Is there ever a season when the Oakland Athletics’ farm system isn’t absolutely loaded?Headed into the 2012 season, power-hitting outfielder Michael Choice ranked as the team’s top prospect and was beginning to heat up before a hit-by-pitch resulted in a broken hand after the All-Star break. Although he remains one of the team's top prospects headed into the 2013 season, the injury has caused him to drop a few spots on this list. The A’s system was highlighted by the meteoric rise of right-hander Dan Straily from organizational arm to legitimate pitching prospect. The 23-year-old led all minor league pitchers ...
The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is in full swing as 15 teams seek to take the international title from Japan, which has won the first two events. Participation from major league players has been solid, with 45 former or current All-Stars on various rosters including R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Braun and Joe Mauer for the United States. However, there is also plenty of international talent available for teams to get a good look at. The Oakland A's have been no strangers to finding players from the event, signing Yoenis Cespedes (played for Cuba in 2009) and Hiroyuki Nakajima (played for ...
Will Carroll has produced an annual Team Health Report for each MLB team for 12 years. The report gives risk ratings for every player in the expected starting lineup and starting rotation, plus two relievers. A proprietary formula sets a baseline according to a player's age and position. It is adjusted by 12 factors, including injury history, team history and expected workload.This risk rating is classified into three tiers—red (high risk), yellow (medium risk) and green (lower risk). It should be used as a guideline and is about probability, not prediction. To learn more about how the Team Health Reports ...
The Oakland Raiders will have their hands full trying to improve a disappointing 2012 team that finished with just four wins.Though general manager Reggie McKenzie isn't as strapped for cash as he was last year, he still can't spend a whole lot on players.With that being said, here are three players the Raiders could sign this offseason.Begin Slideshow
The deadline to put the franchise tag on a pending free agent has come and gone in the NFL, and there were a few possibilities for the Oakland Raiders to slap the tag on.The Raiders could have put the tag on Desmond Bryant, who is expected to start next year with Richard Seymour and possibly Tommy Kelly leaving town. Shane Lechler could have gotten the tag, considering he is tied with Sebastian Janikowski for being the longest-tenured player on the team, and the tag would have been cheap for a punter.The Raiders could have tagged Brandon Myers, who was the ...