[thehatfield]

Season Preview: Oakland Athletics
by Pal Trudeau, Baseball International & Herb Watson, Public Relations Director, Oakland Athletics


Starting Rotation
#26 J.D. Knisley, Lefty, 34
#10 Rowley Dickson, Lefty, 25
#33 Neifi Villaluazo, Righty, 25
#35 Noritoshi Nakamura, Lefty, 27
#23 Rick Stanely, Righty, 25

Outlook: The rotation is much improved over 2020 but there are still a lot of questions beyond the top two. Rick Stanely is probably the biggest gamble and it will be interesting to see if manager Jeff Hance opts to skip him if J.D. Knisley has had enough rest to pitch at 100%. There really aren’t many options on the farm right now either with 19-year old Buck Foulke getting traded to Atlanta, 18-year old “phenom” Harry Hatfield only getting bumped up to Short Season A Kane County Cougars, and 20-year old Steve Strickler is still with Double A Midland RockHounds so we’re going to have to make a move at some point soon to bring back a Triple A-quality starter that could fill in and help the rotation in case one of our starters goes down. 27-year old Gib Glaus and 29-year old Stacy Renteria, both of whom saw significant time with the big club last year, are at AAA Sacramento but they may well be on the trading block.


Bullpen
Middle Relievers
#30 Terry Rogers, Lefty, 26
#39 Gregg Basnett, Righty, 23
#21 Josh Frank, Lefty, 26

Setup Relievers
#25 Fairfax von Schoening, Righty, 20
#44 Jonathan Leverett, Lefty, 29

Closer
#29 Bill Mathis, Righty, 27

Outlook: The bullpen had been completely rebuilt with three players (Rogers, Basnett, and Mathis) from outside the organization and with last year’s closer Jonathan Leverett being dropped back into a setup role. Young Fairfax von Schoening looked extremely impressive during Spring Training where he struck out 24 batters and walked just 2 in 17 innings. Batters did hit .292 off him though so Hance will not be sure as to who will be the guy in the 8th inning until he sees both of them in regular season action. The bullpen should be solid for us this season and a couple of off-season moves like the signing of veteran Mark Baugher to a minor league deal gives us some cover at AAA Sacramento.


Catcher
#13 Cornelius McInally, Righty, 24
#53 Tanyon Meagher, Switch, 24

Outlook: Going into Spring Training it was widely thought that 23-year old Thomas Goodloe was going to be the backup catcher to McInally but as the spring wore on Tanyon Meagher proved to be a better option both offensively and behind the plate. McInally will be the regular starter at catcher but Meagher, a contact hitter, will probably start the season as the designated hitter. The organization traded it’s highly sought after catching prospect Aaron Rice to Atlanta in the Tomiichi Yamasita deal but still have 24-year old Steve Lesswick in the system at Midland RockHounds. The catcher position isn’t gong to give us a lot of plate production but they will be solid handling our young pitching staff. A’s fans should have years worth of enjoyment watching these batteries develop together.


First Base
#5 Jose Arce, Lefty, 28
#38 Victor Corliss, Righty, 28

Outlook: The usually outspoken Jose Arce was the Athletics’ only All Star last year, hitting 23 homers and knocking in 96 runs. He had a dismal Spring Training in which he hit .205 in 44 at-bats and closed off his access to the media, refusing to answer any questions. Vic Corliss is a superior first baseman with the glove and hit .327 in 2018, his only year as the A’s’ full-time starter. If Arce’s slump carries through into the regular season or if the regular designated hitter needs the day off Corliss may be pressed into duty. He’ll probably be a regular defensive replacement in the late innings of close games. The organization has 27-year old William Walters at Sacramento and he could fill in as a backup if needed. 23-year old blue chip prospect Cranley Merrell is at A-level Stockton Ports.


Second Base
#22 Ken O’Bryant, Righty, 26

Outlook: O’Bryant is obviously the man at second base. Both the backup third baseman and the backup shortstop can man second when O’Bryant needs an off day. 26-year old Artie Page is back with the AAA River Cats after really failing to impress during the spring but he will be first man called in case of injury to O’Bryant.


Third Base
#7 Juan Guevaro, Righty, 31
#91 Jim MacFall, Righty, 28

Outlook: Dome Guevaro was one of the big off-season free agent acquisitions for the Athletics after a 47-home run, 135 RBI season for Milwaukee. His main role will be to provide protection in the lineup for Teodor Revelez and to come through in those clutch situations when opposing teams decide it safer to pitch to him rather than the 3-time MVP. Jim MacFall is a serviceable backup able to play both short and second in addition to third. It wouldn’t be a good idea to ever have MacFall in the lineup regularly so a long-term injury to Guevaro might force the organization to make a move. Third base is not a well-stocked position on the farm and will be a priority during this year’s amateur draft.


Shortstop
#37 Edgard Galdames, Righty, 28
#55 Reydel Vazquez, Righty, 30

Outlook: Galdames was acquired in the off-season in a trade with Milwaukee that involved our solid left fielder Patrick Sanner, “can’t miss” right field prospect Fritz Toles, and another minor leaguer. For that we got a Gold Glove quality shortstop and a classic #2 hitter in the lineup. While he doesn’t have much power his OBP has been over .415 for the last two years running and he doesn’t strike out a lot so he’s perfect for the hit-and-run. Vazquez can play second or third in addition to short but has never lived up to the great projections thrust upon him as a rookie. Who knows if at 30 years old he’s past the point of developing into a full-time Major Leaguer. Shortstop is another area we’ll need to target during this June’s draft. 20-year old Brandt Margerson at Triple-A Sacramento is fantastic defensively but is a liability with his bat and John Tardiff at the RockHounds might be challenging for a September call-up if his development continues.


