible. The A's, save Ken Korach have the absolute worst announcers and personalities on the air in baseball and perhaps all of professional sports. Vince Cotroneo gets a pass for 2007. New team and all.



ATHLETICS AGREE TO TERMS WITH SIX: Rob Bowen, Landon Powell, Kevin Melillo, Donnie Murphy, Gregorio Petit, Dan Meyer. Not news worthy. The A's controlled all of these players. It's merely getting a contract signed. Formality. Rare that non-arbitration players get anything more than a one year deal at a slight increase from the year before as far as pay.



REPORT CARD: Santiago 'Jairo Garcia' Casilla and Angel Garcia have not reported to camp. Most likely visa problems. This is not Casilla's first problem and the A's front office does not like this kind of lax behavior. Casilla is not in camp meaning he is at least a week behind other pitchers and could be two weeks behind before he arrives. He'll need 'special attention' when he does arrive taking away from other things coaches could be doing. Casilla is overrated at this point and he may very well find himself in AAA to start the season and face the possibility of being traded and/or a cement ceiling getting back to Oakland. His ERA was above the league average, which is not good for a reliever. His K's per inning is better than 1 an inning but his walks to K rate is not good. He has a poor groundball rate, though he only allowed 5 of 31 inherited runners to score. This is better than decent.



CHAVEZ GEARING TOWARD OPENING DAY;
A'S THIRD BASEMAN RECOVERING FROM THREE OFFSEASON SURGERIES



Ugh, for crying out loud, more of the Chavez spoiled brat routine.


'Chavez said he's willing to put in the time in the training room every day to keep himself in the lineup, noting that until recently, he had been a very durable player. From 2000 through 2005, he appeared in at least 150 games five times.


And maybe if he got an occasionally day off or had the surgery that was suggested five years ago he wouldn't have three surgeries to rehab from. Perhaps Chavez would not be the disappointment he is had he actually went into the training room every day as well as the damn weight room and actually tried to make himself a better athlete and refine his ability to translate into hardened skills. Chavez is the face of the Oakland A's franchise; a perpetual underachiever and he's not miffed at it at all...




Tomorrow we'll hit the newsstands and review some of the newspaper's scribblings.

Fletch will be in Tokyo for the A's Home Opener and is willing to write it up for Elephants in Oakland. Thusly, he earns himself a Hall of Fame standing...

FLETCH's Mini-BIO: I was born and raised in the East Bay. I have since spent time in San Francisco, Tokyo (Japan), and I'm now back in LA in grad school at UCLA. Whenever I'm in SF, odds are you'll find me at the 500 Club. I have been an A's fan since my inception in the late 70's. My defining moment came in 1988 at Game 5 of the World Series, when I called Orel Hershisher a bitch before the game. I started a ridiculous A's blog (BostonHasAIDS), in 2006 while I was living in Japan, as an inside joke with some friends who I went to many A's games with while we were living in SF. ONE LONG HOMESTAND I found out in November that the A's would start the season in Japan versus the Boston Red Sox, but I do remember my initial reaction. "A's vs The Chowderheads to start the season in Tokyo?!! Hell yes, it's in March - when is my Spring Break?" I immediately found out that it was timed perfectly, as the games were taking place over Spring Break, and my wife and I were planning on visiting Japan at that time anyway! That's right bitches, Tokyo road trip. A quick aside - it might not be that interesting, but you're probably wondering why the hell I was planning on visiting Japan anyway. Long story short, I went to Japan 10 years ago on an exchange program, where I met my wife. While we live in LA now, my in-laws still live in Tokyo, and all of my wife's friends from childhood through college still live in Tokyo and we try to visit them at least once a year. Plus, for anyone who has never been to Japan, it's an awesome experience and it is the best culture I've ever known and the people are awesome. So anyway, I was in a unique position, since we have friends and family there. There was an online "lottery" for tickets in January. So we put in a request for 4 tickets for Game 1 and 6 tickets for Game 2, and we found out last week that we were selected for both games (I'm not sure if anyone was denied, but I don't care since I got mine). We were lucky, since I believe you had to either have someone in Japan to go pick up the tix and/or have a Japanese credit card, and I had both of those. The games are actually quite a bit more expensive than normal games; they used the same pricing as the WBC, which I went to while I was living there. It will be worth it though, for the Japanese beer girls alone. As many people can probably imagine, baseball has always been huge in Japan, but now there is a lot more interest in MLB with the influx of Japanese players in to the US. Obviously the most popular teams being NYY, Seattle and Boston. Its funny, once in a while I see old school A's starter jackets from the Bash Brothers days, when the A's ran shit in MLB, and were the hated big boys. Things have certainly changed. So obviously, w/ Matsuzaka and Okajima on Boston, I'm imagining that 95% of the fans that actually have MLB gear on will be wearing Boston gear, or as I like to call it - granny panties. For those who don't know, Japan is interesting in that they actually split the stadium in half, w/ 1 team's fans sitting on the 3rd base side, the other on the 1st base side. We'll be on the 3rd base side - Ole Chavy! I'll try to get some more stories and info down, but I assure you I'll get some good pics and stories from the week + in Japan.

