2006 Oakland A's Thread

[Green & Gold Heart]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Boy, that was quite a weekend for A's pitching...glad I don't have any Mariners on my fantasy team!!!

So, Haren gets the nod in Minny, would be nice to see him equal what the starters managed this weekend...especially since I've got Haren on my fantasy team!!!!

And lucky for us, we miss Johan this series.

We'll be without Kotsay for at least one or two of these games (back troubles + playing on turf = bad) but Minny is 1-5. And maybe playing at "home" will be the answer to what ails Dan Johson.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Green & Gold Heart

Here are a couple of interesting "Where Are They Now" finds.

Terrence Long, currently playing for Reds Triple-A team.

Ben Grieve, current playing for White Sox Triple-A team.

One of my favorite former A's is Troy Neel...just found this little tid bit on him:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Troy_Neel

[Green & Gold Heart]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

One of my favorite former A's is Troy Neel...just found this little tid bit on him:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Troy_Neel

Wow... he was great for the A's for a year or two.

[johnnyshaka]

Here's another little tidbit about Neel...funny little article, actually.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/neyer_rob/1456677.html

"We still had the big hole at first base, though. And I spotted, over that winter, a guy in the Oakland system in Double-A. I wrote in my book, 'Why is nobody talking about this guy?' And when I saw that he wasn't invited to spring training, I advised Dan to go after him. We had the deal made ... and then at the last second, the Montreal guys said this guy can't hit at the major-league level, and we didn't get him.

"This guy's name was Troy Neel, and the thing that kept us from winning was Troy Neel. Steam was coming out Duquette's ears practically the whole season, because Troy Neel would have won us the division. But that kind of made me with Dan."

[Bobbuttons]

Originally Posted by Green & Gold Heart

Wow... he was great for the A's for a year or two.

Troy Neel was one of those great players in Tony LaRussa Baseball for the Sega Genesis. The game tried to balance the players that had good numbers but few at bats by making them get injured more. But you could occassionly get them nearly full seasons. Gerald Williams of the Yankees put up Ruthian numbers in that game.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Bobbuttons

Troy Neel was one of those great players in Tony LaRussa Baseball for the Sega Genesis. The game tried to balance the players that had good numbers but few at bats by making them get injured more. But you could occassionly get them nearly full seasons. Gerald Williams of the Yankees put up Ruthian numbers in that game.

That's funny...I used to play a lot of Front Page Sports Baseball and Neel was pretty good in that game for the same reasons you mentioned above. I used to steal like 60 bases a season with backup catcher, Scott Hemond, too!!!! My biggest find in that game, though, was Matt Drews...an A-ball pitcher in the Yankees organization who put up huge numbers in his first two seasons and I'd always trade for him and he'd be lights out for years for my A's. In real life, his ERA sky rocketed from sub-3 to over 5 for his career and he never got above AAA.

Funny the stuff you remember, eh?

[cinredsfan2000]

What are your thought's on Dan Johnson? somebody offered him to me in a trade for Rocco Baldelli .Im not sure what to think about him.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by cinredsfan2000

What are your thought's on Dan Johnson? somebody offered him to me in a trade for Rocco Baldelli .Im not sure what to think about him.

Hmmm...interesting. Johnson's had a very slow start so far but Baldelli hasn't even played yet and is coming off surgery. Baldelli is attractive for his speed (if he's still got it) and that he'll probably bat at the top of the order so he'll have a lot of oppurtunities to score where as it looks like Johnson is going to sit against most lefties and probably hit at the bottom of the order...so, I'd probably take the offer.

[Green & Gold Heart]

Actually Johnson hit better against lefties (.283) than righties (.272) last year so I bet he will start against lefties more often that not, once he gets going at least.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Green & Gold Heart

Actually Johnson hit better against lefties (.283) than righties (.272) last year so I bet he will start against lefties more often that not, once he gets going at least.

True, but I'm guessing Johnson is going to get the short end of the stick because Macha will want to get Payton, and Kielty if he ever gets healthy, at bats against lefties and that means Swisher will more than likely play first base with Thomas DH'ing. Swisher hasn't hit well against anybody, let alone lefties, but I'm thinking they would rather give Swisher at bats even though Johnson would probably do a better job.

[JDOldSchool]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

True, but I'm guessing Johnson is going to get the short end of the stick because Macha will want to get Payton, and Kielty if he ever gets healthy, at bats against lefties and that means Swisher will more than likely play first base with Thomas DH'ing. Swisher hasn't hit well against anybody, let alone lefties, but I'm thinking they would rather give Swisher at bats even though Johnson would probably do a better job.

Kielty isn't healthy? I thought he went to AAA just because the A's wanted 12 pitchers.

