Reddick, Drew, and more (Oakland Update)

This Tuesday, Oakland’s own shaggy bearded southerner, Josh Reddick, took home a fancy piece of hardware in MLB’s Gold Glove awards, crowned as the AL RF recipient. The rail thin outfielder dazzled the Coliseum crowds this season with marvelous defensive plays, preventing runs and winning games with his glove constantly (Important after tanking offensively post ASB). He even gained some infamy with a catch that required scaling Toronto’s RF chain link fence and forever earned the designation as “Piederman” in the Easy Bay. However, what shouldn’t be shocking is Reddick being honored as the best right fielder in the AL (Which he was) especially given his competition of Shin-Soo Choo (Having zero business of being up for a defensive award) and Jeff Francoeur (Which the fact of him even being up for a postseason honor is side numbingly hilarious on its own), but rather that an Athletic won a prize when the voting was done by national figures. I can assure that if Nick Swisher was a nominee instead of Choo (CLE) or Frenchie (KC), the Yankee would’ve won. The awards are predicated not only on offensive numbers, illogically enough, but equally the market of which team the player represented. All postseason honors and All-Star voting essentially is a sham. To give an example, Reddick, back when he was in his offensive stride before the ASB and was as defensively dominant as he has been, went up for All-Star voting the OF was one of the consensus top 20 best positional players in 2012. Where did he wind up finishing? 18th. In the American League. For outfielders… While yes, writers are more qualified than the general public, the GGs have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Luckily, they chose the correct man here, so congrats to Reddick for the recognition. Well-deserved after the All-Star snub.

The green and gold were also busy with roster adjustments over the past few days, beginning with exercising the option of Grant Balfour. The October workhorse will return for a third consecutive season as Oakland opted to spend 4.5 Million on their most reliable bullpen piece during 2012. The Aussie constructed a resume that rivaled his best overall campaign in 2008 and guided the Athletics with steady performances to close out ballgames throughout the second half of the schedule.

More unexpected, however, was the declining of Stephen Drew’s 10 Million dollar option which coincided with Balfour’s payment. Oakland acquired the Arizona SS in an August swap for Sean Jamieson and provided the A’s a veteran presence in the left of the infield for the playoff push. Drew played spotty defense at times, finishing with a -4.4 UZR during his career in the Coliseum, but proved to be a cheap and consistent performer overall. In 172 PAs, Drew put together a .250/.326/.382 slash along with a .306 BABIP, 10.5% BB%, .310 wOBA, and a 97 wRC+ throughout 39 contests. He carried the white spikes through key series in Yankee Stadium and in the Ballpark of Arlington with a slightly above average power bat that helped him gain fans in the east bay. However, despite Oakland publicly announcing their intention to sign the new free agent, the chances seem bleak in regards to seeing him return as an Athletic.


Drew is going to be undoubtedly the most highly prized free agent infielder this offseason. That is how weak the market is. Oakland obviously doesn’t want to pay him double digit figures per season in a contract or else they would’ve picked up his option. With large market organizations such as New York, Boston and Detroit in need of shortstop help and willing to splurge, A’s fans can practically say bon voyage to Stevie. Though Drew’s name could’ve been sharpied in to the 2013 opening day roster after Pennington was dealt, there is now a large and significant position in flux for the Athletics… AGAIN. And now comes the time where potential candidates, from within the organization and outside of it, can be discussed:


First would be the obvious, the former first round selection and Futures Game MVP, Grant Green. Green has bounced around the minor leagues and has made residence in Sacramento and Midland for the previous two seasons and is a self-described “field rat”. In short, meaning essentially that he lives and breathes baseball. However, the utility extraordinaire has struggled defensively and doesn’t project to dominate MLB pitching. The youngster and former 13th overall selection has never had a single season where his BB% has gone above 6.8% and could struggle to get on-base especially with a favorable BABIP assisting him throughout the minors. Regardless, Green should still find himself on the 40 man roster come spring to avoid the Rule 5 draft and promises to at the least receive some consideration in Phoenix.

Adam Rosales, another option in the shortstop race and resident utility man, would basically be as offensively productive as Green with slightly superior defense. And while no one dislikes a sprinting Rosales bounding around the basepaths after a homer, he doesn’t seem like a fitting everyday replacement to succeed Drew with a projection is more underwhelming than the newly assigned FA. Eric Sogard, the spectacled middle infielder, arises as another option with solid defensive intangibles and a dominant minor league resume. But, Sogard has struggled in the majors at the plate and continues not only to cause damage to himself with shaky plate discipline, but cannot seem to become friends with the luck dragons either. But, who’s to say Sogard couldn’t find his stride similarly to a Carter, Moss or Donaldson?... Well, those dramatic transitions are pretty rare to come by consistently and there’s no guarantee Sogard will or will ever join them. Greg Sparks does have an impressive track record though, so we’ll just until February arrives and the “spectacled avenger” can be reevaluated. (And NO, JEMILE IS NOT AN OPTION AT SHORTSTOP. GET OFF YOUR PIPE)

The Athletics also have a surplus of starting pitching depth and projectable minor leaguers, which opens the possibility to trade. Some candidates and potential targets include Yunel Escobar, Elvis Andrus, Marco Scutaro and Asdrubal Cabrera. All are earning under 7 million next season and would provide a boost even greater than Drew did. There are some few free agent options as well such as Alex Gonzalez and, should Detroit acquire Drew, Jhonny Peralta. But, only time will tell if any of these players are picked by Beane or if rather they experiment with Green, Sogard and Rosales (NOT WEEKS). So, try to stay patient with this as the situations develop.


