The Oakland A's seem to annually ship away some of their best talent.The finger could be pointed at many different people in the organization (or maybe just Billy Beane, because he starts and signs off on every trade?) including ownership.The A's have sell-offs like the NFL and NBA hold their drafts—on time, and usually in mid-summer or late December.Here's five reasons why they should hold on to their top talent this year.Begin Slideshow
After falling behind 5-0, the A's rallied but could not get a timely hit down the stretch and fell 6-3 to the Texas Rangers in game two of their four game series. Travis Blackley struggled and took the loss, which dropped the A's to 24-32 on the season. Blackley lasted only 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. The A's bullpen gave them a chance to get back into the game with 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. The offense broke through in the fifth when, after a Kurt Suzuki double, Collin Cowgill hit ...
Manny will soon be Manny again.Any day now. Maybe. Possibly.OK fine, nobody except Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane has any real clue when Manny Ramirez might be ready to join the big club, thus ending a lengthy absence from Major League Baseball made up of a sudden retirement in 2011 and a 50-game PED suspension this season. Beane will know when Manny is ready when his scouts say Manny is ready.Nobody should hold their breath. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported this on Monday:The A's do have one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time at Triple-A ...
Sell, sell, sell! The Oakland A's are 24-31 and have lost ten of their last 12 games and the club is tied for last place in the American League West. The A's have no chance to make a season out of things, right?In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend."Selling off big contracts at the trade deadline shouldn't be the answer, even as the A's are mired in a terrible slump.Yes, they are in last place, but are only eight games out of first place—and the division leading Texas Rangers are showing signs that they are human ...
Jarrod Parker was faced with a tough assignment on Monday night. All the Oakland A's rookie had to do was go out and shut down the Texas Rangers, who have the most explosive offense in Major League Baseball.Challenge accepted.Parker did everything the A's could have possibly asked and then some. He didn't just beat the Rangers. He dominated them, and he very nearly made history in the process.Parker, who was making just the ninth start of his young career, didn't give up a hit through the first seven innings of the game, and not even the great Josh Hamilton posed ...
Position: RHP Height/Weight: 6’1”/205 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R DOB: 7/21/1991 College: Arkansas Year: SO Sanburn asserted himself as a potential first-rounder with an excellent performance in the Northwoods League this past summer, where he garnered No. 1 prospect honors. His plus fastball is easily his best pitch, as it sits at 92-96 mph and has been clocked as high as 98. He’s aggressive with its placement, working both sides of the plate, and generates a mixture of swing-and-misses and weak contact. His breaking ball is of the downer variety and he throws it with the same arm speed. However, he lacks an overall feel for ...
Selected 11th in the 2012 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics, high school shortstop Addison Russell has the tools to be a future stud with the A's. That is, if he signs. Russell is already committed to Auburn, but with his talents he could easily spurn college for professional baseball. The 18-year-old won't make an impact overnight of course. In four or five years however, Russell could be the next big thing for the A's. With the current state the team is in, it doesn't take much to make an impact. Right fielder Josh Reddick is currently one of the ...
Position: 3B Height/Weight: 6’1”/190 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R DOB: 3/22/1994 High School: Upland (Calif.) College Commitment: UCLA Daniel Robertson isn’t a sexy draft pick like Richie Shaffer or Joey Gallo. However, given his absurdly good plate discipline as a high school senior, he certainly deserves consideration. A right-handed hitter, Robertson is a naturally projectable hitter whose abilities at the plate play up due to an approach that’s well beyond his years. He has a polished, short swing that allows him to lace the ball to all fields. Although he’s currently more of a doubles hitter, the UCLA commit has all the ingredients to ...
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 ...