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After trading away, in recent years, aces Tim Hudson, Mulder, Rich Harden, and Dan Haren and allowing Barry Zito to leave via free agency, Oakland enters the 2009 season without a single pitcher on their 40-man roster who has ever thrown as many as 185 innings in any season, at any level, as a professional. The team’s newest staff ace, 31-year old Justin Duchscherer, tossed 182.2 innings all the way back in 2001, the year he made his major league debut, but spent his first four full seasons with the A’s as a reliever, only returning to a starting role last year. No one else on the roster currently has matched that total as a pro. And while Duke was highly effective last season and secured a spot on the All-Star team, he managed to rack up only 141.2 innings for the year while missing most of April and all of September with bicep and hip injuries; this coming off a 2007 campaign in which he didn’t pitch after May 14 due to, again, a hip injury. The A’s can boast of a lot of awfully good, young, talent in their rotation, but with their distinct lack of experience, they certainly have their share of concerns as well.
Kurt Suzuki, 25, held his own as a hitter in his first full season as a major league starter, putting up a batting line of .279/.346/.370 and an OPS+ of 97. Behind the plate, he was exactly what you want from your catcher: solid defensively (throwing out almost 37% of would-be base stealers, the best mark in the AL) and registering a catcher’s ERA of 3.88, second best in the junior circuit. Rob Bowen will back him up.
After missing all of September last year and undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder, Mark Ellis returned to the A’s on what was at the time perceived to be a home town discount (2 years, $11 M with a club option for $6 M, or $0.5 M buyout). After watching the economy force Hudson to sign for a lower base salary (1-year, $3.38 M with incentives of up to $4.62 M), one has to wonder whether Ellis was the wise one for signing early. Ellis, 31, won’t play exhibition games until the later part of March but is projected to be ready to go on opening day. Despite watching his offensive line slip last year to .233/.321/.373, Ellis remained one of the top defensive second basemen in the league, registering a +26 with John Dewan’s +/- system, second best in baseball.
By all indications, Eric Chavez and his surgically repaired right shoulder remain on track to man third base for the A’s come opening day. The A’s lineup could sorely use a return to health and form from Chavy, though more likely than not, his best days are now long behind him. If he can’t go, or re-injures his shoulder, the A’s would turn first to Hannahan, who is a strong defender (+21 last year, 2nd in MLB at 3B), but batted only .218/.305/.342 with 9 HR in his first full major league season.
After suffering through Bobby Crosby’s offensive and defensive decline for a third consecutive season, the A’s spent the winter shopping their former first round pick and Rookie of the Year. There were no takers for Crosby, who after posting a combined +/- total of +13 in 2004 and 2005, has an aggregate figure of -19 over the last three years. Still, when Cabrera finally agreed this week to a reduced rate, one-year deal (reportedly $4 M), the A’s jumped at the opportunity to upgrade at short with the two-time Gold Glove winner.
The one decision A’s manager Bob Geren won’t have any difficulty making everyday, is whom to play in left field. Well, at least until late July, that is. Holliday provides the A’s with a force in the middle of the lineup that was sorely missing last year when Oakland averaged the fewest runs per game in the American League (4.01). Which player starts in center and which starts in right, though, could depend not only upon who’s hot at the plate, but also on who is playing first base. That is the dilemma the A’s created by signing the defensively inept Giambi while also employing the equally challenged Jack Cust, two players who are best suited for the DH role. Ryan Sweeney, Travis Buck, and Rajai Davis can all play center and right field and will rotate in and out of the lineup unless one clearly establishes himself above the rest.
Crosby becomes a $5.25 million utility player unless the A’s can find a taker. If he stays, Cliff Pennington likely returns to Triple-A Sacramento. Eric Patterson can also be used in the outfield, but struggled mightily last season (.174/.269/.207 in 104 PA) after being acquired from the Cubs. In contrast, Gregorio Petit, who can play second, third, and short, thrived in his brief big league debut (.348/.400/.435 in 25 PA). Garciaparra, if signed, could conceivably play every infield position and would represent a tremendous upgrade for the bench.
Giambi’s +/- in 2008 at first base for the Yankees: -18. Cust’s +/- in 2008 in left field for Oakland: -14. Regrettably, one must play the field if both are to be in the lineup at the same time.
With last season’s innings leader, Greg Smith, shipped off to Colorado in the deal that brought Holliday to Oakland, the only pitcher in camp with the A’s this year that has ever topped 150 innings in a major league season is left-hander Dana Eveland. Eveland, in his first full season last year, logged 168.0 innings, second to Smith’s 190.1 on the Oakland staff. Can the talented-but-inexperienced youngsters Sean Gallagher, Dallas Braden, and Eveland shoulder enough of the load effectively enough to realistically allow the A’s to compete? Can some combination of youngsters Gio Gonzalez, Josh Outman, and D-back cast-off Edgar Gonzalez produce a serviceable 5th starter, or even more? Having shown he can pitch effectively as a starter, can Duchscherer now show he can handle it physically? Can he log the kind of innings the A’s will need from their “ace”? To be sure, there is no shortage of talented starting pitchers in the Oakland organization, especially with prospects Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson looming on the horizon, but there certainly many questions as well. And if these young guns struggle out of the gate, perhaps the most relevant question facing the A’s front office this summer may be whether to deal Duchscherer, a potentially coveted free agent next winter.
While Geren has stated that both Joey Devine and Brad Ziegler will get opportunities to close, conventional wisdom suggests the harder throwing Devine is better suited to the 9th inning, while the more flexible Ziegler would be most wisely used in a setup role. 40-year old veteran Russ Springer gives the A’s pen what their rotation sorely lacks – experience - and should help make it one of the club’s strongest areas. Springer’s 797.2 career innings total, amassed almost entirely as a reliever, actually represents the highest career total of any pitcher on the A’s roster. Right-hander Michael Wuertz, acquired from the Cubs, is tough on righties and compliments lefty Jerry Blevins, who held left-handed hitters to a .193 batting average last season. Outlook for the Season Despite their increased financial commitments and offensive upgrades, the A’s, ironically, lack the pitching experience to contend in 2009. Given that consideration, along with their failed Fremont ballpark proposal hanging in the background, you can bet that if the A’s struggle early, both Holliday and Duchscherer will be long gone by August. Team Previews Index Do you have a different take? Send your opinions to submissions@baseballevolution.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