Also, Oakland quietly inked Quad A reliever, Mike Ekstrom, to a minor league contract. Ekstrom, after horrendous major stint in San Diego, turned the corner in Colorado this season in 15 2/3 IP. He allowed a single HR and maintained an impressive 2.8% BB% despite his .333 BABIP, which made his 1.15 BB/9 seem atrocious. Finishing with a 3.16 FIP during his brief stint at mile high and an even more impressive 2.31 FIP throughout 43 appearances in AAA, Ekstrom seems to be an intelligent pick-up by Beane as the righty should leap over Miller and Simmons on the depth chart.

Also new for the green and gold was their releasing of Joey Devine and Dallas Braden to free agency. Devine, an injury ridded reliever who had made appearances for Oakland between 2008 and 2011 (For a combined 2.0 fWAR in 68 2/3 IP), underwent yet another TJ surgery this season and left Oakland on a gloomy note. After a sensational 2008 in which he torched the competition en route to a historical rookie campaign, Devine had to undergo his first TJS (See Link)

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/remembering-joey-devines-2008-brilliance/

However, he never would recuperate from the surgery and set-backs would derail the outstanding beginning that he had. Devine leaves a somber reminder to Oakland as to how injuries can brutally strip one’s aspirations and squander talents.

Coinciding with this was the departure of Dallas Braden. Braden became a household name and an inspirational story after his perfect game against Tampa Bay on Mother’s Day 2010. Braden had been a dependable name for Oakland out of their rotation as the soft tossing lefty amassed a 7.7 fWAR through 491 1/3 IP for the Athletics between 94 appearances. But, things turned sour for Braden in a 2011 start versus Detroit in which he not only had to leave the game, but the season as he aggravated his shoulder and would be sidelined until 2012. Entering this season, Braden was marked for a Mid-April return, which was then moved back to May, then June, then July, then 2013… Braden experienced numerous setbacks in his recovery and couldn’t make an impact on the field during Oakland’s remarkable 2012. Frustrations escalated for Braden in his adopted city of Stockton too, as he made news by criticizing the police force publicly by gaining entry into a rally while carrying a baseball bat and announced his intentions to leave the now bankrupt community after robberies involving his grandmother. Now, the longest tenured Athletic to date has entered free agency and seems to be looking for another home now that Oakland’s rotation has filled up.

The flipside from these goodbyes is that Oakland now has two more 40 man spots available (36 filled out of 40). With the Rule 5 draft approaching, expect Green and Ynoa to nab the positions vacated by Devine and Braden.

Oakland and SF: A Peculiar Relationship (And some fandom etiquette)

Unfortunately, that certain team is back in the world series. You know the one I’m talking about… No, not Detroit, that other one. The one that resides across the Bay area. And for the second time in three years, Oakland fans are burdened with having to witness arguably the most shameless bandwagoning in professional sports. It’s no secret that most Oakland fans hold shaky relations with SF. And why not? The two franchises are extreme opposites and geographic adversaries that have historical grudges dating back to the first few years of the 20th century. The manager of the New York Giants insulted Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics in 1901 calling them “White Elephants” and implying that they were useless oddities, a tired phenomenon requiring high maintenance. Mack decided instead to embrace the insult and the image of a white elephant became a symbol epitomizing the underdog mentality for the Athletics that has withstood for 111 years. And validating the old adage that “history repeats itself” once again, the Giants are still just as irritating more than a century later.

More recently, San Francisco has formed a split with Oakland through territorial rights. The much disputed San Jose region, given to San Francisco by Walter Haas in a verbal agreement, and now proved as a battleground for the most tired, prolonged, and draining argument in sports. Oakland, wishing to relocate from their current confines at the Coliseum, has requested that commissioner, Bud Selig, step in the settle the rightful owner of the region. Selig continues to spew off his patented response such as “It’s a complicated issue” and “We’ve got people working on it”. Months later, practically zero progress has been made as the Athletics’ lease with the Coliseum expires following the 2013 campaign (However, there have been rumors of an extension through 2018). Though the area has become far more economically fruitful over the past decade or so, Oakland claims they have the right to move into the land given their situation. The entire scuffle has been extraordinarily thorny and convoluted so I refuse to go into every detail as of this point.

San Francisco has notoriously attempted to label Oakland as a “little brother” within the Bay Area market. It’s a classic symptom of rivalries between two ballclubs sharing regions. But, not in Chicago, New York, Baltimore/DC, or Los Angeles is there more of a noticeable difference financially between two organizations. The Athletics have been well renowned for their ability to thrive despite a low payroll and playing in a stadium not up to snuff with major league baseball standards. San Francisco on the other hand is a “good child” within the eyes of baseball, utilizing their expansive payroll, opulent attractions, picturesque location and indulgent fare to draw in the crowds. The pinnacle of a white collar ballclub.

