The A’s have certainly had plenty of talented starting pitchers come along over the years. Narrowing down this list to the top 10 was no easy chore, although Robert Slye Jr. did a great job of analyzing the top 10 pitchers in the franchise’s history.
I’m concentrating on just the starting pitchers, and there have been some great ones for this franchise. In fact, half of the pitchers on the top 10 list are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
With Brett Anderson being on the injured list for most of the season, the Oakland A’s needed someone to step up to become the ace of the staff while Anderson recovered from his injury.
All signs pointed to Dallas Braden as being the new ace of the staff.
The highlight of Braden’s success came on Mothers Day when he pitched a perfect game. Since then, Braden has struggled.
Part of the problem has been the lack of run support for the perfect pitcher.
The other problem with Braden is that he doesn’t throw particularly hard and since he throws a slider only on occasion, hitters know that they are either getting a mid-to-high 80s fastball or a change-up that’s in the 70s.
He’s made six starts as of tonight since the perfect game and has given up 44 hits, 21 runs (19 earned), and has gone 0-4 with two no-decisions in that span.
Overall Braden has a 4-6 record, two complete games, one shutout, a 3.95 ERA, 81 hits given up, 38 runs (36 earned), 50 strike outs, and walked 14.
Braden’s numbers aren’t bad but he hasn’t been pitching like an ace.
On the other hand, Gio Gonzalez has been pitching with greater poise and actually has become the most consistent starter on the staff for the A’s.
Early in the season Gonzalez did have some struggles.
One issue that was noticeable with him was when he got in a little bit of a jam he’d lose his focus and would lose the strikezone.
He’s been much better as of late in those situations.
Unlike Braden, Gonzalez possesses two above average pitches his slider and fastball. So, when Gonzalez needs to, he can blow a hitter away with a 95 mile-per-hour fastball whereas Braden would try to finesses his way through it and, because of that, he’s liable to give up bloop hits.
Gonzalez in his last six starts has given up 34 hits, 15 runs (all earned), and has gone 3-1 with two no-decisions.
Overall for the season, he’s got a record of 6-3, no complete games or shutouts, a 3.58 ERA, given up 60 hits, 29 runs (all 29 earned), and has 61 strikeouts to 32 walks.
The key to Gonzalez being the ace of the staff came after two late losses in the first two games of their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
Gonzalez came through in a big way—throwing seven innings while giving up six hits, two runs, and struck out four while walking one.
With Gonzalez pitching so well he has taken over as the ace of the young A’s pitching staff in Oakland.
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Good Choice, A’s.
Haha, yeah, pun intended…
I’m certainly not the first to use wordplay after the Oakland Athletics’ selection of UT-Arlington outfielder Michael Choice with the tenth pick of the first round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Just 20 years old, the college star will, if signed, bring one of the most potent college bats around to the A’s system.
A true slugger with arguably the best power in the entire draft, Choice batted .413/.494/.644 in 2009, with 11 homers. He followed that up by hitting .383/.568/.704 as a junior, bashing 16 homers and walking an unbelievable 76 times in just 60 games.
If you’re having flashes of Moneyball with that walks and power skillset, you have a fair point—Choice certainly profiles well with Billy Beane’s approach to drafting. However, he is also an athletic player who played center field in college and will at the very least be a solid corner outfielder defensively. Choice stole 12 bases in 16 attempts as well.
The A’s have plenty of young pitching, and they always seem to find more, so getting a guy who profiles a bit like Matt Holliday is huge. With Kurt Suzuki, Grant Green, Jemile Weeks, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, Max Stassi, and many other young talents in the A’s system being middle-of-the-diamond players, it made sense to get an outfielder or third baseman who projected as more of a run producer.
That’s exactly who the A’s got. It’s a day to rejoice for Oakland fans.
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The Oakland A’s are currently in a battle between two other teams for the American League West title. The A’s have some things that they need to work out to even consider being in contention for the division.
So, here are the seven things the A’s must do in order to win the American League West division.
Oakland A’s manager Bob Geren nearly blew another game by having Tyson Ross come into the ballgame to face Delmon Young of the Minnesota Twins. With Joe Mauer on base via a free pass, in came Ross to face the right-handed hitting Young.
