Monday, December 12, 2011

Where's The Power?

As the A's prepare for the 2012 season one question remains for Oakland. Where is our power going to come from?
Oakland lost Matsui, DeJesus, and of course Josh Willingham, who had career highs in RBIs and HRs inside of Oakland's pitcher friendly confines. And the team very well could lose Coco Crisp this offseason as well. That's 256 out of the team's 645 runs, 59 out of the team's 114 homers, and 496 out of the team's 1330 hits... GONE. Most fans have already condemned the team and expect them to fail, but for someone like myself who's overly optimistic, I can't except that. So I looked at who Oakland fans need to look for next year for some homers and hits.

1. Jemile Weeks: I know the star rookie from The U isn't who'd you'd expect to smash it out of the park, but he has by far our best hitter in 2011 and showed us his long ball power in the last home game and against Jered Weaver in the following game. He led all 2nd basemen in batting average in his rookie year (.303) so expect the A's to go to J Weezy in the clutch.
2. Scott Sizemore: The replacement 3rd basemen was 2nd on the team in SLG% and was the most clutch player for the green and gold last season. His ability to convert to 3rd base was almost as remarkable as his big hits. He ended Oakland's 9 game losing streak and our losing streak to Texas with bases clearing shots. Look for Sizemore as a key in 2012
3. Kurt Suzuki: He was 2nd on the team in homers (14). If he ups his average, he could be a legitimate weapon.
4. Brandon Allen: He has the most raw power on the team. He started the year 11-30, but ended 19-116. His BABIP was .303, but his K rate was 34.8%. If he can connect like in his first 15 games with Oakland, he'll be the best bet to replace Willingham.
Oakland will have to rely on pitching, but the offense needs to gel to compete against the competition.

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