Oakland is housed in the Coliseum, a dilapidated, crumbling, eyesore according to major league baseball (I personally believe it’s a comfortable environment with cozy confines and a place where the Oakland community is strengthened. But, that’s MLB for you). With some of the most affordable tickets in a baseball and the only facility left hosting both baseball and football teams, Oakland continues to grip onto their “White Elephant” mentality. Criticized for attendance constantly, the A’s of Oakland have taken the label of the “misbehaving child” with stride, establishing themselves as polar opposites from the organization just a minutes’ drive away.

Now, bandwagons are natural for any contending team. The bandwagon didn’t pass Oakland, as there was an increase in attendance and green and gold. But, historically the bandwagon bump hasn’t made a drastically significant impact on Oakland’s fanbase if they were to advance into the postseason. On the other hand, San Francisco’s expands exponentially when contending in October. Even the supposed “Flagship station for Oakland Athletics baseball” couldn’t escape this conversion, currently discussing SF 24/7. San Francisco seems to be the casual fans paradise, most having misperceptions of Oakland or believing the Coliseum doesn’t provide a “genuine baseball experience”. These fans ju… Hold on. Let me define what an actual “fan” is:


“Fan” is short for fanatic. “Fanatic”, as defined in the dictionary, is “Marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion”. Someone who is fanatical about baseball doesn’t watch 5-10 games a year (Also, watching 2 ½ innings or checking a boxscore isn’t watching a game). Someone who is fanatical can recognize all of the players on their team’s roster and not just the four or five most famous ones. Someone who is fanatical doesn’t attend a game and talk the entire way through paying zero attention to the game. Someone who is fanatical knows that there are three strikes given to a batter, the distance between the basepaths and how many players there are on a field at one given time… I for one propose a name change. I move that these people be called “Seat fillers” and not fanatics.

Now, just as there are “Seat Fillers” in every franchise, there are also legitimate fans. I admit San Francisco has actual fans amongst their stands and to those few I apologize that these seat fillers have tried to take credit for your level of dedication. While Oakland’s seat filler ratio can’t possibly approach San Fran’s, the white spikes do unfortunately have their share of periodic seat fillers. However, despite an attendance that doesn’t amaze, The Athletics have some of the most devoted fans in baseball. From lifetime season ticket holders to the rowdiest bleachers in the sport, the Athletics could arguably have one of the largest fanbases (Actual fanatics) in the game. So please all of you SF seat fillers, stop trying to emulate Bay Area/KNBR lingo and bash Oakland’s attendance. Since you’ve only been following baseball for three days, maybe focus on attempting to find out what those large yellow poles are used for instead…

Anyways, us Athletics fans might just have to endure yet another offseason of SF propaganda and shameless bandwagoning, but it’s nothing we can’t handle no matter how irritating it may be. And whether or not this stadium situation has a definitive ending, it won’t change our long standing rivalry with our neighbors on the peninsula. Just remember, stay strong and keep your eyes on spring training 2013 at Phoenix Muni. It’ll be here sooner then you think…

Starting Candidate Profiles: Tomaso Milone

Earlier in the 2011 offseason, Beane dealt away phenom Gio Gonzalez and minor leaguer Rob Gilliam for a bounty of prospects including Brad Peacock, AJ Cole, and Derek Norris. The final piece of the haul was arguably the most major league ready, yet featured the least amount of projectability. The prospect, Tommy Milone, not only exceled in his spring audition but barreled through 2012 for 31 appearances without injury or demotion. Not many could’ve foreseen that. And the soft tosser brought an elite changeup to the East Bay which immediately received comparisons to Jason Vargas’ for its velocity and distribution. As promised, the rookie seldom walked the opposition and tied the Oakland record for starts with one or fewer walks at 14 straight. With the 2013 season on the horizon and a full slate against Houston (LOLZ) upcoming, the lefty looks poised to build upon his solid campaign in 2012.

Milone’s bread and butter was his changeup, thrown at a ridiculous 25.5%, a mark that ranked 8th in MLB behind fellow soft tossers Vargas, Capuano, and Buehrle. His reliance on his offspeed offerings (47.6% FB) proved to bode outstanding results for Tomaso (Evidently unaffected from inheriting Fuentes’ #57…). He posted a 3.93 FIP for the season in 190 frames and finished with a 1.71 BB/9, tying follow rookie Wade Miley for 6th best in baseball. He clocked in at a 2.7 fWAR for the season, sliding in behind Jarrod Parker for 2nd best on the club. And it all began during his quirky debut against Kansas City…

In Oakland’s first bout against a non-Seattle opponent, Milone took to the mound and twirled a Glavine-esque performance by going eight innings, striking out zero and allowing no runs. He became the first since Glavine to have such an outing an MLB. But, the lefty proved he could have strikeout potential with two double digit punchout starts against New York (Becoming the first Athletic since Eddie Plank to strikeout 10+ Yankees in a single start) and in Seattle. Both times he walked none. Despite his pedestrian 6.49 K/9, Tommy earned a 8.7% SwStr% which could signal an increase in K’s next season (Again, especially with Houston coming to town).

