MLB Season Preview: Oakland A's

Oakland A's


Last Season's Standings: The Oakland A's went 93-69, including 4-6 in their final ten games to finish 1st in the AL West. The A's were knocked out in 4 straight games by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

In: RP Scott Dunn (prev. team: Tampa Bay Devil Rays); RP Alan Embree (prev. team: San Diego Padres); LF Ricky Ledee (prev. team: NY Mets); 2B Lou Merloni (prev. team: Cleveland Indians); C Mike Piazza (prev. team: San Diego Padres); LF Shannon Stewart (prev. team: Minnesota Twins); 2B Donnie Murphy (via trade w/ Kansas City Royals)

Out: LF Doug Clark (new team: Atlanta Braves); SS Jiminez D'Angelo (new team: Washington Nationals); RP Ryan Keisler (new team: St. Louis Cardinals); RF Jay Payton (new team: Baltimore Orioles); RP Scott Sauerbeck (new team: Houston Astros); DH Frank Thomas (new team: Toronto Blue Jays); SP Barry Zito (new team: San Francisco Giants); RP Jerome Williams (new team: Washington Nationals)

Starting Pitching: Canadian rightie Rich Harden will be the undisputed ace of this young pitching staff, assuming he can stay healthy. He missed significant time last season, all but 9 starts last season to an elbow injury. However he looked good in those 9 starts going 4-0 with a 4.24 ERA. It's critical hat he get ahead in the count and go deep into the ball game often to save a bullpen that's bound to be taxed this season. Harden will be followed by rightie Dan Haren, who went 14-13 with a 4.12 ERA in 34 starts last season. He hold runners better and bear down when runners are aboard. Haren is improving in retiring left-handed batters. Ex-Blue Jay Esteban Loaiza. He can be an incredibly frustrating pitcher, both to his team and to opposing hitters. That is, he hasa bad tendency to display ace-like qualities one start and to be atrocious his next time out. He went 11-9 with a 4.89 ERA in 26 starts last season, he missed a month to an injury to his non-pitching shoulder. When base runners are on, Loaiza gets distracted and maybe focuses on them too much, thus the very high ERA, especially with RISP. Rightie Joe Blanton is scheduled to be the 4th starter for the A's. He was 16-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 31 starts and one appearance out of the bullpen. Blanton doesn't have one dominant putch as he is still learning the "art" of pitching. Finally southpaw Joe Kennedy will be the fifth starter when the A's require one and will also pitch out of the bullpen to keep his arm loose and game ready. He was 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 39 appearances last season, none of those being a start. He has a tendency to leave the ball up in the one, which has the expected result, a crushed ball. When he starts to tire, usually around the 5th inning, right handed batters crush him.

Bullpen: Hudson Street is the anchor of this bullpen. Despite missing a month to injury, Street still collected 37 saves and a further 4-4 record with a 3.31 ERA in 69 appearances. Street could be a little sneakier with his first pitch in the count; left-handed batters have an easier time against him. Setting up Street in the eighth and saving the odd game if Stret gets hurt or needs a rest will be rightie Justin Duchscherer. He went 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA and notched 9 saves when Street was on the DL. He doesn't throw hard, so he needs to keep his head in the game, especially with runners on, or he gets hit hard. Kiko Calero is a second option to help hand the games to Street in the ninth. Calero went 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA, including 2 saves, in 70 appearances. When he gets hit, he gets hit hard, often out of the park. Alan Embree will assume the role of lefty-specialist. Embree went 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA in 73 games played. He is primarily a fly-ball ptcher who can't hold runners to the bag, doesn't have a strong pick-off move, and whose pitching struggles with RISP. Chad Gaudin should make the team as a middle reliever, making 2007 his first full season in the bigs. He went 4-2 with a 3.09 ERA, including 2 saves in 55 games played. Interestingly, Gaudin struggles with the bases empty. He has command issues and left-handed hitters just pound him. Jay Witasick will be looking to prove to the coaching staff that he is fully recovered from ankle injuries that caused him to miss the final 90 games of the season. He was 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 20 appearances last season. He'll likely be a middle reliever in the 'pen. Witasick could use an off-speed pitch to mix in wih his heater to keep batters off-balance. Witasick has had very limited experience will a knuckle-curve and change-up. Left-handed batters beat the living daylights out of him. Finally, southpaw Brad Halsey will be a middle-long man out of the 'pen and will round things out. He was 5-4 with a 4.67 ERA in 52 appearances in 2006. As is the case with many lefties, Halsey throws too many strikes/pitches; doesn't have a real go-to-pitch.

Designated Hitter: Free agent signing and aging Mike Piazza will be the primary DH on the A's, and unless Kendall or Melhuse get hurt, Piazza will not play many if any innings behind the plate. This should save him physically and perhaps allow him to play an extra 10-15 games this season. Look for Piazza to play between 135-145 games and to bat clean-up. He hit .283 with 22 HR and 68 RBI last season. Left-handed hitting Bobby Kielty should get in against some right-handers as DH. He hit .270 with 8 HR and 68 RBI last season. Finally, back-up catcher Adam Melhuse can DH, but look for him to get the bulk of his playing time as a catcher one-to times a week.

