The Oakland A's may only be five games into MLB's 2014 spring training, but they've already provided plenty of excitement.
The team as a whole has three wins, one loss and a tie. Two of those three wins came at the hands of Bay Area rival San Francisco Giants. When it's all said and done, they'll play 29 more games including several split-squad games.
Only five players have played in all five games—none of which are starters. They include Michael Taylor, Billy Burns, Chris Gimenez, Shane Peterson and Addison Russell. Burns is hitting .308 so far while the rest are hitting at ...
The Oakland A's have traveled to Arizona for another year of spring training camp. With returnees, new signings, freshly acquired players, prospects and a slew of non-roster invitees, it's time to break down the A's, position by position.
Most positions are all but locked up already but that doesn't mean others are short on competition.
Spring training offers plenty of intrigues. Oakland has more than a few guys fighting for a roster spot. It also has a prospect or two looking to prove they're worth the hype. There may even be a guy somewhere in camp that has the potential to pull ...
Perhaps, the best thing about the Oakland A's spring training from a fan's perspective is watching to see who unexpectedly impresses.
In my spring training preview, I listed a few guys who could be the next breakout candidates, including Sonny Gray and Dan Otero. Specifically, I highlighted Josh Donaldson's 2012 campaign in which he catapulted from third- or fourth-string catcher to starting third baseman. Then, in 2013, with much competition for second base, Eric Sogard came out victorious.
Let's take another look.
Motivation played a large role in Donaldson and Sogard's cases. Each were "underdogs" if you will, fighting to be the hands-down ...
Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss is literally the big elephant in the room.
In his breakthrough season in 2013, Moss ranked among Major League Baseball's best in every power category there is, forcing us to query as to whether or not he is a one-year wonder. If he does show us a significant decline in statistical production in 2014, it will be one of the greatest year-to-year wanes we have seen for some time.
There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of Moss' production at the plate. The 30-year-old slugger amassed more than 500 plate appearances for the first time ...
T-minus four days until Oakland A's pitchers report for spring training. Five days after that, the rest of the squad officially opens camp in Phoenix, Arizona. Baseball is upon us.
The 2014 Oakland A's will look familiar.
Four-fifths of the rotation is the same. There are no new faces in the starting lineup. The bullpen and bench saw the most turnover.
Spring training is always entertaining.
It's a time when we as fans and writers see how well guys have rebounded from offseason surgeries and lingering injuries. Prospects have a chance to shine. Others hope to earn a spot on the 25-man roster. And ...
All eyes will be focused on Addison Russell when the Oakland A's begin spring camp. While he's certainly worth your interest, a few other prospects have intriguing angles surrounding them too.
Russell is the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in the system. He'll automatically be invited back to big league camp. Beyond him, Billy McKinney is a top name but may not get the star treatment Russell receives just yet. Billy Burns is another name to be aware of.
But the guys on this list are a bit different.
They're either solid prospects who don't get nearly as much attention, dark-horse candidates to impress ...
We are 16 days away from the Oakland A's pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.
General manager Billy Beane focused on constructing one of the most dominant-looking bullpens in the game, on paper, to counter interdivision rivals' moves for power in their lineups. Who will win that tug of war is one of the biggest questions heading into 2014.
Most are familiar faces, with the exception of key arrivals like Scott Kazmir and Jim Johnson.
With the trade of Brett Anderson and the loss of Bartolo Colon, it's now up to Jarrod Parker to take the helm as Oakland's ace.
Johnson replaces Grant ...
As Major League Baseball's arbitration deadline passed January 17th, the Oakland A's locked up all of their eligible players except one: Josh Reddick. What happens next is anyone's guess.
There aren't too many options, though.
The two teams can work out an agreement before they head to arbitration court in February. If they can't, then an arbitration panel will choose Reddick's desired salary, or the Athletics' proposed salary.
A's beat writer John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group provides the salary exchange:
If the two sides meet exactly in the middle, then Reddick will receive $2.625 million in 2014.
Since arriving on the big league scene ...
The Oakland Athletics avoided arbitration by signing John Jason to a one-year contract Thursday, according to the team's official website. Salary numbers have not yet been released.
This is great news for both parties. The Athletics re-sign Jaso, a veteran catcher who was out of commission for the last two months of the season last year, unable to recover from the concussion he suffered during a game in late July. Now he has been cleared to resume baseball activities at full speed, which is wonderful news for Jaso.
But simply being healthy to play does not make his return any more clear, ...
After an offseason that saw the Oakland A's send Michael Choice, Chris Bostick, Jemile Weeks and David Freitas to other teams, the organization's minor league prospects have taken a slight hit.
That's not to say it's a weak farm by any means.
The team held on to top prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney, brought in outfielder Billy Burns and has quite a few quality arms in the system. But while some positions are solid, others are a bit depleted.
Here's a look at the top prospect at each position within the A's organization.
All information and quotes from Melissa Lockard of Scout.com were ...