The one factor that nipped at Milone throughout his campaign were not just his HR tendencies, clocking in at a 1.14 HR/9 and a 10.2% HR/FB (Decent for a FB pitcher though), but his ridiculously lopsided Home/Road splits. It was no secret that he benefitted from the spacious Coliseum with a 5.6% HR/FB compared to an atrocious 15.4% on the road. The lefty had a higher K/9 away from the Coliseum, but that can be traced to the schism between the home/road BABIPs, something that can’t quite be explained as easily as park factors. With a .273 BABIP in Oakland compared to a ridiculous .350 on the road, more damage was caused when Tommy left the Coliseum despite similar home/road percentages (LD%: Home- 23.8%/Road- 25.6%, GB%: Home- 41.0%/Road-35.0%, FB%: Home: 35.2%/Road-39.4%). This phenomenon can’ keep up forever though, so here’s hoping Tomaso’s luck evens out in 2013.

Tommy promises to slot up behind Anderson, Jarrod, and McCarthy in the upcoming rotation as long as he can remain healthy through the spring. With 190 major league innings under his belt, Milone is sure to improve upon a season where he shattered expectations and became the dependable name in Oakland’s starting five. With a pinch of consistency, Tommy could evolve into a soft tossing phenom to end all soft tossing phenoms.

Starting Candidate Profiles: AJ Griffin

One of the quietest surprises of Oakland's 2012, AJ Griffin burst onto the scene for the Athletics in Mid-June and made his first of 15 starts against San Francisco at the Coliseum. Griffin, a San Diego native and 13th round selection in 2010, began his 2011 in Burlington, Iowa and wound up guiding Stockton to a northern divisional title by the season's end. He began the 2012 campaign slotted in Midland and ascended to Sacramento after a mere seven appearances. After a brief eight in California's capital, the righty found himself suiting up in a major league baseball uniform for the Athletics. It was just a few years ago that scouts doubted his projectability and cited his senior status after throwing his name into the draft pool following his campaign as a torero coming to a close.
Griffin displayed his absurd curveball movement early in his budding major league career:

http://www.fangraphs.com/not/index.php/request-a-gif-a-j-griffins-curvepiece

This offering housed in his repertoire carried him as a staple through his 2012 along with an effective changeup and slider. But, his curve proved to be most effective in his initial few outings. Against SF and Texas (Shown in the link), Griffin had stretches in each game with retiring 13 consecutive batters and provided momentum heading into a July where he took to hill five times, going six or more innings in each appearance. He posted a 84.5% LOB% the month and benefitted from a favorable .267 BABIP against Boston, Minnesota, New York, Tampa Bay and Toronto as he steered Oakland towards their greatest single month in franchise history.

Griffin's first August start wound up derailing his month though as he exited against Toronto while pitching in the Coliseum. His velocity on his FB alarmingly decreased to 83 MPH and prompted the training staff to visit him and escort the 230 pounder to the clubhouse. Shoulder inflammation placed the righty on the disabled list until September 1st where he would re-emerge against a Boston club now in shambles to commence his September/October of extremes.

Griffin took aim at Boston, Seattle, and Anaheim where he went 20 1/3 IP, walked a lone batter, surrenered zero HRs, and had a .263 BABIP, 15.05 pitches per inning and a mere 5.31 balls thrown per inning. He culminated his dominant stretch in an eight frame scoreless performance versus Anaheim to claim Oakland's 12th consecutive road victory (Which tied an OAK record). See Link:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/a-j-griffins-lofty-season-continues

Afterwards, the Griffindor began to regress from his unsustainable BABIP and LOB% numbers with some shakey performances to close out his 2012 and left the 5th starter post in 2013 up for grabs.

To begin the Athletics 10 game roadtrip Griffin took the mound against Detroit and easily had his worst contest of his career. He would surrender three homers and couldn't receive any offensive support despite having Scherzer leave the ballgame after two innings en route to the worst loss of the season by a 12-2 final. Griffin would close out the season in his last four starts by going 17 1/3 IP while permitting 8 walks (After 11 in his first 11 outings or 65 IP). He also allowed 5 HRs and saw his pitches increase to 21.29 per inning and 7.55 balls per frame. And, predictibly enough, AJ's BABIP swelled to .375 in his final four appearances. Overall, Griffin still made a solid postseason stint in Oakland's 4th game against Detroit and tamed his demons against the kitties (Welp, not Prince Fielder. But still...). In 82 1/3 IP, Griffindor finished with a 3.85 FIP, a .264 BABIP, 81.3% LOB%, a 10.2% HR/FB ratio, and a 1.3 fWAR. One characteristic that remained steadfast for Griffin was his efficiency and pitch precision, which had carried and allowed him to be buddies with the luck dragons. Once his control began to lose its luster towards the end of the season so did his luck.

Griffin still assisted Oakland to their astonishing finish and features a devastating arsenal which could fend off statistical regression. Unless he gets dealt for a catching upgrade this offseason, he should defeat Straily and Blackley for the final rotation position entering 2013 (A solid spring pending). Start preparing the "Griffindor" banner, Right field.

