The Bright Side of the Bay: An Oakland Athletics Dynasty

[William Foster]

After about a year of lurking on these boards and playing OOTP I finally decided to join up on this forum. Since I recently upgraded to OOTPX I figured, why not do a dynasty right about now? So this thread will chronicle my attempt to build a 5th (6th if you count that recent string of playoff appearances) Athletics dynasty. As a lifelong A's fan I know the organization in and out (to an extent ) and the organizations proud (and less proud) history very well so I'm looking forward to this.

Most of my settings are "out of the box" besides a few minor changes. I have created two feeder leagues (thanks to Ryan008 for all the help) one college and one high school to add realism. I've turned trading to hard/neutral which I believe gives the most realistic trading when it comes to the AI. I've left scouting accuracy at normal and haven't messed with anything else for the most part. Any further changes made to the game over the course of the season (perhaps a Dominican Development League for the Micheal Ynoa's of the world? Who knows?) will be mentioned by me.

And without further ado.. The Oakland Athletics!

[William Foster]

Billy Beane to Step Down, Zalman Orloff hired as replacement
After years of building a winning organization on a shoestring budget Billy Beane has stepped down as the Oakland A's GM to pursue his interest in Soccer.

April 4th, 2009

Oakland, California -- In an absolutely shocking press conference today in Oakland celebrated General Manager Billy Beane stepped down from his position as Oakland A's General Manager effective immediately for the 2009 Season. "To be honest my interest in baseball has been wavering at best recently," Beane declared at the conference; "I've wanted to get into managing a MLS team for years now and the glut of talented assistants we have around here has only made this easier in the short run. I will continue to serve as team president but my time has finally come as General Manager. I'm no longer head and shoulders above teams GM's that are competitive today, and I honestly think that turning it over to Mr. Orloff is the best thing I can do at this point."

Beane's replacement, Zalman Orloff, has worked for years under the radar for several baseball themed sites as a writer and received widespread praise for his attention to market inefficiencies. He was hired by the Cleveland Indians in the 2005 season and got first hand experience on what the GM job is like from Mark Shapiro. The Russian native has also received criticism from stat heads and scouts alike for his blending of the two principles in addition to the praise he's used to receiving. "Neither side ever wants to let up the debate," said Orloff in the Press Conference yesterday, "and I personally think that clinging to one side of the debate is ridiculous considering what both ways of looking at the game can offer."

"The Oakland A's are in a position to compete in the near future, however we're going to have to take some mild steps back as an organization if we want to have long term success. While we aren't spending very much right now our organization has several big contracts the Billy (Beane) gave out years ago which may need reworking. While I very much admire the team that Billy has put together here, you'll all have to bear with me when it comes to my trading. I don't wanna completely makeover our core group of talent but I also know that there are many areas in which I could seriously improve this team and I promise that every move I make will have a purpose."

Despite the massive changes in the front office the A's announced the Manager Bob Geren would stay on as manager for the foreseeable future and that they would retain all their current coaches.

[William Foster]

2009 Oakland Athletics Preview Part 1: The Starters

The A's Rotation is filled with questions and unproven arms entering the season. After 2008's years rotation that included Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, Justin Duchsherer, Chad Gaudin, and Dana Eveland, only Eveland returns to start the 2009 season. Justin Duchsherer also returns however he won't return until June at the earliest. Until then the A's have a solid combination of young and unproven arms to hold down the fort. Including once highly regarded prospect Gio Gonzalez, organizational soldier Dallas Braden, unknown commodity Josh Outman, and Sean Gallagher who was one of the main players in the Rich Harden trade at last years deadline. This inexperienced staff will be subject to significant growing pains in 2009. This could get ugly.

1. Sean Gallagher
23 Years Old, RHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 5-7, 5.15 ERA, 103 K, 1.53 WHIP
Contract: 1 Year worth 410,000 *Contract gets auto-renewed at end of season

Gallagher is coming off something of a mixed season. He didn't really impress in his 25.2 innings but his minor league numbers are good enough that he gets to take the ball on opening day for the A's. He's really more suited to be a middle of the rotation guy but on this staff he's one of the best pitchers. His long term future with the Athletics or as trading bait at the deadline no doubt depends on his performance this season.

2. Dana Eveland
25 Years Old, LHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 9-9, 4.34 ERA, 118 K, 1.48 WHIP
Contract: 1 year worth 410,000 *Contract gets auto-renewed at end of season

Eveland is the only starter returning from last years rotation to begin the season. He put up serviceable numbers as a 24 year old last season but scouts think his future is as a journeyman bottom of the rotation type. The A's will hope he can take huge strides forward this season because the staff as it currently stands lacks an Ace caliber pitcher.

3. Gio Gonzalez
23 Years Old, LHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-4, 7.68 ERA, 34 K, 1.68 WHIP
Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 *Contract gets renewed automatically at the end of the season

Gonzalez was absolutely awful in the 7 starts he made last year but the A's are giving him a mulligan due to how highly regarded he is. If any pitcher currently on the A's roster has the stuff to stay in the MLB long term its Gonzalez but he might be forced to make a move to the Bullpen at some point if he doesn't learn another pitch.

4. Dallas Braden25 years old, LHP, 86-88 MPH
2008 Stats: 5-4, 4.14 ERA, 41 K, 1.42 WHIP
Contract: 1 year worth 410,000 *Contract gets automatically renewed

A fly ball pitcher who doesn't strike many out and gives up the longball? You bet we're skeptical about Braden going forward. He has a 4 pitch arsenal but doesn't throw any of them very effectively so he could have a future as a LOOGY (Left Handed One Out Guy) in the Bullpen if he wears out his welcome in the A's rotation.