...and let the rhetoric commence. Joe Blanton's name is popping up, again, in trade rumors. Buster Olney takes a stab at possible suitors. I don’t mind speculation but I feel that sportswriters do not do a very job of clearly stating that their speculation is just that. I'd rather go with an unconfirmed and unnamed source than trust a sportswriter.



From Olney's article:

The Market for Blanton
posted: Monday, February 11, 2008
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster
http://elephantsinoakland.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=475#475



Dan Haren probably had the most trade value of any pitcher as the off-season began, and he went first, to Arizona. The Johan Santana domino fell, and then the long-discussed Erik Bedard deal went down.



And now Oakland's Joe Blanton is the best pitcher available, an innings-eating plowhorse who, at 27 years old, has demonstrated that he can throw in the middle of any rotation. Blanton has made 98 starts and thrown 625.2 innings the last three seasons, compiling a 3.95 ERA in 2007. With the Athletics in long-term rebuilding mode, it makes sense for them to deal him now, as he starts to make his climb up the arbitration-fueled part of the salary ladder.



The Reds, desperately needing another solid piece for their thin rotation, seem to be the most aggressive team in pursuing Blanton so far, although Cincinnati likely wouldn't have to part with superprospect Jay Bruce if it wins the bidding. But circumstances may nudge other teams to get involved. If the Reds are the front-runners, in the pole position, here's how the rest of the field may line up in the Blanton talks.



2. The Dodgers
They talked extensively about a Blanton trade at the deadline last summer, and have continued to consider the idea. But despite all the conversation, the Dodgers have been steadfast in holding onto their prospects. And with a rotation that includes Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda, L.A. may simply not be motivated enough to finish a Dodgers deal.



3. The Yankees
They've had some internal discussions about Blanton during the winter, as part of their due diligence. General manager Brian Cashman has made it clear he wants to hold onto the most evolved Yankees prospects -- Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy -- and given their exit from the Santana trade talks, that might seem to take them out of play in the Blanton conversations.



But there is this: The Yankees have no idea how their No. 2 starter, Andy Pettitte, may or may not be affected by his part in Roger Clemens' fight to clear his name. He might be fine, or might be distracted. The Yankees would need another stabilizing force in the middle of their rotation, between ace Chien-Ming Wang and the talented but inexperienced youngsters.



And the Yankees can make a deal for Blanton without surrendering either Joba Chamberlain or Hughes, because the Athletics aren't necessarily looking for major-league ready prospects in return for Blanton. They would take talented players from Class A or Double-A.



4. The Angels
In the same week that the Mariners added Bedard to a rotation more than suitable to contend for the playoffs, the Angels learned that Kelvim Escobar will not be ready for the start of the season. Los Angeles has a No. 1 in John Lackey and a couple of other good starters in Jered Weaver and Jon Garland, but the loss of Escobar could have enormous implications; he was a candidate for the Cy Young Award last year, and now the Angels have no idea what he can give them this season.



The Angels have the prospects to make a move, and Oakland GM Billy Beane has never had any reservations about making a deal with a division rival.



5. The Red Sox
Boston wasn't counting on much more than 8-10 victories and 100 to 150 innings from Curt Schilling, and with Schilling's 2008 season now at risk, the Red Sox are in an excellent fallback position with Clay Buchholz. But Schilling's injury does leave the Red Sox in an uncomfortable position of relying on Tim Wakefield to stay healthy. Boston executives, like those of the Yankees, have had internal talks about Blanton, and the Red Sox have prospects like Jed Lowrie to offer.



