The Oakland Athletics should be glad that the month of May is over and done with. What started out as a somewhat promising month quickly was highlighted by key injuries that helped contribute to dismally low offensive performances. It was a straining 31 days for the entire team, though. Three members of the starting lineup along with the team’s ace all saw time on the disabled list. Oakland’s closer was demoted. The A’s were shut out five times and finished May with eight straight losses—dropping them to last place in the American League West. Heck, manager Bob Melvin was even ...
Position: SS/3B Height/Weight: 6’1”/210 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R DOB: 1/23/1994 High School: Pace (Fla.) College Commitment: Auburn A thicker player whose body doesn’t call for much projection, Addison Russell has the foot speed and arm strength to stick on the left side of the infield. However, only time will tell whether it’s at third base or shortstop.As a hitter, Russell has above-average bat speed and, in turn, projectable raw power. However, as one expects from a prep prospect, his swing mechanics and bat path vary from day to day, and he lacks the all-around consistency that would make him an early first-rounder. Furthermore, his plate discipline is ...
Manny Ramirez might still be progressing through the minors in his haul back into the Major Leagues, but he'll be in the A's lineup soon enough. Along with his power hitting and much needed boost in the heart of the Oakland batting order, Manny also brings with him his signature dreadlocks and headband which are among the most recognizable in the league.The A's have a rich history of outstanding hairstyles, and Manny's return calls for a brief review of some of the more notable dos in the franchise's history.Begin Slideshow
The new regime in Oakland has done a great job plugging holes and finding value in the free-agent market, but there is still work to be done.Reggie McKenzie added depth at linebacker this offseason, but still lack the quality depth that would provide a safety net should a key player not be available for a stretch of games.If there was much in the way of cornerback help available, the Raiders might be interested, but there isn't much that is going to be significantly better than Chimdi Chekwa and DeMarcus Van Dyke on the market.The leadership is hoping the conversion of ...
Well, what do you know? The Oakland A's are able to score some runs. Scoring more than four runs for the first time since May 20th, the A's used a four-run fifth inning and a three-run eighth inning to snap their nine-game losing streak with a 9-3 victory over Kansas City. The A's had 10 hits for only the third time since May 17th.Brandon McCarthy got his fourth win of the season in his return from the disabled list. He scattered eight hits and two walks over six innings, allowing two runs. The big hit was provided by Josh Reddick ...
Raider Nation is already feeling the breeze from the Autumn Wind of Change since the end of last season. Mark Davis named Reggie McKenzie the General Manager and McKenzie hired Dennis Allen to be the head coach. McKenzie has already cracked the whip on overpaid players who were underperforming, and even showed a few that were on the "Al Davis Scholarship Program" the door. Those players included Stanford Routt, Chris Johnson, and Hiram Eugene. The team also had to cut ties with high paid players like Kevin Boss and Kamerion Wimbley, while others like Richard Seymour, Aaron Curry and Michael Huff had to restructure. The ...
This is becoming an awful habit in the 2012 season for the Oakland A's. Another solid pitching performance goes to waste as the offense is shutout for the 10th time in 52 games, by far the most in baseball.The loss is Oakland's ninth in a row, as the Royals took the series opener 2-0 at Kauffman Stadium. Bartolo Colon was again solid in defeat. Although he allowed eight hits in seven innings, he only allowed two earned runs and kept the A's in contention.The problem on this night was the pitching of Royals' starter Felipe Paulino. He allowed only three hits ...
Last week, I named some possible candidates to represent the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Today, I will do the same with their East Bay rivals, the Oakland Athletics.The A's have gotten off to a pretty solid start, considering the modest expectations that were set before the season began. They are hanging around the .500 mark with several of their key players on the DL (Yeonis Cespedes, Brandon Inge, Brett Anderson).Josh Reddick, Ryan Cook and Tommy Millone are not exactly household names, but since each team is required to have at least one All-Star, one lucky player ...
No NFL team experienced a more dramatic changing of the guard in the last year than the Oakland Raiders. After the passing of Al Davis, quite possibly the most hands-on owner in the league, the Raiders let Hue Jackson have the reins just long enough to trade away their 2012 first-round pick and 2013 second-round pick for Carson Palmer. The team had already used their second, third, and fourth-round picks in trades and the 2011 supplemental draft. New general manager Reggie McKenzie only had a knife at the gunfight that was the 2012 NFL Draft, but he wasn't going to ...
After Minnesota Twins outfielder Josh Willingham blasted a three-run walk-off home run to defeat his former team, the Oakland Athletics, 3-2 on Tuesday, A’s fans were seething. They didn’t need to go on the radio to say it. They didn’t need to go on Facebook or Twitter, because there wasn’t any other way to feel after losing a ballgame Oakland should have won so easily. It’s easy to say Brian Fuentes was at fault because he is the closer, down to one final out to close out the game but he couldn’t make it stick, but that's too easy. The ...