5. Josh Outman
24 Years Old, LHP, 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-2, 4.56 ERA, 19 K, 1.64 WHIP
Contract: 1 year worth 400,000

Another cheap A's starter who came over in the Joe Blanton trade, Outman is the odd man out (excuse the awful pun) in the rotation as far as some people are concerned. However he throws 4 pitches decently, keeps the ball on the ground, and has decent K numbers in his history. A definite sleeper that could just as easily blow up and lose his rotation job.

[William Foster]

2009 Athletics Preview Part 2: The Relief Corps

The A's Bullpen has been a strength in the past however it still received a near complete makeover this year. Gone are well known A's such as Huston Street, Kiko Calero, and Keith Foulke. However the A's Bullpen should have a surprising amount of miles in it thanks to people such as Jerry Blevins, Santiago Casilla, Free Agent signee Russ Springer, the elusive Brad Ziegler and more. In addition Joey Devine should add an all star calibre arm when he returns from his injury towards the end of the season. Although the bullpen is untested in spots the A's bullpen will attempt to again prove you can get quality relief and not pay a high price for it.

Chris Schroeder
30 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: Pitched less then 10 Big League Innings
Contract: 1 year worth 400,000 *Arbitration Eligible after the season

Schroeder wasn't allowed to follow up his decent 2007 performance pitching in only 5 games in 2008. He was a solid workhorse for the Nats back in '07 and the A's hope he'll be able to reprise that role for them this year down the stretch.

Jerry Blevins
25 Years Old, LHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-3, 3.11 ERA, 35 K
Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 *Automatically renewed at seasons end

Blevins will be the A's only left handed pitcher in the bullpen (and with 4 left handed starters why not?) and thus could be seeing considerable time out of the pen this season. He's a young and cheap option in the bullpen so a great season could force the A's hand with regards to extending his contract as they hope he can become the answer for years to come.

Michael Wuertz
30 Years Old, RHP, 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-1, 3.63 ERA, 30 K
Contract: 1 year worth 1,100,000

Wuertz has been a serviceable reliever for the last three years for the Cubs who haven't elevated his role out of pure spite. With the A's he'll get the chance for more high leverage innings then usual but for the most part will just provide your typical quality right-handed middle relief. The type of player that was common and appreciated before Tony La Russa.

Santiago Casilla
28 Years Old, RHP, 93-95 MPH
2008 Stats: 2-1, 3.93 ERA, 43 K
Contract: 1 year worth 420,000 *Arbitration Eligible after the season

Once a highly regarded flamethrower Casilla's luster has somewhat worn off after it was discovered his name wasn't Jairo Garcia and he was two years older then he was. Nonetheless the A's still hope he can harness his fastball and become the high-leverage reliever everyone once envisioned him as. In the meantime he'll be one of several relievers attempting to provide middle relief for the A's in 2009.

Brad Ziegler
29 Years Old, RHP, 83-85 MPH
2008 Stats: 3-0, 1.06 ERA, 30 K
Contract: 1 year worth 405,000 *Auto renewed contract

After such a dominant showing Ziegler has become essentially the new Chad Bradford. His method of getting outs is inducing groundballs and while he doesn't strike out many people his ability to keep the ball on the ground more then makes up for it. Should he even come close to repeating his 2007 numbers Ziegler should be the A's setup man for years to come.

Russ Springer
40 Years Old, RHP, 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 2-1, 2.32 ERA, 45 K
Contract: 1 year worth 3,300,000

After another lights out year for the Cardinals, Springer will get the chance to close for the A's this year despite having just 8 saves over his whole career. He's a one year rental who likely won't be back next year unless he really impresses.

[William Foster]

2009 Athletics Preview Part 3: The Lineup

The A's offense was among the worst in the league last year thanks to injuries and the sheer lack of an impact bat anywhere in the lineup. This year trading for left fielder Matt Holliday and signing free agent first baseman Jason Giambi is an attempt to rectify the horrid offense last year. As the year goes on the A's depth should improve when Ben Copeland and Eric Chavez return from the disabled list.


1. CF Ryan Sweeny
24 Years Old, LHB, OF
2008 Stats: .286/.350/.383, 5 HR, 18 2B
Contract: 1 year worth 410,000 *automatically renewed at season's end

Ryan Sweeney is a bit of an unfortunate case. He doesn't really have the power to play a corner and thus is stuck in center field. He gets on base often enough to be a decent leadoff hitter so we'll see how his glove works out in center in hopes that he can stick.

2. 3B Nomar Garciaparra
35 Years Old, RHB, CIF
2008 Stats: .264/.326/.466, 8 HR
Contract: 1 year worth 1,000,000

Nomar is a one year rental for our third base spot until Eric Chavez returns from injury from the looks of it. This essentially means that if he's hot he may get shipped out for what little he's worth these days. The A's would really like someone hitting 2nd who gets on base at a more significant rate but beggars can't be choosers.

3. LF Matt Holliday
29 Years Old, RHB, LF
2008 Stats: .321/.409/.538, 25 HR, 28 SB
Contract: 1 year worth 13,500,000

Holliday was a star for Colorado last year. Few people could argue with a .300/.400/.500 line although their are serious questions about whether he'll repeat the performance outside of Coors field. Nevertheless a .280/.350/.480 line has its uses and even more so in an offense like the A's.

4. DH Jack Cust
30 Years Old, LHB, COF/DH
2008 Stats: .231/.375/.476, 33 HR, 111 BB
Contract: 6 years worth a total of 95,416,000 with 2,800,000 to be paid this year

Cust had a second consecutive big offensive year for Oakland last year blasting 33 HR and more then justifying his career to this point. Once thought to be nothing but a AAAA hitter, Cust has proven that sometimes these guys really do have underlying value. While the massive contract the outgoing organization handed to him could backfire, Cust should be a solid power-hitting staple of the Oakland lineup for years to come.