. . .
6. The Phillies
Lest there be any doubt, Philadelphia would love to have Blanton. But the Phillies continue to run up against the same roadblock in every major trade conversation: They simply don't have much in the way of minor league depth from which to fashion a trade.

In the piece Olney references this article from some chowder head.



The A's were rumored to be pursuing Mike Cameron and Coco Crisp. Which makes sense from their defensive value; good centerfielders chasing down flyballs make a pitcher's number better. Better numbers mean a higher cost when it comes to trade. Except when you get rid of a major chip whose numbers you are attempting to buttress then it becomes a little hazardous. Offensively, age and asking price for Cameron was ridiculous. Crisp suddenly has lost all of his power. In 2004-5 Crisp his 31 HR and had a slugging percentage over .440. The last two seasons Crisp has hit 14 HR and his OBP is less than league average. The A's could only be targeting prospects from the Red Sox and the Red Sox brain trust is better than the A's. What is chuckle worthy is calling Rich Harden "more expensive" than Blanton. While true a team with a payroll the size of the Red Sox has little to worry about when it comes to cash on hand.



Speculating I could see the A's taking Jon Lester and a 'lesser' prospect such as shortstop Oscar Tejeda, or outfielders Lars Anderson or Josh Reddick. Righty Michael Bowden might be a Blanton clone and Beane loves LHP so Nick Hagadone could be a consideration. Really, if the A's make a deal I would not be surprised to see the "Player to be Named Later" appears. The Red Sox obviously draft and develop well. Their minor league system has OBP that are incredible.

the A's signed Keith Foulke to a substantial deal on Friday. Substantial in that it seems like a load of bread upfront for a guy who retired. And for a pitcher who lived off his change-up, doesn't have his fastball any longer and recently had bone chips removed. Here are a few issues with the Mark Sweeney signing;

• Foulke's age; 35



• Foulke was trending in the wrong direction for two seasons prior to his retirement.




• Without a secondary pitch to off set the change-up Foulke necessarily becomes a liability whether starting, in long or short relief.




• According to reports the salary for Foulke is $700,000 with incentives that can reach $2.5 Million - that is a lot for a guy who has not faced live hitting in two seasons.




• Foulke's deal is a major league deal; meaning he is on the 25 Man Roster and Wes Bankston was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40 Man Roster.




• While Foulke says his arm feels the best it has in three to four years - results and outcomes matter more than how the guy's arm feels.

The deal could very well work out with Foulke providing moderate relief for a team that aspires for .500 baseball in 2008. It simply does not bode well for a pitcher like Brad Ziegler who should break camp on the 25 Man Roster and by June be a huge trading chip for the A's.


This brings us to the signing of Mark Sweeney. It's no secret that Billy Beane has long coveted Sweeney. Beane called him the best hitter in the American League at the beginning of the century. However, again, the A's are banking on 'hope' and that rarely works for them. Here are a few issues with the Sweeney signing:

• Sweeney doesn't have the personality that fits in well with some players, coaches and management.




• Sweeney is already in the doghouse for reporting the signing prior to local media prior to actually signing a contract.




• Sweeney has yet to pass a physical that has been reported.




• Sweeney's Christian antics have caused issue in the past.




• Sweeney does not have the best track record in the clubhouse.

There are positives with the deal. It is a minor league deal. It's not clear if he will be placed on the 40 Man Roster or not. Then again, Sweeney's report didn't exactly mention that. If he is not treated like the 'royalty' that he has been made out to be there could be further problems.


Sweeney has hit well at the Coliseum in his career, just off his career marks:


Career .299/.369/.492
Coliseum .291/.386/.477


What does cause some raised eyebrows is the continual mention of trading Dan Johnson and Daric Barton as the 1st baseman. Barton's ability around the first base bag is far better as a hitter than a fielder. He was so bad in Sacramento he was moved to 3rd base to lessen the number of chanced he would touch the ball. Remember this is a player who was effectively removed from catching duties within a few minutes of catching the first day pitchers and catchers reported in 2005. DJ is by far the better fielder but his career in Oakland has been tarnished by the A's coaching staff messing with his mind, health and swing.


As an A's fan I would much rather see the A's package a deal around Jack Cust than DJ leaving Barton as DH. Sweeney really doesn't make sense in the least. Recall what having a permanent DH does to the 25 Man Roster with limitations. With 3 DH's it makes it all the more complicated.