Left Field
#12 Teodor Revelez, Switch, 29
#18 Javier Raymundo, Lefty, 27

Outlook: The hopes of a new generation of A’s fans start with the bat of 3-time American League Most Valuable Player Teodor Revelez. Revelez hit 51 home runs and knocked in 147 RBI with 122 walks in 648 at-bats last year for the American League Champion Chicago White Sox and won a World Series in 2015 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Revelez will be at the heart of the lineup day-in and day-out and despite his below average defense will probably not often be lifted late in games for a defensive replacement. Raymundo, an average player that can play either corner outfield position equally well (which is not-too-good) was embroiled in controversy this spring when promising 22-year old Pasqual Feliu was cut from the big club on the last day of Spring Training despite having had a much better spring than Raymundo. Some conspiracy-theorists think Feliu’s demotion was a reverse psychology motivational technique employed by General Manager Jim Fillmore but others simply think the GM made a really stupid move. Carlyle Chamberlain at AA Midland RockHounds is another decent prospect already on the farm.


Center Field
#34 Tomiichi Yamasita, Lefty, 22
#16 Bertram Holsinger, Lefty, 30

Outlook: Young New Jersey native Yamasita came over from Atlanta in the Aaron Rice deal and is slated to be the leadoff hitter going into 2021. Last year as a part-time player in Atlanta he hit .332 with 17 home runs in just 280 at-bats. He also had more walks (44) than strikeouts (39) and combined with his great speed he’s perfect for the top spot in the batting order. Still, the media thinks Oakland gave up too much by including one of their two top pitching prospects (19-year old Buck Foulke) in the deal with Rice. Backup Holsinger had a good spring but is thought to be pretty average with the bat. He’s fast and a good fielder and can also capably play right field, his natural position. There’s been talk within the organization about converting minor league left fielder Carlyle Chamberlain into a center fielder, a position the athletic Chamberlain can already play with proficiency. At Sacramento, Spring Training invitee Vic Dunn will find himself on the trading block while 20-year old Francisco Quinenes, someone that can play all three outfield positions, will get the majority of starts in center for the River Cats.


Right Field
#8 Travis Byers, Righty, 24

Outlook: Travis Byers, acquired from Baltimore in the infamous Rich Harden trade, has a tremendous amount of upside. He displayed his athletic prowess winning a Gold Glove last year while playing left field for the O’s, not his regular position. He’s also hit an average of 26 home runs in each of his first two big league seasons and will probably find himself hitting either in the #3 or the #5 or #6 holes in the batting order this season. Either Raymundo or Holsinger can cover right when Byers needs to sit and it will probably be Holsinger more often that not filling that role. This is another position that needs help in the upcoming draft; only the speedy 19-year old Don Manning, all the way down at Short Season A Kane County, probably has a chance to be a solid Major Leaguer one day. 22-year old Sekien Abe at AAA Sacramento will probably be overlooked in favor of Pasqual Feliu in case of injury.

***

They Said It…
“I told you’se I have no freakin comments until after the season starts. What word of those can you not understand?” ~~Jose Arce continues his frosty relationship with the media on his way into the ballpark for the Athletics’ home opener against Seattle.

“It is really exciting, actually! I have to say I’m probably more pumped up for this Opening Day than I have been in a long time. I really hope to give the fans something to remember in our first game as we try to create something here that they can be proud of.” ~~J.D. Knisley responds to a question from the media about what being the Opening Day starter means to him in his first year with Oakland.

“It was reported that I wasn’t too thrilled at first, right? But then you get here and you look around the clubhouse and you see guys like Revelez and Dome Guevaro and J.D. Knisley you start thinking to yourself that things might not be all that bad.”~~Tomiichi Yamasita on Atlanta’s decision to trade him to the Athletics during the spring.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I don’t look like a kid from Jersey do I? Sometimes I prank some of the other guys on the team and pretend that I can’t understand them. But that’s caused some trouble for [Japanese pitcher] Nori Nakamure who really doesn’t understand too much English… some of the guys don’t believe him!” ~~Tomiichi Yamasita speaks of his New Jersey upbringing and locker room antics.

“The guy’s a complete amateur and that’s all I have to say about it. Thanks.” ~~former A’s General Manager Manuel Silva commenting on his Oakland replacement Jim Fillmore during a press conference unveiling Silva as Tampa Bay’s new GM.

“Note to self: ‘trade with Tampa Bay!’” ~~Jim Fillmore jokes to reporters at Manuel Silva’s expense when told of Silva’s comments.


Man on the Street…
“They should have moved the club to Freemont 10 years ago! Instead they’re still inside that dump they call a Coliseum. That’s a factor, you know, when they moan about why they drew less than 500,000 fans last year. It wasn’t all just because they were complete bums on the field.”
-Ed Jefferson, 43, Freemont

“I have no faith this team will be any better than last year.”
-Bill Wortly, 76, Alameda

“Pasqual Feliu should be with this team coming out of Spring Training. I have no idea what the heck they’re doing up there and apparently neither do they.”
-Samantha Dokowski, 22, Hayward