5. 1B Jason Giambi
38 Years Old, LHB, 1B/DH
2008 Stats: .247/.373/.502, 32 HR, 52 Extra Base Hits
Contract: 2 years worth 10,500,000 total with 4,000,000 paid this year

Another one of the A's aging slugger signings that hopes to squeeze one more good year out of the guy, Giambi has a tall bill in his return to the Oakland lineup. He must provide middle of the order power and get on base at an effective clip to still be worth anything. With 386 career homeruns he's 4 away from the magical 400 figure. He's likely not headed to the hall regardless despite his .900 career OPS.

6. RF Travis Buck
25 Years Old, LHB, COF
2008 Stats: .226/.291/.432
Contract: 1 year worth 410,000

This year is a make or break for Buck who has yet to play a full season due to injuries. He has a sweet swing almost made for taking advantage of the Coliseums spacious gaps for doubles. Unfortunatley his home run power has yet to come close to showing up and he may not have the isolated slugging percentage (Slg % - Bat. Avg) to stay at an outfield corner. This year should define Buck's career and future with the A's going forward.

7. SS Orlando Cabrera
34 Years Old, RHB, SS
2008 Stats: .281/.334/.371
Contract: 1 year worth 400,000

Cabrera is a solid bat for the end of the order and will provide league-average offense at shortstop. Theirs a good chance of the A's trading him down the stretch run if they really start to falter but a good year by Cabrera may make the A's decide to collect their draft compensation for his loss.

8. 2B Mark Ellis
31 Years Old, RHB, 2B
2008 Stats: .233/.321/.373, 12 HR, 14 SB
Contract: 3 years with 5,000,000 payed this year

At his best Ellis is a vastly above average middle infielder with a surprising amount of pop in his bat. At his worst he's nothing but an average middle infielder with slightly above average pop. The A's hope his bat returns to its better days and that they haven't made a 16,500,000 mistake in trusting Ellis.

9. C Kurt Suzuki
25 Years Old, RHB, C
2008 Stats: .279/.346/.370
Contract: 1 year worth 410,000

Suzuki is a great young option at the bottom of the order. Showing good plate discipline, decent contact skills and some modest doubles power, Suzuki has all the skills to be a reliable option for the A's for years to come. Watch a possible long term contract by midseason for the A's to avoid arbitration.

[PhillieFever]

Nice start,I love the player preview,good touch.

[William Foster]

Oakland begins season with a bang
A's begin season 15-6 and first in the AL's Western Division to begin the season

Friday May 1st, 2009

Seattle, Washington -- The Oakland Athletics are off to a terrific start to this years season exiting April. This is the perfect result for a rookie GM like Orloff who was cautious about the A's chances coming out of the gate. "Seeing the team play this well is certainly a nice and welcome surprise I can tell you that. Billy left a very good roster to me and I hope that we can continue competing and perhaps add some talent down the road," said Orloff yesterday following the A's victory, "We've been extremely lucky when it comes to injuries so far with only Jason (Giambi) going down this month. I sincerely hope that luck continues." The A's are currently 5 games ahead of the division trailing Rangers.

Aprils Hot Players:
SP Gio Gonzalez - 5-0, 2.70 ERA, 33.1 IP, 29 K
SP Dallas Braden - 2-1, 2.40 ERA, 30.0 IP, 15 K, 1 CG
MR Michael Wuertz - 2-0, 1.37 ERA, 1 SV
DH Jack Cust - .281/.375/.461, 4 HR, 14 BB
RF Travis Buck - .309, 3 HR, 5 2B
3B Nomar Garciaparra - .350, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 8 2B

Aprils Cold Players:
2B Mark Ellis - .187/.219/.253, 0 HR
C Kurt Suzuki - .224, 0 HR

News, Transactions, and other assorted facts:

Injuries

1B Jason Giambi strained his oblique and was out for 3 weeks. To replace him RF Matt Carson who was hitting .286/.318/.560 with 5 Home Runs and 21 RBI's for AAA Sacramento was recalled to replace Jason in the lineup.

Awards

LHP Gio Gonzalez was named American League pitcher of the month for April yesterday following an absolutely excellent performance this month. For the month of April Gonzalez was 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA, pitched 33 innings and fanned 29 Hitters. "I hope this is the first of many awards I will win over my career" said Gio shortly after hearing the news. "Me and Dallas (Braden) were holding bets on which of us would win the award and I'm happy to say that I came out of this with a trophy and $30 richer."

Minor League Update:

AAA Sacramento

RHP Trevor Cahill was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month following an outstanding run that saw him go 3-0 with a 0.31 ERA and 31 K's. The A's were adamant that if he keeps this up through May he may be recalled at the end of the month.

LF Aaron Cunningham continued his ascent onto prospect radars this month hitting .275/.325/.487 with 4 Home Runs. While the A's would like Cunningham to show more patience, he just 23, and probably won't get called up until the end of the season when rosters expand.

AA Midland

SS Adrian Cardenas has continued to refine his approach at AA Midland hitting .376 with 6 2B's and a .926 OPS. Seen by many as the A's short stop of the future he'll have to continue to hit as he has been to eclipse Cliff Pennington on their depth charts.

Low A Kane Country

C Petey Paramore has burst onto prospect radars suddenly with a commanding .329 average with 6 Home Runs and a .600 Slugging Percentage. He plays average defense and his bat more then plays the position but he's old for his level and will have to continue hitting upon his eventual promotion to Stockton or Midland to stay on the radar.

[William Foster]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Nice start,I love the player preview,good touch.