2013 Bullpen Preview

The Athletics' outstanding 2012 was most well known for their "bloop and a blast" offensive philosophy and a starting staff that made the rest of MLB green with envy. Coupled with the homer happy offense and consistent starts that became the norm in the East Bay, Oakland's bullpen received a hardy infusion of youth this offseason and emerged as one of the most promising pens in baseball as a result by the time October came around. Now, as the offseason has come prematurely to the Athletics, the question comes up of how this bullpen on the rise will shake out as Oakland enters a season where the expectations will be at their highest in a decade (Arguably). I can tell you one thing: The "Sophomore slump" will not take a toll on 85% of the pen members (Especially with 19 games against Houston). With the RF bleachers all but guaranteed to continue raging, the true shift could come at the back of the pen with numerous spots up for grabs. There's still an entire offseason and spring ahead, but I'll try to make sense of who the seven members of Oakland's opening day pen might be here in Mid-October.

Grant Balfour (Closer/Rage Master/Aussie): Beane strongly hinted that Oakland's bullpen will have their pissed off aussie for another season, but nothing is absolutely official as Balfour's 4.5 Million dollar option has yet to be picked up. However, there's about a 97.5% chance it will be be, and for good reason. Balfour had a remarkable 2012, ranking just behind his 2008 campaign with Tampa for a career season. Embracing a closing position for really the first time during his baseball career, the Aussie thrived and took up residence as Oakland's veteran anchor of the bullpen. In Oakland's final five contests of the season en route to a jaw-dropping divisional title, Balfour became the first pitcher in MLB history to have five consecutive perfect frames on five straight days (5 IP/8 K). Other than being an October workhorse, Balfour clocked in a 3.03 FIP, 2.57 K/BB, 24.9% K%, and a drastically improved 5.3% HR/FB (11.0% in 2011). He might not be able to sustain his .201 BABIP, but he still promises to provide clutch performances, Metallica induced rage trances, and the ability to predict the future like an Austrailian Nostradamus (See ALDS Game 4)

Sean Doolittle (Lefty set-up/Feel good story): Alright, Doolittle does bring an inspirational tale with him, but he proved to be much more than that during his rookie campaign. Doolittle breezed through the Cal, Texas, and PCL leagues in less than 30 IP to make his Oakland debut on June 5th. Featuring a devastating 98 MPH FB and an improved slider, he quickly ascended to one of the elite set-up men in baseball. He rapidly became the first Athletic since 1999 (Tim Hudson) to punchout 10 in their first 5 IP for the green and gold. The let-handed flamethrower surrendered only three homers (All in September) this season and amassed an astonishing 31.4 K%. Doolittle also constructed a 2.08 FIP, 5.45 K/BB and a 1.6 fWAR during his first 47 1/3 major league innings. Not bad for an injury riddled first baseman whose previous pitching experience came as a soft tosser in Virginia..

Ryan "Cookie" Cook (Righty set-up/Closing option/All-Star): Ryan Cook became the diamond in the Cahill swap as a throw in addition after the headliner, Jarrod Parker. Oakland's 2012 All-Star representative established himself as one of the elite bullpen arms in the AL with a dynamite GB% and a slider that made scouts swoon. His 95-97 MPH FB wasn't shabby either as the reliever who struggled with control earlier this season closed out his 2012 with 13 straight appearances without a walk. A 28.7 K% coupled with a 2.96 K/BB were his final marks on a phenomenal season for the man affectionately known as Cookie. He only gave up four homers and compiled a 2.89 FIP on the year and has set himself up for a dominating 2013. Just remember: NO CHANGEUPS!!!

Evan "Scribbles" Scribner (Middle relief/Sexy curveball/Awesome name): Scribner looks to contend for a bullpen post on Oakland's opening day roster after a strong finish to his 2012. After a crucial three innings in game 162 which led the Athletics to an AL West crown and throwing the final pitches of the postseason (2 IP/0 R/3 K versus DET Game 5). Overall, Scribbles showed that he can be much more than a ROOGY after his 35 1/3 IP this season which included pivotal performances against Texas, New York and Seattle. He still has room for improvement after a season with a 0.3 fWAR and 3.15 FIP and at worst, he'll wind up riding the quad A shuttle. At best, Scribner, who actually outdueled Norberto and Blevins statistically this season, becomes a concrete fixture in the pen.

Travis Blackley (LH Long relief/Aussie/Hashtag Aficionado): Blackley emerged as one of the most sensational stories of the 2012 season after resurfacing from the Korean leagues. The once highly tought of Seattle prospect never stuck in the majors and bounced around from AAA, the Mexican leagues, Austrailia and Korea. After being DFAed by SF, Oakland claimed him off waivers and wouldn't regret it. An Aussie companion to Balfour brought one of the best pick-off moves in baseball to the east bay (Which appearently even fooled Larry Vanover...) and logged in 25 appearances (16 starts) for the A's. Blackley proved that he can be quite versatile with his constant shifts from bullpen/rotation and promises to compete with Griffin and Straily for the 5th starting spot in 2013. If he fails to pitch every 5th day, he's practically assured to wind up as Oakland's resident long relief specialist. Let's just hope the umpiring staff isn't affected by Elvis Andrus' tantrums in 2013...

