Derek Norris had a rough offensive year in 2012, his first extended big league experience. After being acquired from the Washington Nationals in the Gio Gonzalez deal Norris was thrust into the starting catcher role after fan favorite Kurt Suzuki was traded to the Nationals in a later deal. The A’s would later claim George Kottaras to platoon with Norris. However, the organization still believes Norris can be the catcher of the future even after the huge addition of John Jaso.

Oct 10, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris (36) between pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of game four of the 2012 ALDS at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Norris was scouted as a low batting average high on base percentage type hitter and it proved to be correct last season. Even though his on base percentage was not high, Norris’ patience proved vital at times during the season leading to extended at bats and a base hit or walk every once in awhile. While I mentioned earlier today that sophomore slumps do occur in Norris’ case he pretty much was at rock bottom offensively in 2012 and therefore only can improve with some seasoning in 2013.

Part of the reason for the low offensive numbers for Norris could be the adjustment of accustoming himself to a new pitching staff. For a young catcher trying to plant his feet in the Major Leagues the hardest part is gaining a rapport with your pitching staff. When the pitching staff is made of mostly young guns the learning curve steepens. The only way to improve on both sides of the ball for Norris is time and practice.
Manager Bob Melvin, a former catcher in his own right, will continue to work with Norris on his defensive capabilities. Fresh in all A’s fans minds is last season’s playoff exit to the Detroit Tigers. One of the main reasons the A’s lost was because of poor defense. Norris let too many ball go past him due to lack of reaction time or bad fundamentals. The good news about this is that Norris’ defense will only get better with experience and practice.

Derek Norris is young and has a good chance to be the A’s everyday catcher for years to come. His offense is certainly not above average but he will occasionally get on base or hit a home run which is a plus considering the amount of offense the A’s have seen from the catching position in recent years. If he can continue to improve in 2013 and get some help from fellow platoon partner John Jaso Norris may have a chance to become a special player for the Green and Gold for years to come.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

As I mentioned yesterday the A’s depth has provided some interesting roster decisions so far this spring. Eric Sogard will potentially start Monday night at O.co Coliseum against the Seattle Mariners on opening night. Another unlikely utility infielder may make the roster as well due to an outstanding spring in Andy Parrino. With Adam Rosales and Hiroyuki Nakajima and Adam Rosales hurt coupled with the struggles and inexperience of Jemile Weeks, Scott Sizemore, and Grant Green, the A’s are going to have to use their depth much earlier than expected this season. However, another concern on the roster may arise that was not necessarily addressed this offseason by GM Billy Beane; third base.

Oct 7, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) at bat during game two of the 2012 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Donaldson, who was originally a catcher but moved over to third base for organizational depth purposes, took over at the hot corner for Oakland in the middle of last season after Brandon Inge was injured. He had been up earlier in the season for a short stint but due to a lack of production was sent back down relatively quickly. The next call up proved to be the catalyst as Donaldson took complete control both defensively and offensively for the rest of the season.

Last season was Donaldson’s first real taste of the big leagues and after a rough beginning he finally planted his feet in the ground and played up to his potential. He will be entering his sophomore season in 2013 and A’s fans should be cautious he does not fall into the Jemile Weeks sophomore slump trap.

Donaldson was extremely effective last season offensively. While he was not a force or an on base machine by any means he did hit nine home runs in a little under 300 plate appearances. He also tacked on 33 runs batted in and four stolen bases. His defense was spectacular at some points but lackluster at others. If he can work on his fundamentals and continue to develop he could become an above average third baseman defensively.

Donaldson will be an integral part in determining whether or not the A’s make the playoffs in 2013. He was a key contributor in the team last year that took the second half of the season by storm culminating in a sweep of the Texas Rangers in the final three games of the season to win the AL West title. He came through with clutch hits and great defensive plays. 2013 will go a long way in determining if Donaldson is the real deal or not. Sophomore slumps are a real thing. He will need to everything in his will power to fight it off or the Green and Gold may be on the outside looking in in October. Beane added depth at almost every position except for third base showing great confidence in Donaldson’s abilities. Hopefully that confidence from the organization will continue to translate into Donaldson’s success.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

No that’s not the howling wind of a late March rain storm you hear outside.  It’s not even the sound of the Athletics team charter preparing to descend to the runway at the Oakland International Airport.  That sound you hear is the collective exhale of relief let out by the members of the Oakland Athletics, all of whom are thrilled and relieved to have finally finished off their Cactus League schedule.