Glad to hear it. I'm enjoying your (much more original ) Phillies dynasty and I'll make sure to drop by and give you kudos before the day is done.

[TavesSoul]

Good start! I'm enjoying it so far, as I've had a soft spot for the A's since reading Moneyball. Keep up the good work.

[William Foster]

Oakland still in 1st!
A massive skid induced by injuries to several key players left the A's with a less then stellar 16-13 record for May but still in 1st place

Monday June 1st, 2009

Chicago, Illinois -- Throughout May the A's suffered bad news report after bad news report with regards to injuries to their top players. LF Matt Holliday, RF Travis Buck, and SP Gio Gonzalez all fell under the knife this month. In spite of the key losses strong months from SP Sean Gallagher and DH Jack Cust and stabilized the A's in May where they managed to just scrape buy with a 16-13 record. Now just 4.5 games seperate them from the Seatle Mariners who are in a good situation to make a run.

Mays Hot Players:
SP Sean Gallagher - 4-1, 1.73, 31 K
MR Jerry Blevins - 1-0, 1 SV, 10.2 IP, 5 K
3B Nomar Garciaparra - .278, 3 HR

Mays Cold Players:
CF Ryan Sweeny - .213/.259/.213
SP Josh Outman - 0-2, 5.79 ERA, 13 BB

May News and Transactions

Signings

In the past month the A's have come to terms with SP Ben Sheets, MR Keith Foulke, and SP Paul Byrd as each were given a minor league contract. Foulke was signed to fill a roster spot for the A's where as Byrd was signed to do the same duty for the River Cats.

The real interest is the signing of Sheets however who returns in September and is "ace material" judging from his recent stats in Milwaukee. "Sheets is a guy we're looking at for the stretch run and we're delighted to have him. Yeah their are questions about his health but if he stays healthy in the future you have a guy who could win the Cy Young Award." said General Manager Zalman Orloff when questioned about the move Sunday.

Transactions

1B Jason Giambi returned from the disabled list following injuries to both Matt Holliday and Travis Buck.

SP Trevor Cahill, MR Keith Foulke, and RF Matt Carson have all been recalled to fill open roster spots created by injuries.

Injuries

The A's have had to compensate for a number of injuries recently. RF Travis Buck will be spending the next 43 days on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. He is expected to return to the lineup in mid-july. RF Matt Carson was recalled from AAA Sacramento to replace him in the lineup.

An even worse blow was suffered when the A's doctors announced that LF Matt Holliday will miss 4 months of play with a partially torn labrum. To replace his spot on the roster MR Keith Foulke was recalled from Sacramento. He will be sorely missed by the A's this season and during the stretch run.

Finally SP Gio Gonzalez was shut down for the next 4 months and will require surgery to remove bone chips from his shoulder. Gio was in the midst of a breakout season and will be sorely missed. Top prospect SP Trevor Cahill was recalled from AAA Sacramento to take the ball every 5th day for the A's in his absence. "Its a shame it had to end like this. I was having a great year and I'm sorry I won't get to finish it." said Gonzalez in his first press conference since the injury.

Minor League Update

AAA Sacramento

CL Andrew Bailey was named Pacific Coast League pitcher of the month with 27 Strikeouts in 19.2 Innings and racking up 11 Saves. His future is probably as a middle reliever for the A's but should an injury come or Santiago Casilla not get more innings that future could be soon.

High A Stockton

SP Fautino de los Santos won the California League Pitcher of the Month award in May with 52 K's, a 5-0 Record and a 1.51 ERA in the month. He is likely to be promoted to AA Midland in June.

[William Foster]

Originally Posted by TavesSoul

Good start! I'm enjoying it so far, as I've had a soft spot for the A's since reading Moneyball. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Taves. I like your Nationals dynasty and its one of my inspirations so I'm happy to hear that you like it.

If anyone has any suggestions about ways to improve the dynasty or questions feel free to ask/tell.

[William Foster]

A's First Year Player Draft Recap

Monday June 15th, 2009

A's GM Zalman Orloff and A's scouting director Dave Tobias had little rest today as they ran the A's first year player draft. The Washington Nationals were allowed to pick first thanks to having the worst record in the league the previous season. The A's will pick 11th.

The Nationals used the first pick on Lorenzo Valenzuela out of Bakersfield High School. He was considered a reach by some as he was only #7 on Baseball America's list. The Nationals had no comment on whether the choice was made due to signability issues. A big powerful hitter, many scouts have expressed massive concern about Valenzuela's baserunning and fielding abilities leading him to be dubbed the "Prince Fielder Jr. of the outfield".

Oakland Athletics Picks

First Round - 11th Overall

2B Juan Morales, 21 Years Old, SHB

Morales is a switch-hitting second baseman out of Arizona State University with plus power for his position and a sweet swing which puts the ball in play a lot. While his plate discipline could use some work Morales is a good bet to make the majors although some scouts within the A's organization wonder about his true ceiling. He has a lot of raw home run and gap power but his money will be made from his laid back and refined contact-hitting stroke. His short and stocky frame probably caused him to fall to #11 where the A's happily obliged taking him. He was #6 on the list of Baseball America's incoming draft prospects.

Second Round - 41st Overall

SP Bill 'Mad Dog' Morris, 21 Years Old, RHP

Morris is a flame-throwing righty out of UC Riverside with two plus pitches. He clocks in at 95-97 MPH and is one of the most polished pitchers in the draft. However his lack of a third quality delivering may limit him to the Bullpen and thus he has fallen on Scouts draft charts significantly despite being an almost ready product. He will likely begin the year in the AZL however he could rise quickly as he is by far the most polished player the A's have drafted this year.