Jerry Blevins (LOOGY/Donut demigod/Skinny man): Blevins not only started the Bernie Lean craze in Oakland this season, but also found himself as the longest tenured Athletic to date following the Suzuki deal. Not to mention he had a pretty solid season too. The 6'6" 175 pound hulk struggled with a 9.5% HR/FB throughout the season, but only surrendered a lone long fly since August 18th. Blevins also put together one the greatest two batter performanes in the history of baseball on September 11th against the Ange"lol"s. After a questionable strike zone given to Balfour, Oakland saw a 6-3 lead entering the B9th shrink to 6-5 with runners on the corners and no one out. In entered Blevins to face Morales who he promptly struck out in four pitches. Then, Blevins induced a game ending 5-4-3 GIDP to secure a victory and Oakland's 11th conecutive road win. Blevins saw the 33rd highest single inning WPA increase in MLB history and the 7th highest for a two batter outing. Jerry did have a .224 BABIP, a 4.21 FIP and a LOB% above 84%, so regression could be natural for the newly anointed veteran, but hey, maybe the Astros can prevent that.

Pat Neshek (ROOGY/Bradford/Zeigler mutant delievery specialist) Neshek turned in one of the most inspirational moments of the baseball season by pitching out of a one out, two baseruner jam in game 1 of the ALDS with a FC and a three pitch strikeout of Austin Jackson. It would be his only playoff appearance, but as he left, he tapped the initials of his son stitched into his sleeve. His son, Gehrig John Neshek, died unexpectedly 23 hours after he was born. Neshek, rather than mourning his infant son's departure alone, decided to rejoin his family on the baseball field and gave us a moment that transcended any sport. As his wounds heal, the ROOGY figures to factor into the 2013 bullpen. One thing is sure, if Neshek does wind up pitching for the A's next season, he'll be pitching for two.
RIP GJN

Pedro Figueroa (LOOGY/Potential/Sufferer of Male camel toe): Figueroa entered this season off of Tommy John surgery and quickly rose to the majors after seven innings of AAA experience. He fluctuated between Sacramento and Oakland all season (Essentially the 2012 version of the 2011 Blevins) and compiled 21 1/3 IP on the season. Figgy struggled with control but demonstrated solid velocity, reaching 98 MPH this season. Pedro also turned in his best performance of the season on September 29th in relief of Straily (1 2/3 IP/0 H/0 BB/3 K) in what proved to be crucial set-up for heroics from Moss and Donaldson. With a SSS, an absurd LOB%/BABIP, and shaky precision, another season in AAA wouldn't hurt him, but the organization seems to relish his potetial as a fireballing left-handed specialist. Figueroa is a longshot for opening day, but we may see him down the road yet again. (Also could model wrestling outfits if he wanted)

Jordan Norberto: (Beard stylist/Long relief): Norberto saw his season cut short by tendonitis that cost him an ALDS spot and a chance to directly influence Oakland's historic September. But otherwise, Norberto took huge strides of improvement this season after a lousy stint in 2011. In 52 innings, Norberto clocked in a professional low 10.4% BB% and accumulated a 45.7 GB%. With a 3.90 FIP and 0.3 fWAR, Norberto promises to return next season and continue to improve while throwing his iteresting personality into the already rich clubhouse atmosphere (He'll need to find another catcher to do the "Call Me Maybe" dance though now that Zuk is gone...)

Overall, I think the pen winds up like this:
RHP Balfour
LHP Doolittle
RHP Cookie
LHP Blackley
RHP Scribner
LHP Norberto
LHP Blevins