Catcher: Veteran Jason Kendall will bat leadoff and play between 135 and 145 games this season. He's of a rare breed as the typical hitters spot for a catcher is 8th. However, he hits well enough that he leads off. He hit .295 with 1 HR (this number would be higher, but he's had injuries in recent season that have decimated what power he had) and 50 RBI. Defensively, Kendall is rather average, although he is working on it. Backing him up will be Adam Melhuse. He hit .219 with 4 HR and 18 RBI. He strikes out a ton (34 times last season) and simply can't hit lefties. Piazza is a third catcher, but unless either Melhuse or Kendall suffer a significant injury, Piazza won't be putting on the catcher's mask/mitt/gear. This is a good thing because Piazza is not known for his defence behind the plate.

First Baseman: Entering his first full season in the majors, batting 8th and playing around 115 games this season if healthy will be left-handed hitting Dan Johnson. He hit .234 with 9 HR and 34 RBI in 2006. Johnson is mediocre at best with his fielding skill, is not a great runner and must improve his AB's with RISP. Starting left fielder Nick Swisher will be the primary back-up at first base. . . more on him later. Melhuse can also play some first base.

Second Baseman: Mark Ellis is looking to prove he is completely recovered from a broken finger that caused him to miss half of the '06 season. He'll likely bat 7th in the line-up and play between 135-145 games if healthy. Ellis batted .249 with 11 HR and 52 RBI last season. He's a decent ball player but doesn't particularly excel at any one offensive skill. Serving as the primary back=up will be utility man Marco Scutaro. He hit .266 with 5 HR and 41 RBI last season. Scutaro is also not exceptional at any one offensive skill; struggles against the hard heat and he tends to be streaky. Antonio Perez is a second utility man and can also play 2B. Perez batted .102 with 1 HR and 5 RBI in the 2006 season. Look for Perez to primarily be a defensive replacement or a pinch runner.

Shortstop: The injury-prone Bobby Crosby will be starting between 125 and 135 games if he can stay healthy (missed 61 games, including the 7 post-season games, to various injuries). Crosby will bat 6th when in the line-up. He hit .229 with 9 HR and drove in 40 runs last season. His range in the field is a question mark and being a free swinger resulted in 76 strikeouts last season. He struggles when facing a southpaw and the injuries are definitely a cause for concern. Scutaro, Ellis and Perez will battle for and provide the back-up at shortstop.

Third Baseman: At the hot corner is left-handed power hitter Eric Chavez. He hit .241 with 22 HR and 72 RBI last season. This player is a pure hitter who rocks righties and is a decent fielder. His only glaring weakness is his inability to consistently hit southpaws. Chavez will bat 3rd in the line-up and play between 135 and 145 games in 2007. Perez and Scutaro will battle for the back-up job.

Left Fielder: As mentioned previously, Nick Swisher will play the bulk of the games (155+ games) in left field and should bat 5th in the lineup. Swisher hit .254 with 35 HR and 95 RBI last season. He tends to chase pitches off the plate, especially outside; not the greatest or fastest on the base path. Finally, this switch-hitter hasa little less power from the right side. Shannon Stewart is vying for a back-up job is the oft-injured Shannon Stewart. He missed 106 games last season to various leg injuries, including 73 to a broken foot. He's on an incentives-based contract, where if he meets certain established targets, he'll get a bonus. Stewart hit .293 with 2 HR and 21 RBI last season. Stewart possesses a very weak throwing arm and is among the least patient batters in the league. Bobby Kielty will serve as a platoon or 4th outfielder. He hit .270 with 8 HR and 36 RBI last season. His difficulties come when hitting wih runners in scoring position, as well as hitting consistently from the left side of the plate. The speedy Milton Bradley can also play left field, but you'll find him primarily in right field. . . more on him later.

Center Fielder: Batting 2nd and playing in center field will be Mark Kotsay, who hit .275 with 7 HR and 59 RBI in 2006. He'll play between 125 and 135 games this season if healthy. Kotsay knows how to run the bases and has a gun for an arm. The only real flaw is he is more likely to strike out when facing a lefty. Bradley and Swisher will battle for the back-up job.

Right Fielder: Finally, the speedy Milton Bradley will bat 9th and have the primary role of causing pitchers havoc when on base. He hit .267 with 14 HR and 52 RBI last season. Bradley has a temper that can get him in trouble (ejectons). He must also take better advantage of his all-star like ability. Tends to be best as an empty-bases hitter. Kielty and Swisher will provide the back-up.

Season Prediction: The Oakland A's will primarily be a small-ball team and that could be their demise. Also, they will miss ace Barry Zito and his potential 20 wins. I predict that the A's will hang around for a while, but will eventually finish 2nd in the AL West, and will not have a good enough record to take the wild card.