It’s always a test of the will for the players to make it through the monotany of Spring Training, you can only play so many games that mean absolutely zilch before you get a little stir crazy.  So tack on another week to make room for the WBC and you can imagine how much fun it would be by week 4, knowing you still had another week of games when normally you’d be packing up to head to your home ballpark.  But alas, the time for exhibitions is almost over.

So as the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants prepare to play the 3 game Bay Bridge Series (In San Francisco Thursday and Friday, Oakland on Saturday), it’s time for us to make sense of what we all saw of the Athletics in Arizona, and also to figure out what, if anything, means anything from all of that.  So if I haven’t lost you already, let’s take a quick look at some of those who excelled this spring.

I’ll forego discussing Eric Sogard for the sake of not being overly redundant, the guy hit .500 for the spring and that’s probably earned him a roster spot.

March 21, 2013; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris (36) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two run homerun in the second inning during a spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Norris was one player who I had very little faith in down the stretch last season, I expected him to make outs, often unproductive ones whenever he stepped up to bat, and he usually came through.  This year he came into camp trimmed down, and with a retooled swing, designed to eradicate the Derek Norris that drove me mad in September 2012.  So far, it seems like it may have worked.  He posted an impressive .378/.489/.838 line with 5 home runs and a pair of doubles.  He won’t be expected to carry the load behind the plate like he did last year, but if he can turn himself into a productive hitter instead of an automatic out then he’ll certainly do his part in the platoon with John Jaso.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the spring not named Eric Sogard would have to be Shane Peterson.  The last remaining piece from the Matt Holliday trade (I still despise him by the way) has emerged as a viable call up option for the Athletics in 2013 with a solid 2012 season in Double and Triple A, and a very nice Cactus League with the big club.  Peterson hit .408/.463/.653 mostly as a sub for one of the Athletics starting outfielders.  Every time you looked it seemed he was getting on base and making things happen.  He’ll head to Sacramento to start the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him called up ahead of Michael Taylor if (when) one of the Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Chris Young foursome winds up on the DL.

I wrote not long ago about Josh Donaldson and the rather unproductive spring he’d been having, and how he was being given the benefit of the doubt despite a very small sample size in the major leagues, and Hiro Nakajima was practically being thrown out the door for posting the same numbers.  Well, Donaldson must have heard me because he tore up Cactus League pitching over the final 10 days or so and wound up with a very respectable, dare I say encouraging .314/.390/.549 slash line.  I have very muted expectations for him during this coming season, perhaps I’m bracing for a little regression, but if he can make adjustments during the regular season like he seemingly did in Arizona, there may be some legitimacy to his bat after all.

Then there are guys who are expected to be cornerstone players in the Athletics 2013 lineup.  Yoenis Cespedes started off very cold, but began to heat up while launching a tape measure home run against Tim Lincecum in the process.  La Potencia will be muy bien.  I’ve been critical of Josh Reddick over the last year for his apparent lack of clutch hitting, and while there’s no real test for that in Spring Training, Reddick did hit fairly well, hopefully he’s fine tuned his approach for the upcoming campaign.  Then there’s my main man Brandon Moss, even though I did write him a Valentine, I can observe him objectively.  He didn’t hit for much in the way of power this spring, but he showed a comfort level in the box against lefties and righties that is encouraging for his continued success.

It wasn’t all good though in the Valley of the Sun.  The pitching staff got knocked around a bit.  The lowest ERA posted by any of the projected members of the starting rotation was 4.82 by Tommy Milone.  I’m not so much worried about them though, pitchers often tinker with things during their starts, or only throw certain pitches to work on them, or do all kinds of weird things.  As long as they feel good then nothing else matters, need I remind you of Bob Welch in 1990?  Travis Blackley may have scared some members of the Athletics organization with his ERA hovering around eleventy-billion, but perhaps he was suffering a tobacco-less withdrawl that affected his performance more than he thought it would, much like we saw with Josh Hamilton last season.  He’s sacrificing his health for the good of the team apparently now, so let’s hope it’ll turn things around for him.