Third Round - 71st Overall

C Bernie Harris, 21 Years Old, RHB

Harris is the most low-ceiling pick the A's have made thus far. He doesn't do anything exceptionally well but does everything decently enough that he may make a good luxury as a backup catcher someday. Almost everything he does grades out as average at best in the long run. At 21 Years Old he's already pretty well developed so it'll be up to him to hit his way into a future with th A's.

Fourth Round - 101st Overall

SP Malcolm Barlow, 18 Years Old, LHP

Barlow is the first high-schooler the A's have drafted this year but he is also one of the better picks they have made. Coming into the year Barlow was projected near the top of the draft class, however an unfortunate fly ball problem and inconsistent control let him fall to the 4th Round for the A's to snag him. He hits 97-99 MPH with his fastball consistently and has the stuff to strike a lot of hitters out. He scouts as a potential top of the rotation arm if he can learn better location and add movement to his pitches.

Fifth Round - 131st Overall

1B Million Odongo, 18 Years Old, SHB

A short switch-hitting Nigerian lefty is another guy who doesn't have one tool that really stands out but does a multitude of things decently. He is a weak defender but has gotten major points for his high-school grades and work ethic. He's a long term project for the A's if he sticks at all.

[William Foster]

Despite Awful Month A's still in 1st
Despite an awful 11-17 record for the month of June during a month filled with injuries to critical players the A's now sit at 42-36 and 6.5 games ahead of the Angels.

Wednesday July 1st, 2009

Oakland, CA -- The Oakland Athletics finished the month of July with a 11-17 record and fell to just 42-36. In a better division they'd be in trouble, but the sheer futility of even the 2nd Place Los Angeles Angels (35-42) leaves the A's in command of a solid and safe league heading into July. With key players such as Travis Buck, Jack Cust, Nomar Garciaparra, and Orlando Cabrera set to come back the next two weeks will be critical if the Angels want to take advantage of their short window of opportunity to catch the A's.

"We're coming off an absolutely awful month for this organization," said General Manager Zalman Orloff, "Injuries hit all sorts of key players like Holliday or Buck, and then things only got worse when staples like Cust, Cabrera and Nomar went down. Nevertheless we expect that with many key players returning that we will really turn this one around going into the stretch. If we hang on in the next two weeks we shouldn't have a problem."

"Even more importantly we're seeing signs of life from our younger prospects like SPTrevor Cahill, who has been very good at the big league level." he added.

Junes Hot Players:
SP Trevor Cahill - 3-2, 3.53 ERA, 27 K
MR Brad Ziegler - 0-1, 1.08 ERA, 13 K, .159 OPBA
C Kurt Suzuki - .345/.441/.500, 1 HR, 6 2B
CF Ryan Sweeny - .355/.430/.561, 4 HR, 10 2B

Junes Cold Players:
SP Sean Gallagher - 1-2, 6.03 ERA
SP Dana Eveland - 1-3, 5.05 ERA
SP Dallas Braden - 1-2, 5.05 ERA
MR Keith Foulke - 0-0, 6.06 ERA
1B Jason Giambi - .125, 0 HR, .186 SLG
OF Ben Copeland - .140, 0 HR

June News and Transactions:

Injuries

The A's inadvertently suffered from a massive injury syndrome this month.

The first to go down was star DH Jack Cust who sprained his ankle during a play in early June. He went down right as CF Ben Copeland was ready to return from his injury and was promptly replaced in the lineup by him. Cust was hitting .252 with 12 Home Runs and a .354 On Base Percentage when he went down.

He was promptly followed by SS Orlando Cabrera who went down with a strained groin while running in a mid June game. Cabrera was hitting .285 with no home runs and 14 doubles at the time of the injury. To replace his spot in the lineup the A's signed utility infielder 3B Jose Castillo to a one year contract with incentives. Castillo is a career .259 Hitter with 39 Home Runs and so far this year has hit .285 in 52 at bats.

Just a day later 3B Nomar Garciaparra went down for the next four weeks with a fractured thumb and was promptly replaced via MR Keith Foulke returning to the majors from AAA Sacramento. Foulke has gone 18.1 Innings with a 4.91 ERA and 11 Strikeouts this year with the A's.

Minor Leagues

AAA Sacramento

1B Sean Doolittle has had a mammoth of a season hitting .285/.374/.522 and smashing 18 Home Runs. Despite 1B Daric Barton having an excellent year Doolittle will likely get a chance at earning a starting job next season if he can prove himself in spring training.

AA Midland

SS Adrian Cardenas has managed to fashion a nice little future as a prospect for himself after coming over from the Phillies in the Joe Blanton trade. He's hitting .328/.412/.428 as the leadoff hitter for the Rockhounds this year and with SS Cliff Pennington losing his luster Cardenas may pass him on the depth chart by next season.

High A Stockton

SP Fautino De Los Santos has been absolutely dominant for the Ports this season going 9-2 with a 1.47 ERA. As if those impressive numbers weren't enough he's struck out 147 hitters in 102.1 Innings and is slated to be called up to Double A to start the month of July.

Low A Kane County

C Petey Paramore has continued to dominate the level hitting .325/.409/.500 with 13 Home Runs and a 25.3 VORP. Paramore will likely begin next year at Double A but he will be given the chance to move quickly from there. Our scouts think he's likely to be an above average starting catcher at the Major League level but with Kurt Suzuki on hand he'll have to really impress next year to stick with the team rather then be used as trade-bait.

[NYY #23]

Man, a rough couple of months with injuries. Hopefully you don't get hit with any more major ones and you hang on to first place. Nice start to the dynasty.

[William Foster]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Man, a rough couple of months with injuries. Hopefully you don't get hit with any more major ones and you hang on to first place. Nice start to the dynasty.

