Oakland Athletics
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The Oakland Athletics have consistently been one of baseball's most resourceful small market franchises. Generally manager Billy Beane has been popularly acclaimed for his book Moneyball, but this season he seems to have run out of magic. The A's dealt their stars to replenish their farm system, and they just don't have the talent to win a lot of baseball games this season. Here's how they might look on Opening Day.
The Oakland Athletics have consistently been one of baseball's most resourceful small market franchises. Generally manager Billy Beane has been popularly acclaimed for his book Moneyball, but this season he seems to have run out of magic. The A's dealt their stars to replenish their farm system, and they just don't have the talent to win a lot of baseball games this season. Here's how they might look on Opening Day.
Lineup:
- LF Travis Buck
- 1B Daric Barton
- 3B Eric Chavez
- DH Jack Cust
- RF Emil Brown
- SS Bobby Crosby
- CF Chris Denorfia
- 2B Mark Ellis
- C Kurt Suzuki
Rotation:
- Joe Blanton
- Chad Gaudin
- Rich Harden
- Justin Duchscherer
- Lenny DiNardo
Closer: Huston Street
Thoughts...
Honestly, what's to like? I suppose I'll start with Jack Cust and Mark Ellis. Neither of these two is usually drafted, and in leagues with five outfield spots or extra middle infield spots, both of these could be sources of cheap power with literally your final pick. Cust isn't going to hit .300 anytime soon, but he could easily hit 35 HR if he could stay healthy for the entire year. Ellis hit 19 HR last year, and those would look very nice in a MI spot in bigger leagues.
Rich Harden is up there with Ben Sheets in risk-reward ratio. If he could ever piece together a full season, he'd easily be a number three fantasy starter, with the potential to even be a two. If you can get him late, he could be worth a gamble, but know that it's a pretty big gamble after his injury history.
Huston Street is a talented fantasy closer, but he belongs outside the top tier. Think of Mike Gonzalez on the 2006 Pirates - he was perfect in the ninth, but the team was so bad it didn't get him enough opportunities. Although he was productive, his only chance of becoming a top closer involved a trade to a contender. If Street is on the market this season, his value will increase; otherwise, look for him as your second closer.
There's not much else to be excited about. Kurt Suzuki could be a mediocre fantasy catcher, useful in two-catcher leagues. Joe Blanton eats innings and has decent strikeout numbers, but his ERA isn't going to end up below 4.00. Chad Gaudin faded badly at the end of last season; if you can convince yourself this is because he pitched exclusively in relief in 2006, then I suppose he's worth a flier. The outfield situation is a mess, and it's not worth drafting any of the prospects because at this point it's still unclear who will start.
Although Oakland is only a year removed from the division title, they aren't going to be competitive this year. Fantasy-wise, there's simply not that much here this season, and I will be looking outside the Bay Area for just about every position in my drafts.
Labels: Team Analyses
posted by Pete Abbate at
12:50 PM
3 Comments:
Hey I was just wondering what your thoughts are on Daric Barton. I've seen his name tossed around as a decent prospect, but not sure how he compared to Votto or such.
Secondly, will do you think Street will end up. Closers and big name middle relievers are hot commodities come trade deadline and I imagine he will leave. How much would a trade to Cleveland increase his value?
Secondly, what would you expect of Ellis at U.S. Cellular playing for the White Sox? He is rumored to be traded there possibly.
Barton certainly has potential to put up good numbers this season, but he really has no minor league track record of hitting for power. Without the power potential, I can't say he's going to be a great first baseman. It's too hard to make up for a lack of HR from that spot.
Street could definitely end up in Cleveland, but to be honest it's far too early to tell. Closers lose their jobs during the year because of injury or ineffectiveness, which opens door unseen in spring training (not to mention the possibility of an ill-timed injury to Street). A trade to Cleveland moves him to the top of tier 3, but until he increases the strikeouts I can't put him next to Saito.
Ellis in Chicago would definitely be worth drafting. I would assume he would hit low in the lineup (7-8), which hurts, but he could easily hit 20 HR in US Cellular. Nowhere near Chase Utley, but good enough to start.
Yeah I agree Ellis in Chicago would instantly make him relevant. However I disagree that Street is that far from Saito. Street's injury last year cost him save opportunities, but he had a K/9 of 11.34, whereas Saito had a K/9 of 10.9. A full season from Street is about as likely as a full season from Saito, so we are looking at a difference of saves between the guys, along with peripherals. I think saves isn't truly a factor of winning, as many statistics have shown. However, I'll give the nod to Saito in peripherals by a nose. Still, I think Street is very underrated even on the A's, and should be going ahead of guys like Hoffman.
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