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| This is a grown man named "Coco." And we just accept that. Then again, isn't there a player named Casper? |
9. Oakland Athletics
by Hayden Hughes
3/12/14
If winning was a choice, I would advise the Oakland Athletics to chose to win. Right now.
For no other reason then A) if not now, when? and B) that farm system...*this is where I cringe*
The Oakland A's' formula of acquiring underrated and undervalued players from other teams is no secret anymore and, in fact, has been adopted by other teams. So at some point, doesn't Oakland have to develop their own?
Sure, the back-end of their rotation is entirely Oakland-grown prospects who have translated well into the Major Leagues, for the most part, but outside of Yeonis Cespedes, all of the A's starting lineup was drafted by another team. One thing Oakland proved this offseason, and really always have proved, is that the trade market is their bread and butter. GM Billy Beane was a little uncharacteristic in trading for the heavy-priced Jim Johnson to be 2014's closer, but a revamped bullpen will lift the weight from the the youthful starters' shoulders that they felt in the playoffs last season. Literally, Jarrod Parker's shoulder hurts, as of last month.
Fans must be on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens to the teams' core of Donaldson, Josh Reddick, Yeonis Cespedes, and Jed Lowrie in next years' offseason. At one point, Trevor Cahill was going to be Oakland's next Tim Hudson (A.K.A. the anchor of their rotation), and where is Cahill now?
One has to believe Lowrie will hit free agency, as shortstop prospect Addison Russell will be Major League-ready by 2015. There is, however, a chance that for the right price Lowrie resigns with Oakland to man second base.
Josh Donaldson is club-controlled through 2018, but if the third baseman finds himself in the top 4 of the MVP voting again, Oakland might be wise to commit to the 28-year-old. But then again, he is already 28 and still not arbitration eligible until next year, so Oakland will for sure have Donaldson for his peak years, so the smart thing may be to actually let him walk in 2018. But for now, he's fastened for the long haul.
For Josh Reddick to gain any leverage in any potential extension negotiations, he'll have to put 2013 behind him and regain the form of himself that garnered comparisons to Alex Gordon - not the form of himself that is being compared to Logan Morrison. Reddick, who has two more years of club control, might be the "make-or-break" player that puts this team over the hump in their 2014 playoff run.
Then there's Cespedes, Oakland's middle-of-the-lineup left fielder. The five-tooled Cuban had a disappointing 2013 that was riddled with injuries. It was reported that Oakland was shopping Cespedes and even got in discussion with Arizona about a Tyler Skaggs-trade, but Oakland backed out. Now Skaggs, in Anaheim, will most likely see Cespedes for a couple at-bats at least. Oakland retaining Cespedes might have been a really smart move, as a great 2014 - which isn't far-fetched - would increase Cespedes' trade value as more than just the Home Run Derby champion.
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| Pitch recognition is a rumor for Cespedes. |
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| Seriously. Is that swing more from the school of Vladimir Guerrero or the school of Adrian Beltre? |
Oakland has the potential to have either the best offensive outfield in the AL West (maybe the entire American League), or potentially the most disappointing, as face-of-the-franchise Coco Crisp is the most consistent of himself, Cespedes, and Reddick. As long as Crisp gets his games in at DH, he'll be in the lineup for over 150 games, but the center fielder has seen dips in his stolen base numbers. One good sign is the 22 home runs Crisp belted in 2013, but one wouldn't rely on those being much more than an anomaly. It'll take more than Crisp's consistency and Donaldson repeating 2013 for this lineup to win Oakland a championship, but out of all the "dark horse" teams, I think this is the one with the best chance and why they are ranked so high.
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| Side note: ...I'm not too sure I'm brave/man enough to arrive at Yeonis' family gatherings. |
1.
Last Season and Offseason
a.
96-66 (Lost to DET in ALDS)
b.
Signed Eric O’Flaherty (DL-TJ surgery), Scott
Kazmir, Nick Punto
c.
Traded Jemile Weeks to BAL for RHP Jim Johnson
d.
Traded OF Michael Choice to TEX for OF Craig
Gentry and RHP Josh Lindblom
e.
Traded OF Seth Smith to SD for RHP Luke
Gregerson
f.
Traded LHP Brett Anderson to COL for LHP Drew
Pomeranz
g.
Traded LHP Jeremy Blevins to WAS for Billy Burns
2.
Line Up/Rotation
a.
Coco Crisp CF
b.
Josh Donaldson 3B
c.
Jed Lowrie SS
d.
Yoenis Cespedes LF
e.
Brandon Moss 1B
f.
Josh Reddick RF
g.
Eric Sogard/Alberto Callaspo 2B
h.
John Jaso DH
i.
Derek Norris C
j.
Jarrod Parker
k.
Scott Kazmir
l.
Sonny Gray
m.
Dan Straily
n.
A.J. Griffin
3.
Favorite/Least Favorite
a.
Hayden's Favorite – Kazmir signing
b.
Nick's Favorite – Crisp Extension
c. Hayden's Least Favorite – Between Jaso, Norris, and Vogt,
someone has to go to attain young DH
d.
Nick's Least Favorite – Too Young of a Rotation
4.
Impact Player
a.
Josh Reddick
i.
Needs to stay healthy and return to 2012 form,
but less K’s
ii.
OBP stayed the same in a bad 2013
iii.
A Good Reddick on a Good A’s team could mean
ALCS
5.
Impact Prospect
a.
Maybe Addison Russell makes a September call up,
moving Lowrie to 2nd. But outside of that, it’s unlikely the A’s
will get much help from a Top Prospect in 2014.
i.
The "next Miguel Tejada"
6.
Midseason Status
a.
Trading punches with SEA and TEX for the AL
West, hanging in there
b.
Potentially looking to add a seasoned starter
7.
Bold Predictions
a.
94-68
b. No Trades!
Podcast Playlist:
"Everyday People" - Sly & the Family Stone
"No Light, No Light" - Florence + the Machine
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