The title of this article might be a philosophy the Oakland Athletics would want to embrace in 2012
Oakland is coming off an extrodinarily disappointing season, with the team's expectations of an AL West title in purgatory for the time being. The organization has now dealt Cahill, Gonzalez, and Bailey in order to obtain youth and progress into a new era of A's baseball. The expectations of a world series, AL West title, playoff appearance, or even an above .500 record are obsolete heading into 2012. So the question arises: what is there to play for? The cliche of "You play to win the game" is one you will not hear within the vicinity of O.co Coliseum, for there is a very relevant reason regarding the importance of the 2012 season for Oakland... The intriguing new faces that will suit up in green and gold.
Most individuals would claim the franchise gave up on the fans with trades of Oakland's three all-stars, people who believe this notion do not understand baseball. We were 74-88 with Cahill, Gio, and Bailey. They are all fantastic players, but we receive prime prospects in return that solidify the foundation of this team for years to come. (And it's fine to have fan favorites, but if you value a players over a team, you shouldn't be an A's fan. We're not the dodgers or Yankees. We can't afford to keep guys for 10 years) The bottom line is this team might only be a 70 win ballclub, but the new faces should spark excitement around Oakland. Jemile Weeks and Josh Reddick have chances to dazzle as they embark on their first full major league season. Sizemore will occupy third and Pennington takes his usual post at short. Brandon Allen, Kila Ka'uikue and Chris Carter get their first full seasons and will share duties at 1st and DH. The outfield will showcase Cowgill, who has a chance to translate his AAA numbers to the majors, and Coco Crisp, who could get dealt at the deadline to provide space for Mitchell, who's minor league OBP is off the charts.
On the mound, Moscoso returns with a supposed breaking pitch in his repertoire. We also will get to witness Outman return, but most noticeably, we get our first views of Milone, Peacock, Gray, and Parker at separate junctures in the season. And De Los Santos will utilize his notorious Fastball/Slider combo as he settles into the closer role.
More important than wins or champions in Oakland next season, it is the young talent that we get to begin the blueprint of a championship team. Winning is not everything, especially for Oakland next year. Winning will come, so practice patience just enjoy the athletics for another year. The team you see will next season will determine our roster in the upcoming seasons.
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