Chris Young comes to Oaktown

Billy Beane wasted zero time in jumping back on the horse in preparation for the 2013 season in acquiring another member to the Athletics. Oakland shipped off the longest tenured positional player left on the roster, Cliff Pennington, and SS prospect/former 2nd round selection in 2010, Yordy Cabrera, to the desert for veteran center fielder, Chris Young. Beane reportedly contacted Kevin Towers, the GM for Arizona, in regards to Young's availability the day following Oakland's LDS elimination. Young, an elite defensive CF, hit .231/.311/.434 in 2012 with a 97 wRC+, .325 wOBA, 2.8 fWAR, a .263 BABIP and 14 HR in 363 PA during the 2012 season. Before that, CY had consecutive 4.6 fWAR campaigns in 2010 and 2011 in where he had over 20 HR and 20 SBs, albeit with over 640 PAs in each season. Young is owed 8.5 million in 2013, and Arizona ate 500,000 of that total in the exchange which signals, as Beane admitted, that the payroll will expand for the upcoming season. If Drew's option were to be exercised, which seems all the more likely after Pennington's departure, Oakland would have four players (Young, Crisp, Drew, and Cespedes) who would receive excess of 34 million dollars next season. A rare sight in Oakland.
It would also mean the Athletics would have two center fielders with contracts of over seven million each in 2013 in the incumbent, Coco Crisp, and the challenger, Young. Initially, it seemed as though this swap assured Crisp of being dealt at some point during this remaining offseason. However, Beane declared that every outfielder signed through 2013 would return, making Jonny Gomes the odd man out. Gomes, a flamboyant clubhouse personality and Petaluma native rapidly became not only a fan favorite in the Coliseum, but also one of the crucial offenive pieces at Bob Melvin's disposal. Gomes clocked in a career campaign with a 2.1 fWAR in 333 PA along with a .376 wOBA and a 142 wRC+. However, he is unlikely to replicate this sort of season again and thus opens the door for CY to test the waters of the AL. Young surely won't match Gomes' ridiculous 20.5% HR/FB (Young's highest HR/FB of his career was 15.6% which came during his 2007 year. A relatively low mark for a 32 HR season in Arizona). Where Young trumps Gomes and practically everyone else but Reddick on the roster is his defensive presence. CY has had a UZR ecipsing 11.0 for two straight years and has made his share of showstopping plays while preventing runs throughout his career. One could say the same for Crisp, which would be true to some extent. However, Coco arguably has the worst throwing arm of any outfielder in baseball, which was exaggerated this past season while being flanked by such cannon arms as Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick.
Crisp obviously is a favorite and deserves his share of opportunities during the season, but Young has shown to be a consistent force in his own right. While Crisp has a minuscule K%, Young has shown a higher propensity in drawing walks and has slightly more pop. No to mention the difference between theirs WARs over the past three seasons (Young: 11.7/ Crisp: 8.2) and their UZRs over the previous two (Young: 25.4/ Crisp: -6.4) is noticeable. Still, a platoon is unlikely and DHing Young squanders the majority of his value. But, an entire offseason and spring awaits for this new contender to find a niche on the squad.
The other shakeup that comes from this is that of a vacant starting middle infield spot. Drew, if picked up, is sure to start at shortstop the entire season. The absent post comes at second base, where Pennington occupied after Drew's acquisition. Beane has announced that Sizemore, who missed the entirety of 2012 with a torn ACL, would return to his original position at second base. This also will allow Rosales and Green to wiggle their way into the opening day picture.
There's still over three months until the next Athletics event (FanFest January 27th), so hold on because Beane might not be done just yet...

The 22 most nail-biting, nerve-racking, suspenseful, entertaining, improbable, and most memorable games of 2012 (Part 1)

Unfortunately, one of the most entertaining Athletics campaigns in recent memory came to an abrupt conclusion on an overcast October evening in Oakland. Seth Smith's grounder completed a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Justin "Tight pants" Verlander and Detroit which resulted in a 3-2 ALDS departure. A season that saw a collection of youngsters, rag-tag castoffs, and forgotten names become the first team in baseball history to overcome a 5 game deficit with fewer than 10 games remaining in a season and win a division to accumulating the most wins since 2003. From the Bernie, a dance craze that united the clubhouse and swept across Oakland, to the 15 walk-off victories (Plus a severe whipped cream shortage...) and loose atmosphere surrounding the ballclub, 2012 has truly been a one for the ages as the Athletics became arguably one of the most improbable playoff teams in baseball history. And before we all hunker down for spring training 2013, it's time to recount the most memorable contests of 2012. In the first installment, games #22-#18 will be counted down as I try my best to reverse those frowns after Oakland's untimely elimination. Without anymore delay, let's get this started.

#22: Craziness in Colorado (June 13th)
Oakland traveled to mile high following a wasted opportunity in Arizona and still trying to forget their nasty nine game slide a week earlier. Things got off well for the green and gold after a 8-5 victory in which they blasted four bombs and allowed Ryan Cook to record his first career save. On the verge of a crucial series win, Milone took to the mound looking to continue his fabulous rookie campaign, but the Oakland offense would steal the show. After a one out Cowgill single in the first frame, things got off rapidly as former Rockie, Seth Smith, belted a HR off of one of the players that sent him to Oakland, Josh Outman. After the fireworks subsided, Tomaso took the mound only to become yet another victim to Coors Field. After two walks that loaded the bases, Todd Helton deposited a Milone fastball into the bleachers for grand slam. Adding insult to injury, Outman would smack an RBI single later in the inning to make it 5-2 after one. In the second inning, Cuddyer would wind up hitting a solo HR to extend Colorado's advantage to 6-2 and kept the score that way through three. However, in the 4th inning the Athletics rallied the slashed the deficit to a lone run after a Gomes Double, Inge single, Donaldson FC, and Moss HR. But the thorn of the day would prove to be Michael Cuddyer, as he blasted a second HR in the bottom of the 4th to swell Colorado's advantage to 8-5. Tommy surrendered three homers on the evening with 4 walks, however, he would then go 14 consecutive starts following this one with one or fewer base on balls, tying the Oakland record. After this, Oakland couldn't solve the Outman riddle in the 5th inning and looked to Jonny Gomes to knock Outman out to leadoff the 6th, which was exactly what he did, shrinking the deficit to two runs. The Athletics wouldn't tire in the 7th, as Cowgill knocked home a 7th run and put the pressure squarely on Colorado's bullpen. Nursing a 8-7 lead, the Rockies turned to their reliable closer Betancourt in the 9th and Coco Crisp promptly responded with a leadoff single. After a sacrifice and a stolen base, Crisp plated on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 8-8. But the green and gold weren't complete yet, as Seth Smith smacked a double and Reddick was IBB'd. Up next was Brandon Inge, who would slap a two run double into the left field corner and locked up a final score of 10-8 for Oakland. It would be one of seven victories when facing a 4+ run deficit for Oakland and lead to the first road sweep of the season.