Ross immediately fell behind 2-0 to the free-swinging Young. The next pitch that Ross threw was the last one he would for the game, he gave up a two-run home run that went out of the park in a hurry.
There’s really one simple solution to help Ross though because during the season he has been used as a reliever and a spot starter. Ultimately, Ross is seen as a starter but is currently in the bullpen due to the injuries the A’s have suffered this season.
In the first few games of the season Ross looked good and that he belonged in the Major Leagues. As the season has progressed it has become clear that he is not ready for the Major Leagues.
He has great stuff, specifically his fastball which reaches 95 mph plus and a nice slider. The problem is that he hasn’t been able to consistently throw strikes and he’s been hit.
So far he’s appeared in 17 games as a reliever and two games as a starter. For the season he’s got a 1-4 record with a 6.14 ERA, one save, 22 strikeouts to 13 walks, and 29.1 innings pitched.
Over the past six appearances for Ross, he has given up four hits, seven runs, and has pitched 2.2 innings. Half of the appearances has resulted in Ross not recording an out and his record in that span is 0-2.
In the last eight games, Ross has a record of 0-4. He threw an additional 7.2 innings giving up 10 hits and six runs.
With his current struggles it is clear that Ross needs to be sent down to Triple-A Sacramento to work on his command, and most of all, his confidence. With Michael Wuertz back it would allow for Ross to be sent down.
Then the A’s could either call up another reliever from Sacramento such as Jon Hunton who currently has a 2.32 ERA in 21 games or Sam Demel who has a 1.04 ERA and five saves.
If not another reliever to take the place of Ross a starter could be brought up such as Clayton Mortenson with a 7-2 record, 4.30 ERA, and 49 strikeouts to 25 walks.
Vin Mazarro could get another chance in the rotation if he can consistently throw strikes.
Even Kyle Mittleton who has appeared in 11 games with five of those being starts, he could be a perfect fit to take the place of the struggling Ross because he could be used as a long reliever.
If Geren and the A’s continue to use Ross as he struggles more and more at the Major League level, he could lose confidence in his abilities and never live up to the expectations that were held for him.
So, the A’s need to send Ross down to Sacramento so he can get the confidence to succeed as a starter or reliever at the Major League level.
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Okay so I’m a little late with Part II of my season-long look into the lost art of the stolen base. You can read part I here as a template for what future articles in this series will look like (if you are a new reader of mine). For those that aren’t, yes it’s the same format.
In a league where I’d like to see a 100-steal man, that is no longer possible as 80 has become the new 100 in terms of unattainable records. No one’s stolen even that many since Vince Coleman’s 81 in 1988 so why not make that the new standard, seeing how it likely won’t be reached anyway.
At the current pace, this season unfortunately will hold true to form.
As of June 1 here were the top five league leaders:
1. Rajai Davis (pictured) Oakland A’s.
Stole 12 bases in 14 attempts (85.7 percent) for the month of May. His season total to date is 22 as he stole 10 bases in April, and he’s currently on pace for 69 for the season. When you lead the league in steals, you get your picture in the article.
Last month in was Juan Pierre on the Sox page, this month maybe Athletics fans will come to know the series I’ve come to write.
April: 10/10
May: 12/14
June: ???
With any player you’d obviously like to see him increase his base steals each month as the season goes on. So far, Davis is not disappointing in that regard. In fact, if history is any indication Davis should heat up (no pun intended), this summer as he stole 15 bases last August and 11 in September! In a league without a Coleman this era, it appears he’s the best we got.
2. Juan Pierre, Chicago White Sox
Stole 10 bases in 11 attempts in May. His season total is 22 and he’s on pace for 67 for the season.
April: 9/12
May: 10/11
June: ????
Like Davis, Pierre’s numbers are increasing. However, they are misleading as the league leader after April only stole one base after May 15-exactly half the month.
This means that he stole nine bases in the team’s first 13 games which would have (in theory) put him on pace to steal a very eerie Carl Crawford-esque 26 steals in May, similar to how Crawford stole 21 last May.
When you look at it in that perspective, the always frustrating Pierre simply faded away which he has a history of being a nice player, but despite the speed and ability simply desires to be “good enough” when “great” could be a real possibility. Thus, the story of his career.