The injuries have been a complete nightmare for my offense. Matt Holliday, Jack Cust, Travis Buck, and Nomar all go down? Luckily Ryan Sweeny has really stepped in and picked up the slack over the season but he can only do so much!

Thanks for the kudos. I've yet to actually check out your dynasty (lack of time to sit and read it not lack of interest ) but I'll be sure to give it a proper read as soon as possible.

[William Foster]

Meanwhile...

Zalman Orloff was a busy man as GM of the A's on July 12th. Despite leading the AL West the A's had major holes in their offensive department and just couldn't seem to hit no matter what he tried. The impending return of Cust, Nomar, and Buck would help that, but for now he had other worries as he picked up the ringing phone.

"What is it now Theo?" Zalman said questioningly into the phone with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Alright Z I know we've been discussing this trade for the last week or so but I'm prepared to listen to your counter offers now because I decided I really want to get this deal done." said Theo Epstein GM of the Boston Red Sox. He spoke with calmly, confidently, and diligently to Orloff as though he had seniority. A world series ring tends to go to anyones head.
"I told you I'm not giving up Coleman and Copeland for nothing," Orloff replied. "Maybe if you gave me Smoltz, HA!"
Theo paused as though contemplating something in his mind. His years of experience in his position were about to come in handy and Zalman could tell.
"Alright how about I take Coleman, Copeland, and that contract of Ducsherer's off your hands in exchange for Smoltz," replied Theo. "That way you get an ace pitcher for the stretch run and I get a decent arm with a pair of prospects that anyone would like."
Zalman was stunned for the first time in his career as a General Manager. Did he have an opportunity to improve the team here?
"I'm going to want more than just Smoltz," he said with his gameface on. "Perhaps if you add Jon Van Every to replace Copeland on the bench we would have a deal."
Theo spoke with a sense of happiness in his voice. "I think we may have a deal Z.. well for once at any rate."
"I'll call the Chronicle and tell them the news then, Best of luck to you Theo and may both our teams get better from this."
"Oh sure of course."

The young GM was feeling a mixture of joy and fear from his first trade. Coleman wasn't exactly a blue chip prospect but he had a fair bit of pop for a Shortstop and Ducsherer was very popular with the fanbase. Smoltz was the pitcher the A's would need to advance beyond the first round in the playoffs and was worth both of these players to him. The fan base and papers might think differently though.
"Oh well," he said as he dialed the number for the Chronicle and prepared to tell them the news. Negative criticism was to be expected after all.

[William Foster]

A's Fall Below .500!
Awful division keeps them safely in first place with a 6.5 game lead over the Texas Rangers at 51-52

Saturday August 1st, 2009

Oakland, California -- For the second month in a row the A's have been absolutely dreadful. Winning just 9 games and losing 18 this month leaves the A's a game under .500 as they head into the two most important months. However their is a lot of optimism in the A's clubhouse in spite of this. The acquisition of SP John Smoltz and the return of DH Jack Cust, RF Travis Buck, SS Orlando Cabrera, and 3B Nomar Garciaparra leaves players and fans alike looking forward to see what this club can do in August and beyond. The 2nd Place Texas Rangers are still 6.5 games behind and technically in striking distance.

"Its been a rough month, but with the return of our offensive core of players things should finally be back on track for us." said GM Zalman Orloff in yesterdays press conference.

Julys Hot Players:
MR Michael Wuertz - 1-0, 2.35 ERA, 15.1 IP, 19 K
CF Ryan Sweeny - .337/.339/.500, 2 HR, 10 2B

Julys Cold Players:
SP Trevor Cahill - 1-3, 5.51 ERA, 15 BB
SP Sean Gallagher - 2-2, 5.76 ERA, 3 HR Allowed
MR Brad Ziegler - 0-2, 11.42 ERA,
RF/DH Jack Cust - .222/.317/.333, 2 HR
1B Daric Barton - .232/.303/.364

July News and Transactions

Trades

In mid-july the A's traded 25 Year Old OF Ben Copeland, SP Justin Ducsherer, and minor league SS Dusty Coleman, in exchange for SP John Smoltz and OF Jonathon Van Every.

Copeland has struggled this year hitting under the Mendoza line for the A's, but the Red Sox saw him as a nice long term option on the Bench. Ducsherer had struggled after returning from his injury, but was very popular with the Oakland fans for his previous exploits. Duchsherer has a career ERA of 3.28 when he was shipped out. Dusty Coleman was struggling in the Midwest League as a Shortstop but had shown modest pop by bashing 10 Home Runs despite a .238 Batting Average. Upon trade Coleman was moved to first base for the Red Sox Carolina League affiliate.

Smoltz also had recently returned from Injury at the trade and was 0-2 with a 3.34 ERA at the time of the trade. "I always wondered what it'd be like to play out my career in Oakland. I guess now I get to find out." Smoltz said to the Boston Press upon hearing he'd been traded.

Outfielder Jonathon Van Every was acquired to replace Ben Copeland as the A's primary outfield reserve. He was hitting .238 with 3 Home runs and a .283 on base percentage at the time of the trade.

Injuries

This month would turn out to be excellent for injuries to the A's. The month saw SS Orlando Cabrera, RF/DH Jack Cust, RF Travis Buck, and 3B/DH Nomar Garciaparra return from injury. RF Matt Carson, SP Josh Outman, and 3B Jack Hannahan were all optioned to AAA Sacramento to make room for them.

The other roster spot was opened by an injury to 2B Mark Ellis that will keep him out for the first two weeks of August. Ellis had been awful all year hitting just .213/.274/.309 in 324 At Bats.

