NewsA's have plenty to be optimistic about
Beane also cautions that Oakland is not 'finished product'
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
10/05/09 1:42 AM EST
OAKLAND -- A's manager Bob Geren tends to paint everything in the rosiest possible hues. His boss, general manager Billy Beane, takes a more balanced view.Like Geren, Beane was encouraged by his club's strong second half. But he's not about to declare the A's a potential playoff team in 2010, as did a national columnist while Oakland was wrapping up its torrid September.
Beane knows that there's a long list of young players who have thrived in September, jacked up expectations and fallen flat the following year. See: Daric Barton, 2007-08.
So in looking forward to 2010, Beane looks back at 2009 as a whole, resisting the temptation to put too much stock in early-fall frivolity. And while looking back to look forward, he liked much of what he saw.
"To get where we ultimately want to be, we have to fully commit to our younger players," he said. "We have to give them the opportunity to grow, and a lot of them got that opportunity [in 2009], and a lot of them took advantage of it. But to say we're anywhere close to a finished product, I think would be disingenuous."
Beane and his front-office foot soldiers have plenty of decisions to make before Spring Training 2010, some seemingly easy (bringing back arbitration-eligible Michael Wuertz), some seemingly difficult (whether to retain arbitration-eligible outfielder/designated hitter Jack Cust).
Is Cliff Pennington going to be the starting shortstop? Who will close if Joey Devine comes back healthy? Are uber-prospects Chris Carter and Brett Wallace going to be in green and gold?
Beane is understandably reluctant to address such questions.
"The arbitration guys, we're talking about three months down the road," he said. "Those decisions, decisions on our own free agents and others, lineup decisions, we have a lot of time there. What's nice, though, is that a lot of the guys who kind of showed us something this year, the majority of them are under our control and will be for several years."
"So it all goes back to committing to the younger players, and not just the ones we've seen in the big leagues this year, but the guys we hope to see in the big leagues very soon.
"We've made a commitment to this thing, we're going to see it through, and we feel like we're at least heading in the right direction."
Contract issues
Free agents: Justin Duchscherer, RHP; Adam Kennedy, IF; Nomar Garciaparra, IF; Bobby Crosby, IF; Brett Tomko, RHP; Edgar Gonzalez, RHP
Eligible for arbitration: Jack Cust, OF/DH; Michael Wuertz, RHP; Santiago Casilla, RHP; Scott Hairston, OF
Player options: None
Club options: None
Non-tender possibilities: Jack Cust, Santiago Casilla
Catchers
• Kurt Suzuki, .274 BA, 15 HR, 87 RBI
• Landon Powell, .229 BA, 7 HR, 30 RBI
• Eric Munson, .265 BA, 13 HR, 68 RBI (at Triple-A)
Suzuki was the team MVP in 2009 and has led AL catchers in starts for two years running. As a result, Powell, who has been slowed by knee injuries for much of his pro career, will spend part of his offseason working out at first base. Powell also might be in line for a DH role should Oakland non-tender Cust. Munson has plenty of big league experience and would likely have the inside track on the backup role if Powell is converted.
First base
• Daric Barton, .269 BA, 3 HR, 24 RBI
• Chris Carter, .329 BA, 28 HR, 115 RBI (AA/AAA)
• Sean Doolittle, .267 BA, 4 HR, 14 RBI (AAA)
Barton had an opportunity to seize the starting role for the foreseeable future in 2008, but was a flop offensively and spent quite a bit of this season in the Minors. Carter, who likely will be named the organizational Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, is far behind Barton defensively and might get a look in the outfield; his big bat is close to ready for the big leagues. Doolittle's season was shortened (28 games) by injury, but he had a nice spring with the big league club and projects as more of a prototypical corner infielder than does Barton.
Second base
• Mark Ellis, .263 BA, 10 HR, 61 RBI
• Eric Patterson, .287 BA, 1 HR, 11 RBI
• Adrian Cardenas, .299 BA, 7 HR, 79 RBI (AA/AAA)
Ellis is The Man, period, on the strength of his Gold Glove-caliber defense and clubhouse leadership. Patterson also plays in the outfield, but is a solid backup to Ellis. Cardenas likely will open the season in Sacramento, where he played 51 games in 2009 after tearing up the Texas League with Midland.