3. Brett Gardener, New York Yankees
My pick for “first to fade away” did not disappoint in May only swiping eight bases in 11 attempts, giving him 19 for the season on pace for 57.
As the Yankees continue to improve in the standings, expect him to fade away as getting on base and scoring runs become more important to the team that simply moving up 90 feet.
April: 10/11
May: 8/11
June: ????
Gardner’s numbers are all ready going down. Expect more of the same as he’s deemed “too valuable” and ” versatile” to risk injury.
4. Michael Bourn, Houston Astros
Stole eight bases in 12 attempts in May, giving him 18 for the season and putting him on pace for 54.
April: 9/11
May: 8/12
June: ????
Bourn’s numbers are startlingly going down for a player that was steadily improving last summer in this fashion. Not surprisingly his league ranking dropped from third to fourth. For a team going nowhere, why isn’t he running more with nothing to lose?
5. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
Finally a wild card to the discussion! The super-youthful (21) Andrus is easily the most promising of the stolen base fraternity (to date) having stole 11 bases in 16 attempts in May.
April: 7/10
May: 11/16
June: ????
Unlike Gardner his numbers are going up, and outside Davis, no one stole more bases in May than Andrus. Only concern is he may have a bit of Nyger Morgan-like carelessness on the base paths already getting caught eight times on the season in only 26 attempts (69 percent).
In a league that prides itself on an 80 percent target rate, 69 percent just won’t cut it. Still, you have to like his aggressiveness and the fact that his team (29-25) is still in first place, (albeit in a very weak division) despite his struggles.
This is a classic case of having to take the bad with the good and Andrus is only going to get better. In fact, last season I predicted he would soon be a league leader in my final article in the 2009 season-long look and had him pegged for 50.
Well, there you have it. Check back around July 1 for the latest installment into the lost art of the stolen base with updates and projections and what it all means.
Statistics and information from ESPN.com and Wikipedia directly contributed to the content in this article.
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As the A’s round out their first successful road trip this season with a 6-4 record, their winning percentage sits at .527 (29-26). This is good enough for a half-game out of first place in the AL West. That corresponds to a final record of 85-77, which may be enough to take the division.
This is not a bad season, overall. However, a lot can be done to raise this percentage and give the A’s a legitimate chance at a late playoff appearance, and possibly even greater success.
Although the pitching is performing admirably, the A’s desperately need to add a power bat to their lineup. One open position is left field. Some possible corner outfielders include Jose Guillen, Josh Willingham, and Corey Hart.
With just one acquisition in left field, the A’s lineup looks formidable enough to contend in the playoffs:
With numerous trade pieces looming in the minors, the A’s have all the tools they need to make a deal this July. And with the Mariners struggling and Kendry Morales injured, the West may become a two-team race.
Major prospects such as outfielder Michael Taylor and first baseman Chris Carter should provide a major boost this September or sooner, but the next two months are a perfect time for Beane to make a move. And there is no denying the A’s pitching deserves it.
What do you think?
Who should the A’s go after? Can they win in October with the current offense?
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
As the A’s round out their first successful road trip this season with a 6-4 record, their winning percentage sits at .527 (29-26). This is good enough for a half game out of first place in the AL West. That corresponds to a final record of 85-77, which may be enough to take the division.
This is not a bad season, overall; however, a lot can be done to raise this percentage and give the A’s a legitimate chance at a late playoff appearance, and possible success.
Although the pitching is performing admirably, the A’s desperately need to add a power bat to their lineup. One open position is left field. Some possible corner outfielders include:
Jose Guillen
Josh Willingham
Corey Hart
With just one acquisition in left field, the A’s lineup looks formidable enough to contend in the playoffs:
Crisp/ Davis CF
Barton 1B
Sweeney RF
Guillen/Willingham/Hart LF
Cust DH
Kouzmanoff 3B
Suzuki C
Ellis 2B
Pennington SS
With numerous trade pieces looming in the minors, the A’s have all the tools they need to make a deal this July. And with the Mariners struggling and Kendry Morales, the west may become a two-team race.
Major prospects such as outfielder Michael Taylor and first baseman Chris Carter should provide a major boost this September or sooner, but the next two months are a perfect time for Beane to make a move. And there is no denying the A’s pitching deserves it.
What do you think?
Who should the A’s go after?