Minor League Report

AAA Sacramento

RF Chris Carter has been the story of the month in Sacramento. After a midseason call up to Sacramento he's hit 7 Home Runs in 95 at bats and has a .558 Slugging Percentage. Combined between AA and AAA he's hit .269/.401/.515 with 22 Home Runs and 78 BB in 342 AB's. He's a likely candidate or a September call-up and a starting outfield job next season.

1B Sean Doolittle has continued mashing to the tune of .279/.374/.504 with 22 Home Runs.

AA Midland

SS Adrian Cardenas has continued to show the excellent contact hitting and on-base skills that make him such a good prospect. He's still hitting .310 and has stolen 9 Bases for the Rockhounds this season. While he's likely a year away Cardenas' stock has risen to the point where he looks like the best player exchanged in the Joe Blanton trade with the Phillies.

High A Stockton

CF Larry Cobb earned the California League Hitter of the Month award for July hitting .351 with 4 HR and 22 RBI. He's old for his level at 24 and his modest power might be the result of the notorious bandbox Cal-League Parks so its best to take his recent performance with a grain of salt. Nonetheless he's a likely candidate to hit Double A next season if he can raise his season Avg. above .260.

SP Tyson Ross has been near dominant this season pitching for the Ports. He's 7-4 with a 3.36 ERA and 146 K in 112.1 Innings Pitched. The scouts aren't exactly high on him but if he keeps putting up numbers this good he'll be impossible to ignore for much longer.

Low A Kane County

CF Yusuf Carter has gone absolutely nuts on Midwest League Pitching this year hitting 29 Home Runs and with rate stats of .254/.310/.579. He's also old for his level at 24 but Yusuf has power that you can't ignore although his lack of ability to hit for contact and his atrocious K numbers (120 in 383 AB's) mean his ceiling is Jack Cust and he's probably just an AAAA player at best.

Short Season A Vancouver

2008 A's First Round Pick and brother of Milwaukee Second Baseman Ricky Weeks 2B Jemile Weeks has gotten off to an auspicious start to his Pro Career. He's hitting .325/.456/.444 with 2 HR and 7 SB which was enough to earn him the Northwest League Player of the Month for July. "Jemile is one of the most athletic players we've seen in years and if he ever reaches his ceiling he'll be one of the best Second Basemen since Rogers Hornsby." said one scout on Weeks. Weeks is likely to be promoted to Kane County or Stockton before the month is over where he can test his skills against tougher competition.

Rookie Ball Arizona A's

Raw Athletic LF Rashuan Dixon has gotten off to an incredible start to his Pro-Career hitting .494/.634/.926 with 8 HR, 8 SB, 7 2B, and 2 3B in 81 at bats for the Arizona League A's this month. He won batter of the month for July despite missing the last week and a half of July with a sprained ankle. Despite impressive numbers so far he's still very raw (20 K in 81 AB's) but will nonetheless get a chance against tougher competition in the Northwest League upon his return.

Venezuelan SP Henry Rodriguez won the Pitcher of the Month award in the Arizona League going 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA and almost 2 K's per inning. He'll get a chance at the Northwest League in August.

The A's first round pick this year 2B Juan Morales has adapted to pro baseball very well this year to the tune of .348/.464/.509 with 4 HR and 22 BB in 112 AB. Scouts note that he's made serious improvements and adjustments to his swing that will allow him to hit for more contact and so far he's definitely justified the faith the A's showed in him by using their first round pick on him. He may see the Northwest League before the year is done.

[Big Six]

I just got caught up with your dynasty, William. Great job so far...I hope the A's can hang on and make the playoffs.

One thing...the A's aren't really paying Jack Cust $95 million for six years, are they? I mean, I like OPS as much as the next guy, but still...

I'm guessing, since the poster guy for Three True Outcomes is making $2.8 million for 2009, he's really making about $9.5 million. I'm sure the Cust family would take the money, however.

Keep up the good work, William. I'm enjoying it.

[William Foster]

Originally Posted by Big Six

I just got caught up with your dynasty, William. Great job so far...I hope the A's can hang on and make the playoffs.

One thing...the A's aren't really paying Jack Cust $95 million for six years, are they? I mean, I like OPS as much as the next guy, but still...

I'm guessing, since the poster guy for Three True Outcomes is making $2.8 million for 2009, he's really making about $9.5 million. I'm sure the Cust family would take the money, however.

Keep up the good work, William. I'm enjoying it.

Thanks Big Six! Your dynasty is one of my favorites and I'm glad your enjoying mine as well.

As for Cust..
Custs contract is an awful albatross of a deal. He makes 2.8 Mil this year but then it goes up to 18.5 Million to finish out the deal which is ridiculous three true outcomes/high .OPS or not. I really should have unloaded him at the trade deadline and freed up cash to be spent on better players and extensions but he might prove useful to have around.. (I hope)

[William Foster]

Magic Number at 24!
Amid potential tragedy the A's magic number is at 24

*A fuller discussion of Daric Barton's career ending injury and its implications can be found on the next page

Tuesday September 1st, 2009

Oakland, CA -- Following the end of play yesterday the A's have zoomed to a 17-12 Month that saw them lower their magic number to 24 games for the dog days of September. Leading the team was the bat of American League Batter of the Month 1B Daric Barton who suffered a career threatening injury only to learn 30 minutes later that he had won American League Batter of the Month for August. "This was absolutely the worst possible way for my career to get off the ground." said 1B Sean Doolittle who was called up following the injury.

The mood going into the following month with SP Ben Sheets returning and adding to an already impressive collection of A's Pitchers is that of somber determination. The A's are determined to win the division and playoffs for Daric. Barton was in the midst of a breakout month when the injury occurred.

