By now it should be pretty clear that no matter how much Oakland A's fans clamor for a "big" trade, it won't happen. Instead, expect an under-the-radar player to be acquired, if any at all.
The A's have a knack for doing it. Just this season, they traded for Kyle Blanks. Blanks was a top prospect when first drafted, but never quite lived up to the hype. Now as a platoon first baseman for Oakland, he's doing everything expected.
That's the kind of guy you'll get.
First and foremost, an "under-the-radar" player means they aren't a big name. Sure, it'd be an under-the-radar ...
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Sean Doolittle picked up his 40th, 41st and 42nd strikeouts of the season in Friday's 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, thus becoming the first pitcher since 1900 to record his 40th K in a season before his second walk, per ESPN Stats & Info via Elias Sports Bureau.
Doolittle turned in a typically dominant performance Friday night, striking out Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Steve Pearce on just 12 pitches to earn his eighth save of the year. He hasn't given up a run since April 26, when he allowed four in an ugly appearance against ...
Player: Brett Graves
Drafted by: Oakland Athletics
Position: RHP
DOB: 1/30/1993 (Age: 21)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 190 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Missouri
Previously Drafted: 2011, 26th round by Cardinals
Background
Missouri right-hander Brett Graves has done a fantastic job of staying under the radar leading up to the draft, at least as much as any top-100 prospect can. He was a well-known commodity when the Cardinals took him out of a Missouri high school three years ago but never drew much attention to himself after that.
He has been content to just pitch at the University of Missouri instead of being thrown around for the dog-and-pony shows that are exhibition events, and the strategy has worked masterfully.
In three ...
Player: Matt Chapman
Drafted by: Oakland Athletics
Position: 3B
DOB: 04/28/1993 (Age: 21)
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 205 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Cal State Fullerton
Previous Drafted: Never Drafted
Background
Matt Chapman made a name for himself in 2012 as a true freshman, posting a solid .286/.340/.370 batting line with two home runs while playing in 53 games for Cal State Fullerton. As a sophomore the following year, Chapman showed improvement on all fronts, as he showcased more consistent power with 19 extra-base hits (five homers), tallied 37 RBI and posted a drastically improved 29-34 ratio of strikeouts to walks.
Chapman’s impressive sophomore campaign led to his selection to play for the ...
The 2014 MLB amateur draft begins on Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m. ET. Over the course of three days and 40 rounds, over 1,000 players could potentially be selected by the 30 organizations.
The Oakland A's have the 25th pick.
With 40 picks and thousands of talented young men to choose from, it's nearly impossible to accurately predict the draft. Instead, this post will do the work for you, seeking out multiple other "expert" mock drafts and keying in on Oakland's first pick only.
Before getting to those mock drafts, however, the one true expert when it comes to the draft is ...
The Oakland Athletics announced Tuesday that they are placing outfielder Josh Reddick on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive June 1. Reddick hyperextended his left knee in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Both A’s fans and fantasy baseball managers rejoice!
The 27-year-old Reddick has struggled for most of the season. Though he has been in the zone a few times thus far, these stretches have unfortunately come infrequently and not lasted for very long. His season numbers include a pathetic slash line of .214/.279/.339, with 41 strikeouts in 2014. Athletics manager Bob Melvin has to cringe each time Reddick clocks in ...
FINAL
DETROIT TIGERS 5-4 OAKLAND A'S
Though they almost lost to an A's comeback in the ninth inning, where Oakland scored two runs, Tigers' pitcher Joe Nathan held on to the lead and helped end the game leaving the score 5-4.
They have now won three of their last 10 games, and the Tigers should feel fairly confident when they head to Seattle to take on the Mariners, who are fourth in the AL Western Division.
The Tigers ended up splitting the series with the A's 2-2, and retain their lead in the AL Central Division.Read more Oakland Athletics news on BleacherReport.com
Between last week's look at disappointing prospects and the upcoming amateur draft on June 5, it seems appropriate to look back at the Oakland Athletics' last decade's worth of first-round picks.
Take one look at the names in order and you'll notice something: The A's didn't do so well in the early goings. OK, you'll notice one more thing: The A's really nailed it in the last few years.
From Landon Powell to Billy McKinney, we'll check in on the last nine first-round picks.
This group has literally everything in it. There's an ace among them, as well as the textbook definition of a ...
The Oakland Athletics are in first place in the AL West through a little more than a quarter of the season. The Athletics have won the division the past two years, but is this the year they finally go deep into the playoffs?
The A's lost two key pitchers early in the season in A.J. Griffin and Jarrod Parker, but had a great free-agent signing in Scott Kazmir. If the A's pitching staff can keep it up, expect to see Bob Melvin and Billy Beane's club go deep in the playoffs.
Check out Scott Miller break down the secret to the Athletics' ...
The Oakland A's designated Daric Barton for assignment on May 15, eventually shifting him back to Triple-A. This made many fans happy. Why? Because the first baseman of the future back in 2004 never lived up to that status.
But he's not alone.
Like any team, the A's have had some letdowns when it comes to promising prospects who failed to live up to the hype. Going back through rosters and stat sheets, there are quite a few names that could be included. For these purposes, we'll stick with the first handful or two dating back to the turn of this century.
So ...