A’s 2012 Team Preview
Last year the Oakland A’s entered the season as a dark horse to take the American League West. This year, though, the A’s should consider themselves lucky if they finish third in the revamped AL West. The Angels added perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols and star pitcher C.J. Wilson while the Rangers added Joe Nathan and Yu Darvish this past offseason. That leaves the A’s and Mariners in a tough spot: the AL West cellar.
Many people around baseball see the Athletics and Mariners duking it out for third-place in the West while either the Angels or Rangers go on to capture the division crown. Bottom line is, the A’s are going nowhere this year. They’re simply not built to win this year. Anything close to a .500 record would, in my mind, anyway, be a successful season for Bob Melvin’s squad.
Last year the A’s went 74-88 and finished a whopping 22 games behind the division leading Rangers. That record was good enough for third-place in the division, but the A’s have lost a few pieces since closing out the 2011 season. Just take a look at some of the names the A’s lost this past winter.
Subtractions:
DH Hideki Matsui; OF Josh Willingham; OF David DeJesus; RHP Trevor Cahill; LHP Gio Gonzalez; CL Andrew Bailey.
While I would hardly call David DeJesus a major loss for the Athletics, I would say losing Cahill, Gonzalez, Bailey, and Willingham will have a significant impact on the team’s level of play entering the season. Willingham led the A’s in home runs (29) and RBIs (98) last year while Cahill and Gonzalez combined to win 28 games last year for the Athletics.
Losing two starting pitchers in Cahill and Gonzalez will likely have the biggest effect on the A’s this year, as their rotation now lacks a considerable amount of experience and know-how. To say Brandon McCarthy, a pitcher who did not pitch in 2010, is your number one starter says a lot about the type of depth your rotation has. Comparing Oakland’s one-two punch in McCarthy and grizzled veteran Bartolo Colon to the Angels’ Jarred Weaver-C.J. Wilson combo is, in itself, a joke.
The A’s did a nice job in getting some talent in return for Cahill and Gonzalez, but most of those young prospects aren’t expected to make much of an impact this year. Among those who might make an impact are pitchers Tom Milone, Jarrod Parker, and perhaps Brad Peacock. Milone, though, remains the most likely candidate to impress A’s fans this year as he played exceptionally well this spring in his bid for a spot in the rotation.
While the A’s relied heavily on their trade chips to restock and revamp their organization with young talent, Billy Beane & Co. did find a few ways to spend some serious dough on a few players. OF Coco Crisp, while not a new face to the team, was resigned during the offseason for a whopping $14 million over two-years. That’s some serious dough for a guy like Crisp.
The A’s also dished out another $36 million or so on Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and another $500K on Manny Ramirez. The A’s are, in essence, banking on the success of Crisp, Cespedes, and Ramirez (if he makes it through his 50-game suspension) this year. Crisp will likely hit near the top of Oakland’s starting lineup, with speedy 2B Jemile Weeks leading things off this season for the A’s.
Cespedes, meanwhile, remains the biggest question mark of them all. Sure, I’m interested in seeing what Manny can do for the A’s, but Cespedes is the real attraction this year for A’s fans. He’s got power, speed, and some nice glove-work in center field. Why else would the A’s openly dish out $36 million to the guy?
Key Additions:
OF Coco Crisp; OF Yoenis Cespedes; DH Manny Ramirez; OF Seth Smith; OF Jonny Gomes; RHP Bartolo Colon; RHP Jarrod Parker; LHP Tom Milone; RHP Brad Peacock
While some of these names may not excite most baseball fans, guys like Cespedes, Ramirez, Gomes, and perhaps even Colon, may help to drive in a few extra fans to the O.Co Coliseum this season. The A’s are waiting for a decision regarding their proposed move to San Jose, but the stingy San Francisco Giants are making things incredibly difficult for the green-and-gold to relocate. Until then, the A’s will likely rely on cheap sources of offense and star power to help rack up the wins and fill the stands with fans.
With that, here’s my quick preview of Oakland’s offense, pitching staff, and eventual place in the American League West:
OFFENSE:
The A’s do not feature a very potent offensive unit. Bob Melvin will likely rely on what the A’s do have: speed. Along with Crisp, the A’s will likely plan on using Jemile Weeks and SS Cliff Pennington to round out their No.1-3 spots in the lineup this year. By doing this, the A’s will have an easier time “manufacturing” runs this year.