GREETINGS FROM RICHMOND

In the past week there have been a lot of lists flying about regarding prospects and it's the time of year when fantasy baseball drafts start their lists and depth charts. We'll go over that this week and next week we'll look at projections by PECOTA, Ron Shandler and Bill James. There is also a new writer at MLB.com; Jayson Addcox who is starting to create problems.


I did want to touch on something from Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectuswho has a Spring Training Preview. Also, Gary Huckabay will be chatting at 11:00 AM (PST) today.

Oakland Athletics
Where: Phoenix, Arizona (Cactus League)
2007 record: 76-86 (3rd, AL West)
New guys: Joey Devine, Dana Eveland, Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney
Gone guys: Dan Haren, Mark Kotsay, Mike Piazza, Marco Scutaro, Shannon Stewart (Ed. Note. Nick Swisher, too.--JSS.)
Wow, he’s still here?: Joe Blanton was expected to be on the next plane out following Dan Haren’s, but Billy Beane has yet to move the big right-hander.
Winter grade: C
Beane executed the plan to a point, making it clear that the A’s are playing for the new park. However, he’s still left with the Eric Chavez contract, with Bobby Crosby’s deal, and with Blanton. The job is not yet finished.
NRI to watch: Opportunity abounds in this camp. Keep an eye on outfielder Aaron Cunningham, part of the Haren package. Despite being bounced around by a mid-season trade from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks, he performed well in three leagues, and finished the year with 51 walks and 57 extra-base hits to go with a .308 BA. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that he’s the best outfielder in the organization right now.
Job battle to track: Bad teams generally have plenty of playing time to be won, and the A’s enter camp with question marks in two outfield spots, and arguably at both first base and catcher as well. The best fight, however, could be in the rotation, where new A’s Gio Gonzalez and Dana Eveland will put pressure on holdover Lenny DiNardo and relief-to-starter project Justin Duchscherer.
One move to make: Paying Eric Chavez $37 million through 2010 is a waste of money for a team that’s trying to spend as little as possible at the moment. The A’s have to leverage his first hot streak to get out from under the deal, even if it means taking a small value hit in exchange.


This is the first A’s camp in nearly a decade that brings together a team without championship aspirations. That’s a hard sell for Oakland fans, who never got a taste of postseason success while the team was good, and now face the prospect of watching bad teams in a lousy ballpark for a few years. There’s the potential for excitement here, as Cunningham, Daric Barton and Carlos Gonzalez could form the core of a contender eventually. For now, though, the remnants of the failed Harden/Crosby A’s will drift through a tough couple of years.

And now, the lists. First is Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects, Top 5 by Position and Top 5 by Team.


From Keith's Top 100:

#38 Daric Barton (1B - Oakland A's)
AGE: 22
People who didn't read or didn't understand Moneyball would refer to Barton as a Moneyball player, because he gets on base and isn't a great athlete. He was a first-round pick by St. Louis, which traded him to Oakland in the Mark Mulder deal, so it's hard to argue that the market undervalued his skills (which was the real point of the book). Now, Barton would be highly coveted by a number of clubs because he is big league ready and has a very advanced approach at the plate. The question is his power, which projects in only the 15-20 homer range, light for a first baseman. That increases the pressure on Barton to put up OBPs in the low .400s to provide sufficient offensive value. He has a good enough eye and good enough plate coverage to do it.


#42 Carlos Gonzalez (CF/RF - Oakland A's)
AGE: 22
Gonzalez, the centerpiece of Oakland's haul in the Dan Haren trade, still has not seen his performance catch up to his tools. He has a smooth, simple, left-handed swing that should generate a ton of contact, but he is too pull-oriented and leaves himself exposed on the outer half. He already has 55 power and projects to have more as he fills out, but he will need to continue to work on his pitch recognition and approach to get to that level. On defense, he played mostly right field in the Arizona system, which was chock-full of center fielders, but he could return to center in the Oakland organization, giving him some star potential. He has an average arm for right field, but he gets good reads off the ball and should be fine in center if the A's choose to put him there.

#57 Fautino de los Santos (RHP - Oakland A's)
AGE: 22
De los Santos was the potential star among the three players the A's received from the White Sox for Nick Swisher. He's a two-pitch pitcher with a 91-95 mph fastball with some late life and a hard breaking ball with a sharp 11-to-5 break. His command is below average, and he has a tendency to leave his front shoulder open, especially when throwing the breaking ball, and he doesn't have a solid third pitch. At wo