Can they win in October with the current offense?
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Marco Scutaro was beloved by the fans. Mr. Dlutch came through time and time again with winning walk-off hit after winning walk-off hit. One of Scutaro’s most memorable moments for the Oakland A’s was in the 2006 ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. Scutaro’s bases-clearing double in Game Three broke the game open and broke the A’s decade-long curse, helping send the A’s to the ALCS.
Scutaro was an invaluable utility infielder who became an every day infielder thanks to injuries to the A’s middle infield. Sure, business is business, but GM Billy Beane must have had a hard time pulling the trigger on trading Scutaro to the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2007 season.
Then again, it must have been hard NOT to trade Marco Scutaro when his salary kept going up, as well as his value. Scutaro had made many memories for the A’s, but each memory was getting more expensive for the low-budget A’s.
At the start of the 2009 season, oft-injured and presumably healthy Bobby Crosby was trained as a utility player. Not exactly a cheap replacement with his $5 million plus salary, but Crosby wasn’t doing enough every day to help keep the A’s afloat.
After the 2009 season, Crosby was also off the books, and the A’s needed to find what they had been lacking since trading away Marco Scutaro: a super sub who goes above and beyond the call of duty as a “backup” player.
Enter Adam Rosales.
On February 1, the A’s acquired Adam Rosales in bad contracts trade. The A’s gave Cincinnati Aaron Miles, whom they had acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Rosales and Willy Taveras, who was released almost immediately.
The collective response from the A’s fan base of Rosales’ acquisition was “um… yay?” More was made of why the A’s were willing to eat Tavaras’ contract than the acquisition of Rosales. The common comparisons made were: Rosales plays all out, like former A’s outfielder Eric Brynes, and he wears number seven at shortstop, just like Bobby Crosby.
He’s not Eric Byrnes. He’s not Bobby Crosby. He’s Adam Rosales. And he could very well be Marco Scutaro, too.
During Spring Training, Rosales almost stole the everyday shortstop job from Cliff Pennington with his performance. There was plenty of buzz in camp about how Rosales sprints to first base after a walk or around the bases after hitting a home run. There was a lot to like about Rosales.
There still is.
While Mark Ellis was out this season nursing his hamstrings, Rosales filled in admirably at second base—not unlike Marco scutaro. When Mark Ellis finally returned from the D.L., Rosales handed the job back to Ellis without making an error there Ellis’ absence. What has Rosales done since? He’s spelled Kevin Kouzmanoff at third base, he’s spelled Cliff Pennington at shortstop, and he’s even filled in in the outfield, allowing Ryan Sweeney to get needed time off.
While playing “musical fielders” all over the field, Rosales has been a valuable bat as well. He’s batting .281 with on-base percentage of .344. Rosales’ four home runs are tied for the team lead. Rosales has batted all over the lineup, and there’s been talk of letting him hit leadoff.
Super Utility, thy name is Rosales. It might be a good thing though that the A’s have all the catching help they need.
Rosales is good. Did Beane know was he was getting this offseason in that trade, or did he just strike gold? Either way, the A’s are cashing in. Rosales is making it very easy for the A’s to stomach the fact that Scutaro turned down their multi-year offer to resign this past offseason.
The best news is that Rosales is young and cheap. Hopefully the A’s hold onto him for a while. Finding the next Marco Scutaro took a while. Finding the next Adam Rosales might take a bit longer.
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Coming into the 2010 Season, the Sacramento River Cats seemed destined to dominate. They were loaded with potent bats and talented pitchers.
Their 21-27 record as we near the end of May isn’t exactly dominant, though. In general, the pitching has performed well enough, but it’s the River Cat bats that are slumping, something fans are more used to seeing in Oakland in the Spring.
Dallas McPherson, a minor league free agent signing the A’s hoped might regain health and power numbers has been sitting on the D.L. Michael Taylor, prized offseason acquisition is also nursing an injury after a slow start. Infielder Adrian Cardenas is off to a slow start after arriving late from extended Spring Training. Oh, and Corey Brown, Fall League MVP runner-up to now retired Grant Desme has cooled off as well.
Suffice it to say, we won’t see any of those players in Oakland anytime soon. But who is playing well and deserving of a call-up? A few suspected answers, a few surprises.