This style of offense, as most of you probably know, goes against everything we’ve read in Michael Lewis‘ Moneyball. The A’s hated stealing bases back in the day, but there are no Jason Giambi‘s, Eric Chavez‘s, or Miguel Tejada‘s to hit the home runs anymore. So, the A’s are changing things up a bit. It’s a change that the A’s are hoping will work for them in 2012.
Another glaring problem for the Athletics this year is their situation over at third base. No more Eric Chavez to handle the hot corner. In fact, since the 2006 season, the A’s haven’t had much success when it comes to their third base situation. The A’s will need to decide who will man the hot corner for them this year now that Scott Sizemore is no longer an option.
A lot of media attention will likely be focused on Cespedes, who will have to adjust to life in the major leagues after dominating in Cuba. The A’s have a lot riding on Cespedes and are hopeful that the four-year deal pans out to their liking. He’s got the kind of power the team has been trying to reel in via free agency in recent years (Adrian Beltre, Lance Berkman, anyone?), but they’re taking a huge risk with the 26-year old outfielder.
The A’s have a few guys who might provide a little pop aside from Cespedes this year, though. Among those likely “power” hitters are catcher Kurt Suzuki, who hit 14 HR last year, OF Josh Reddick, OF Seth Smith, and Ramirez, who if he completes his 50-game suspension, could make a nice impact on the green-and-gold this year.
Bottom line, Melvin will need to be extra creative this year if he wants to score runs. The A’s just don’t have many options on offense to be considered real threats to the Angels or Rangers this year.
PITCHING:
The starting rotation is headed by the dynamic duo of McCarthy and Colon. That’s a powerful combo, to say the least, isn’t it? All kidding aside, the A’s starting rotation isn’t on the same level of the Angels or Rangers this year. Beane did an excellent job at revamping his farm-system with pitching heavy talent in the likes of Parker, Peacock, Milone, and A.J. Cole, but the A’s won’t rush any of those young guys for the sake of trying to win it all in 2012.
Truth of the matter is, the A’s need to take it slow with some of their younger guys this year. 2012, in my mind, at least, should be a year of development. The team isn’t expected to contend, so why put added pressure on guys like Parker, a top prospect with an injury history, to perform early on in the big leagues? Take it slow, Beane. This inconsistency to stay true to the “youth-movement” has hurt the Athletics tremendously, but hopefully the A’s will stay the course this year.
With McCarthy and Colon taking the No.1 & No.2 spots, that leaves three-fifths of the rotation up for grabs. Melvin will likely roll out with a rotation looking like this, though: McCarthy, Colon, Milone, Tyson Ross, and Graham Godfrey. Last year’s rotation included Cahill, Gonzalez, Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson, and McCarthy.
The inexperience at the back-end of Oakland’s rotation just screams out at you, but the team is seemingly confident in their young hurlers. The same goes for the team’s bullpen, too. Led by Aussie closer Grant Balfour, the A’s ‘pen looks to match the rotation’s level of confidence this year. The A’s have a little more of a veteran presence in the ‘pen as Balfour and Brian Fuentes lead the pack of A’s relievers this year.
The youth-movement, however, will eventually catch up with the A’s. The rotation will likely transform once again when guys like Parker, Peacock, Sonny Gray, and A.J. Cole get more pitching experience under their belt. The ‘pen, meanwhile, will likely undergo a transformation as well, as Fautino De Los Santos looks like the team’s future closer.
The pitching will be interesting this year, but it certainly projects to be less productive than last year’s squad. I could be wrong, but the A’s will likely find it much harder to boast one of the AL’s best pitching staffs this year.
OVERALL PLACE IN THE WEST:
The A’s don’t have much of a chance this year in competing for a playoff spot out West. The Angels and Rangers are just too good and the A’s are just too plain and mediocre. That’s not to say the A’s are talent-less, it’s just that the A’s aren’t built to win this year. In a few years, though, the team may surprise a few people. Guys like Michael Choice, Grant Green, Parker, Cole, and a few others will rise up through Oakland’s farm-system and lend a helping hand to the green-and-gold…eventually. Until then, third place never tasted so good.
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