Shortstop
• Cliff Pennington, .279 BA, 4 HR, 21 RBI
• Gregorio Petit, .244 BA, 5 HR, 32 RBI (AAA)
Former first-rounder Pennington made tremendous progress after being anointed the starter in July. Petit has never gotten a shot at regular playing time in the Majors. The acquisition of a veteran to push Pennington isn't out of the question.
Third base
• Eric Chavez, .100 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI
• Adam Kennedy, .289 BA, 11 HR, 63 RBI
• Brett Wallace, .293 BA, 20 HR, 63 RBI (AA/AAA)
Chavez, who hasn't played a full year since 2006 and is coming off a second back surgery, is a question mark at best. Kennedy's return is a question mark, too; he's a free agent and shouldn't have any trouble finding suitors. Wallace, the centerpiece prospect of the Matt Holliday trade, needs work defensively.
Outfield
• Ryan Sweeney, .293 BA, 6 HR, 53 RBI
• Rajai Davis, .306 BA, 3 HR, 48 RBI
• Scott Hairston, .265 BA, 17 HR, 64 RBI
• Eric Patterson, .287 BA, 1 HR, 11 RBI
• Jack Cust, .240 BA, 25 HR, 70 RBI
• Travis Buck, .219 BA, 3 HR, 10 RBI
Sweeney is a lock to start. He'll be in right field if Davis, Oakland's breakthrough player of the year, is rewarded for his stellar season with the starting job in center. Hairston struggled with injuries after being acquired from the Padres, but will enter camp as the front-runner in left. Patterson had a monster year at Triple-A Sacramento and can play all three positions (plus second base). Cust is a potential non-tender, but he's led the team in home runs three consecutive seasons and led the team in RBIs in 2007 and '08 and might still have a home in Oakland at DH. Buck spent most of the season in the Minors, but as recently as two years ago the A's viewed him as a franchise cornerstone; he might benefit from a change of scenery. Carter might be in the mix here, too, and prospect Matt Carson was impressive in a late-season callup.
Designated hitter
• Jack Cust, .240 BA, 25 HR, 70 RBI
• Landon Powell, .229 BA, 7 HR, 30 RBI
• Tommy Everidge, .335 BA, 20 HR, 94 RBI (AA/AAA)
Cust has a lock on the spot if he's brought back, and he's not exactly going to break the bank if he heads for arbitration and wins. Powell is a decent option, though. His power production in limited playing time projects to Cust-like numbers over a full season. Everidge raked at every Minor League stop, but struggled (.224/2/7) in 24 games with Oakland.
Rotation
• Dallas Braden, 8-9, 3.89 ERA
• Brett Anderson, 11-10, 4.12 ERA
• Trevor Cahill, 10-13, 4.63 ERA
• Vin Mazzaro, 4-9, 5.32 ERA
• Josh Outman, 4-1, 3.48 ERA
• Gio Gonzalez, 6-6, 5.73 ERA
• Clayton Mortensen, 2-3, 6.08 ERA
The top three names on this list are virtual locks if they're healthy when camp breaks. Outman would have one of the five spots, too, had not his 2009 been was cut short by Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery; he's not expected back until midseason at the earliest. Mazzaro has the inside track on one of the two projected openings, with Gonzalez not far behind. Mortensen, acquired in the Holliday trade, will need a huge camp to break with the big boys.
Bullpen
• Andrew Bailey, 6-3, 1.84 ERA, 26 saves
• Michael Wuertz, 6-1, 2.63 ERA, 23 holds, 4 saves
• Craig Breslow, 8-7, 3.39 ERA
• Brad Ziegler, 2-4, 3.07 ERA
• Joey Devine, DNP
• Jerry Blevins, 0-0, 4.84 ERA, 20 app.
• Brad Kilby, 1-0, 0.53 ERA, 11 app.
• Jeff Gray, 0-1, 2.76 ERA, 24 app.
The back end of the bullpen is potentially dominant, especially if Devine, the projected closer in 2009, returns healthy from Tommy John surgery. Other back-end spots are up for grabs. All of the players on this list are under club control, with only Wuertz due a significant raise as the only player eligible for arbitration.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