Augusts Hot Players:
SP Trevor Cahill - 2-0, 2.51 ERA, 25 K
MR Jerry Blevins - 0-0, 0.93 ERA
SP Dallas Braden - 2-2, 3.77 ERA, 2CG, 2SHO
RF Travis Buck - .290/.367/.598, 7 HR, 8 2B, 21 RBI
C Kurt Suzuki - .344/.384/.527, 3 HR, 8 2B
1B Daric Barton - .347/.405/.607, 7 HR, 6 2B
CF Ryan Sweeny - .359/.409/.504, 3 HR

Augusts Cold Players:
MR Chris Schroeder - 1-1, 5.00 ERA, 2 HR, 10 BB
SP Ben Sheets - 0-2, 5.14 ERA in 14 IP
SS Orlando Cabrera - .183/.237/.303, 2 HR

August News and Transactions

Awards

1B Daric Barton won the AL Batter of the Month Award on the same day his career was permanently threatened by injury.
Injuries

1B Daric Barton suffered a career threatening injury tearing a labrum in his shoulder in an August 31st contest against the Kansas City Royals. Barton was in the midst of one of the best months in baseball history and the A's can only hope to estimate when he'll make it back if ever. Top prospect 1B Sean Doolittle (.285/.374/.517 with 28 HR and 101 RBI in AAA Sacramento) was recalled to replace Barton. "This is never the way you want to make it," said Doolittle after hearing of the injury and his recall. "I'm happy but to see a guy like Daric (Barton) go down like that in a semi-historic month is flat out painful."

2B Mark Ellis was informed by doctors that he is suffering a severe setback in his injury and won't be able to return to the A's until late September at the earliest.

Jason Being Jason

It was leaked that 1B Jason Giambi demanded a trade or more playing time just a day before Barton was injured according to the story printed by the SF Chronicle. Jason was upset by his lack of a starting role and apparently wanted a chance to prove himself. "Jason will play when its in our best interest for him to play." said GM Orloff on the issue. Jason could not be reached for comment on the story despite urgings from reporters.

Roster Expansion

The A's have not revealed their exact plans for roster expansion over the course of September but stay tuned.

Minor League Report

AAA Sacramento

1B Tommy Everidge received the Pacific Conference Batter of the Month award for August. On the season Everidge has shown borderline historic power hitting 31 Home Runs in just 354 AB and maintaining an excellent .268/.358/.585 line over the season. He's almost a lock to be in the competition for the 1B job next spring despite some worrying he's nothing but an AAAA hitter taking advantage of the PCL's notorious bandbox ballparks.

CL Andrew Bailey has managed to have an amazing season as the stabilizing force on Sacramento's historically awful pitching staff netting 27 Saves, a 3.02 ERA and an easy shot at the A's bullpen as of roster expansion. He added to that resume winning the Pacific Conference's top pitcher award for August after he saved 4 games and had an 0.90 ERA in the month. While some think he'll be stretched as a closer in the Big Leagues he'll definitely make a decent reliever according to the scouting consensus.

AA Midland

CL Rocky Roquet was named Texas League Pitcher of the Month for August going 17.1 Innings, striking out 31 and earning 6 Saves. On the season he is 6-9 with 21 Saves (5 Blown) and a 4.14 ERA. One scout watching him called him "A worse Andrew Bailey who leans 100% on his 95 MPH Fastball for outs." which would seem to be backed up by his season stats. Nonetheless the A's have hoped he's turned the corner.

Amidst a large crop of more established prospects 20 year-old SP Arnold Leon has quietly put up a solid season for the Rockhounds, going 6-6 with a 3.48 ERA, 168 IP and 179 K. The fact that he's young for his level upgrades his status from "curiosity" to prospect.

High A Stockton

IF Alex Valdez has signifgantly upped his stock by putting on a monster performance throughout August. Over the month he hit 8 Home Runs almost doubling his Home Run total on the season which was a fact made more interesting by the fact that he plays literally every position besides catcher. Its rare to find a utility infielder with pop so Valdez will be watched very closely indeed by the A's going forward.

2B Jemile Weeks has continued to hit well upon promotion to Stockton hitting .346/.424/.442 since his callup in about 114 AB's. He's looking like a lock to begin next year at AA Midland and could be as little as a year away.

Low A Kane County

OF Yusuf Carter has now hit 35 Home Runs in Kane County on the Season. He has legendary holes in his swing but power like he's shown in Kane County is rare and hard to ignore. His lack of patience doesn't help him out much case-wise either but regardless Yusuf may begin next year at AAA Sacramento.

How do you not get noticed with over 270 K's in 175 IP? Well one possible way is if you also walk 120 hitters and give up 17 Long Balls. This happened to be the case for raw SP Brent Hunter who possesses tremendous raw potential in his stuff but has horrible control problems. He'll likely hit Double A next year where his performance will determine his future as trade bait.

Short A Vancouver

Big Venezuelan righty SP Henry A. Rodriguez has continued to dominate upon being called up to Vancouver. He doesn't have much stanima which could mean he's headed for the pen in the upper minors but for now he'll continue to dominate the lower levels of competition at his almost 2 K per Inning rate.

Rookie Ball Arizona A's

SP Brett Devail has gone 5-0 with a 2.01 ERA for the team since being released by Atlanta and then signed by the A's as a minor league free agent. He lacks a big fastball or a projectable way of getting outs so his career will hinge on whether he can keep putting up these numbers in Kane County next season.

OF Christopher Berroa has been putting on a show in Arizona this year to the tune of .337/.461/.507 with 9 HR and 30 SB. Scouts hate him and he has been hitting well in Arizona which is known for inflating offensive totals. Nonetheless even if he doesn't make it as a starter his incredible speed means he'll probably make it as a 5th Outfielder.