In 2012, the Oakland A's called up a minor league first baseman named Brandon Moss, and he proved his worth to the team, hitting 21 home runs with a batting average of .291. In 2013, the A's are taking another risk on a minor league first baseman. This year, it is Nate Freiman who is getting his chance after the A's claimed him off waivers from their new division rivals in Houston (via CSNCalifornia.com).Why is it significant that the A's are claiming some minor league first baseman off waivers? First of all, he is automatically on the 40-man roster now. ...
In 2012, Yoenis Cespedes was the most important acquisition of the Oakland A's offseason as the Cuban-born outfielder signed a four-year contract.In 2013, Hiroyuki Nakajima is the A's most important offseason acquisition. Nakajima may not have the track record of players like Chris Young and Jed Lowrie, but Nakajima will get more playing time than both of them.Nakajima, like Cespedes last year, is penciled into the A's opening day lineup as a starter at his natural position.It is unrealistic to expect Cespedes-like production out of Nakajima, but the comparisons between the two have some common ground. Nakajima is hitting just .194 ...
More than halfway through spring training, the Oakland A's have been giving fans glimpses of what could be an even better team in 2013 than they were in 2012. In spite of the 9-10 record in the Cactus League, there are plenty of positives that provide optimism for the season ahead. So let's take it around the horn. First BaseBrandon Moss has done nothing to make A's fans lament the trade of Chris Carter to acquire Jed Lowrie. Moss has been solid defensively and has hit .333 with a home run and five RBI in 13 games. Daric Barton has been, ...
Coming into spring training, the A's had five potential starters battling for playing time at second base in 2013. Surely the A's could find a starter in a pool of players consisting of Jemile Weeks, Scott Sizemore, Jed Lowrie, Adam Rosales and even Andy Parrino.Yet the A's find themselves just more than two weeks from opening day and nobody has emerged from the crowd. Weeks was off to a hot start only to get a shoulder injury to derail his momentum. Sizemore has been in a horrible slump with three hits in 24 at-bats this spring. Rosales is hitting .294 ...
The hottest position competition for the Oakland A's this spring is at second base, which is where one of their hottest hitters happens to play his defense.Jemile Weeks has had an up-and-down career, having been called up from the minors in 2011, being deemed untouchable in trades that offseason and then being sent back to the minors in 2012.With the A's trading Cliff Pennington and losing Stephen Drew in free agency, Weeks has gotten his chance to climb back to the top. Weeks has missed some time with an injury this spring, but before getting hurt he was off to a ...
Twelve official unofficial games into spring training (Friday's washout against Seattle not withstanding) has provided a bit of time to assess who looks good, who has struggled out of the gate and who's dealing with health issues for the Oakland A's. In terms of the players projected to make the 25-man roster, things have looked largely promising, though a couple of players have stood out, both good and bad. Note: Italics represent player deemed biggest surprise, bust or serious injury situation currently on each list. SurprisesShane Peterson - Peterson, beyond a long shot to make the club out of camp, has been ...
The Oakland Athletics are going to win fewer games in 2013, but fear not—they'll only miss equaling 2012's mark by a few games. Predicting a regular season record can be difficult. First, there's 162 games to think about. Then, there's variables to consider, such as injuries and suspensions. And that's just for one team. Factor in injuries and suspensions for the 20 teams the A's will face this season and this task becomes ambitious. So how does one predict a team's record? Taking an initial look at the schedule is a good place to start. There's a certain sense that ...
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 ...