Swisher has hit better than Johnson has. I'm not sure why you think Johnson should get more at bats. He's older, less talented, and isn't performing as well.

[bananapancakes]

A's @ Twins

4/11 Haren vs. Radke
4/12 Loaiza vs. Silva
4/13 Blanton vs. Lohse

Great chance to get 2 out of 3 here, which I'll be happy with (who am I kidding, I'll be upset if we lose a game)... would love to see some of our bats get hot in this series and for Loaiza to pitch a solid game on Wednesday

[Green & Gold Heart]

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

Kielty isn't healthy? I thought he went to AAA just because the A's wanted 12 pitchers.

Yeah, he did. But Keilty did have the oblique thing in ST, but it sounds like he is over that now.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

Swisher has hit better than Johnson has. I'm not sure why you think Johnson should get more at bats. He's older, less talented, and isn't performing as well.

Hmmm...seems to me that Johnson was better last season than Swisher was, no?? Johnson has far superior numbers against lefties despite Swisher being a switch hitter. Johnson's a whole year older than Swisher...big whoop. Johnson's minor leauge career numbers are much better than Swisher's. Right now, Swisher's only advantage is that he's a plus fielder at first and in the OF. Is that enough to warrant more at bats right now?? In this lineup, I think so...but it's definitely debatable, IMHO.

[JDOldSchool]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Hmmm...seems to me that Johnson was better last season than Swisher was, no?? Johnson has far superior numbers against lefties despite Swisher being a switch hitter. Johnson's a whole year older than Swisher...big whoop. Johnson's minor leauge career numbers are much better than Swisher's. Right now, Swisher's only advantage is that he's a plus fielder at first and in the OF. Is that enough to warrant more at bats right now?? In this lineup, I think so...but it's definitely debatable, IMHO.

I think the 15 months between them is enough when the two are rather close offensively. Johnson's minor league numbers were better because he was there a year longer. He was 25 years old hitting in AAA. Swisher has actually shown more development, which is why I think he has a higher ceiling (and needs to get the ABs). I don't think Johnson will do much more than what he did last year, which certainly was good. I want them both to get at bats over Jay Payton, but if I'm picking between the two I want Swisher to get the work.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

I think the 15 months between them is enough when the two are rather close offensively. Johnson's minor league numbers were better because he was there a year longer. He was 25 years old hitting in AAA. Swisher has actually shown more development, which is why I think he has a higher ceiling (and needs to get the ABs). I don't think Johnson will do much more than what he did last year, which certainly was good. I want them both to get at bats over Jay Payton, but if I'm picking between the two I want Swisher to get the work.

If we don't have one of Durazo, Hatte, or Karros in '04, I'm guessing Johnson gets a shot and probably sticks with the A's then. Instead, Johson is stuck in a numbers game while Swisher is rushed through the system because we had one of the worst outfields in baseball. So, that extra year in the minor leagues is certainly not because he wasn't ready, it was just because there was nowhere to play him.

How has Swisher shown more develpment? Last season he struckout twice for every walk. That seems to be more like regression. Johnson continued his minor league trend of striking out as often as he walked.

[mikev]

I gotta say, before the season started I had figured Ellis had a look at a GG...

So far I've seen him butcher two double play balls this season, and only got 1 out each time.

I really wish Macha wasn't such an idiot and would play the hot bat. Why on earth does he have a) Scutaro sitting, b) Thomas playing on turf, c) Kotsay playing with a bad back?

Seriously.. it's NOT that hard to be the Oakland Athletics manager

[Green & Gold Heart]

I must be bad luck. I just turned the game on 10 minutes ago.

[JDOldSchool]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

If we don't have one of Durazo, Hatte, or Karros in '04, I'm guessing Johnson gets a shot and probably sticks with the A's then. Instead, Johson is stuck in a numbers game while Swisher is rushed through the system because we had one of the worst outfields in baseball. So, that extra year in the minor leagues is certainly not because he wasn't ready, it was just because there was nowhere to play him.

If the A's thought Johnson was ready they would not have signed Karros. Swisher was rushed, so he's working through some struggles now instead of being a star in Triple A like Johnson was.

How has Swisher shown more develpment? Last season he struckout twice for every walk. That seems to be more like regression. Johnson continued his minor league trend of striking out as often as he walked.

Swisher had gotten progressively better through the minors. I expect him to show the same type of improvement now that he has a full season in the majors under his belt. I'm not sure what point you're making with the strike outs. Strike outs don't mean a damn thing when it comes to baseball ability. In fact, high strikeout rates correlate with high walk/home runs. I'll take the strike outs; that's fewer double plays.

[Green & Gold Heart]

And Haren is still pitching because...?