#21: The Walk-Off is born (April 11th)
Oakland entered the finale against Kansas City (Their first non-Seattle opponent of 2012) in search of their first won series of the year. Things got off to a quick start for the A's with a Cespedes double to leadoff the 2nd and later scored due to a throwing error on KC's catcher, Pena, on a stolen base attempt from Yoenis. Kansas City wouuldn't quit though, as they scored in the 3rd and 4th innings off of McCarthy. But Gomes wouldn't allow the club to go down quietly, smacking his first stateside HR to grant a 3-2 lead to the good guys. In the 7th, Fuentes would blow his first save of 2012 with a Gordon HR and the score would remain the same until the 12th inning, where Butler gave the Royals a 4-3 lead and sent Broxton to the mound. After a Barton punchout, Smith reached on a gifted fielding error from Escobar and Oakland drew two straight walks to load the bases. After a game tying Crisp groundout, Cespedes would be hit by Broxton and glared at him while trotting to first (It was the 3rd HBP he sustained in his first 10 games). Gomes, the hero of the 4th inning, took to the box, readied, and took his base. Gomes would be responsible for Oakland's first walk-off of the season. They would wind up tying the Oakland record (Including postseason) for walk-offs with 15.

#20: Hicks, Weeks, and Weird Baseball (July 30th)
Oakland would head home for a crucial 10 game homestand after a 18-4 July, needing one more victory to set the Oakland record for a single month winning percentage. Facing their 4th straight AL East foe, they matched up against Tampa's ace, David Price. The white spikes inflicted the first blow, with consecutive doubles from Trogdor and Zuk in the 2nd to claim a 2-0 lead. But,a two run double from Pena tied the game in the 4th and Matt Joyce homered in the 6th to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. Things seemed bleak with Price on the mound, as he struck out the first two to leadoff the 7th. As Brandon Hicks dug in against one of he AL's best, not even he could've predicted what happened next. Hicks swung at an elevated Price offering and carried it into the RF bleachers. His game tying, opposite field HR not only proved to be one of the most important of the season, but also extended the game for an additional eight frames. Oakland set a single game strikeout record on the night with 21 and left 10 on-base in innings 9-14 including two bases loaded situations in the 9th and 10th innings. But, with mayor Jean Quan in attendance in the 15th frame and weird baseball officially underway, Inge would slap a leadoff single to start the inning. After a sacrifice and an IBB, Sogard walked to load the bases for Weeks with one away. Jemile eventually slaped a shallow fly to RF and allowed Inge to score and grant Oakland with their 12th walk-off. It was also their 9th walk-off in 17 home games, the best stretch since the 1973 Dodgers, and it gave Oakland their 19th victory (19-4) in July. It was the best month in Oakland history and the best July in MLB since the 1956 Yankees.

#19: Inge sacrifices a shoulder (August 11th)
The Athletics were walked-off on the previous night in Chicago's bandbox after a 3-0 lead for the Athletics turned into a 4-3 defeat with four solo HRs. After a back-and-fourth exchange in the first six innings, the score sat tied at 6-6 following Trogdor, Reddick, Norris and Rosales base knocks and a shaky outing from Travis Blackley. However, the true story of the contest would come with one out in the B7th. With Youkilis on base and Rios batting, a sharply hit grounder was knocked down by Inge at third to prevent an extra base hit, but arose grasping his shoulder and seemed to contort his joint back into place. After a check-up from the training staff, Inge gave the ok and stayed in the game. Afterwards, Chicago would hit a go-ahead single for a 7-6 lead, but this would prove to be short lived. Jonny Gomes launched a game tying HR in the next half frame and Cespedes reached on an error. After a Trogdor single, Inge stepped to the plate and would produce one of the most memorable moments of 2012. He would line a go-ahead opposite field double with a dislocated shoulder which gave Oakland an 8th ining advantage they wouldn't let go of. Inge would be placed on the 15 day DL and allow Josh Donaldson to showcase his improvement. Inge would return on September 1st only to tweak his shoulder on a throw and miss the remainder of the season (After his second dislocaton he also hit a two run double to RF in his final 2012 PA)

#18: Hicks starts a streak (July 18th)
After dropping their first game following the ASB, Oakland looked to salvage a series split versus Texas at the Coliseum. After a scoreless four frames, Texas finally woke and got out to a 1-0 lead against Oakland's aussie pressence in the rotation, Travis Blackley. Inge would immediately respond though with a booming HR to tie the ballgame yet again. But, unfortunately, the Rangers knocked home another bunch of runs in the following inning to make it 3-1, but this again would be brief as Reddick banged two runs in the 7th to bring it to another stalemate. After this, Brandon Hicks entered to leadoff the 9th and wasted no time in making Texas sulk off of the Coliseum field. He blasted an offering to opposite center (Which Michael Kirkman pointed at as though it would be a shallow fly ball) and gave Oakland their 1st second half walk-off. Hicks now joined Norris as Oakland became only the second team to have two players have their first MLB homers be walk-offs be walk-offs in a single season (1986 Padres). This also ignited a seven game winning streak that was pivotal towards the Athletics' historic July.

Games #17-#12 are up next.