Like I didn’t rehash the Eric Sogard discussion, I won’t do that with Hiro Nakajima and his well documented struggles this spring.  I still think he’ll be just fine, and just needs some more time to achieve a level of comfort stateside.

All in all, with a 15-12 record, the A’s are just about right where they should be as they return to the East Bay late Wednesday.  They didn’t embarrass themselves, and they didn’t tear down the house either.  A record right around the .500 mark is perfectly fine, and not going to excite anyone in either direction.  The meaningless stats are about to disappear, and return to their 11 month hibernation as the regular season commences in just a few days.  The wait for A’s baseball is almost over.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

Oakland A’s pitcher Jarrod Parker’s spring struggles continued on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies giving up an uncharacteristic three home runs in less than five innings pitched. It was his final start of the spring.

Mar 16, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker (11) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Parker burst onto the Major League scene last season with Oakland after being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Trevor Cahill deal. Parker was seen as the centerpiece of the trade and he did not disappoint in 2012. However, possibly due to over work or lack of feel for his pitches Parker struggled mightily in Phoenix in 2013 and this could lead some A’s fans to be concerned.

Fear not Green and Gold faithful. As Parker recently mentioned in an interview with mlb.com’s Jane Lee, “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a great spring, so I don’t want to fall into that routine, but it’s great to be able to work on things and not feel like every time out is a test and you’re trying to make the team.”

This may not seem like major news, but there is more to it than what meets the eye. Parker mentions he has never really had a good spring. After how he pitched last season a bad spring should not be critiqued. That should bring relief to all A’s fans. On top of that Parker said he feels like he can work on things [during games] such as his grips and locations. This will help him out during the season because he will have his adjustments from last season down before the season begins. Last season Parker’s struggles in Phoenix led him to start the season at Triple-A Sacramento.

Even though Parker threw more innings last season than ever before in his career he feels poised and ready to pitch the Tuesday night game of the season opening series against the Seattle Mariners in Oakland. Knowing that his roster spot is secured has to be a major relief to a pitcher going into his sophomore campaign for the defending AL West champions.

Parker will feel a lot of pressure this season to duplicate or even expand upon the success of last season. Oakland is counting on Parker to win at least 15 games and go 200 plus innings with an ERA around 3.00. He will need to make quick adjustments between starts to stay sharp as well as stay healthy all season. If he can do this a bad spring will be nothing but a blip on the radar for the ace-in-the-making of the A’s pitching staff.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

GM Billy Beane spent this off-season acquiring depth for a team who looks poised to make another run at October baseball. Beane acquired a super utility player, a shortstop, a first baseman, a catcher and an extra outfielder. Rarely does a team need to dip into the well before a real game has even been played, but so is the case in Oakland this season.

March 23, 2013; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Eric Sogard (28) singles in the second inning during a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

As of today the Oakland A’s opening day roster will have a fairly familiar face in a not so familiar role. With Adam Rosales starting the year on the DL after a terrific spring and Hiroyuki Nakajima straining his hamstring recently in Phoenix the Green and Gold will have to depend on their depth early on this season. Though it may not come from where you might think.

The trouble with these injuries is that this leaves a question mark at second base again this season. With Eric Sogard dominating the Cactus League Manager Bob Melvin’s hand may have to be forced. Scott Sizemore, who was hurt all of last season, was supposed to be penciled in as the team’s starting second baseman, however, Sizemore has struggled this spring thus further forcing Melvin’s hand.

Sogard has been up and down between the A’s and the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats since being acquired from the Padres a couple years back. He has become what many people call a “four-A” player. This means Sogard is too good for Triple-A baseball but not good enough to stick around in the Major Leagues. The numbers, unfortunately, back up that statement. Sogard has a dismal .190 career batting average and an ineffective .237 on base percentage. Couple that with a lack of power and only average defense and you have a recipe for a player who will not stick around for long with the big team.

This spring however, Sogard took the Cactus League by storm. He leaves Arizona heading back to San Francisco where the A’s will begin the final three game series of the preseason with a .500 batting average and a .558 on base percentage in 23 games. At the beginning of the spring Melvin mentioned that roster spots that were up for grabs would be determined off of statistics. This is why Sogard will likely start opening day at second base against the Mariners for the Green and Gold.

With all the injuries that have taken place this spring for the A’s in Phoenix, GM Billy Beane looks like a genius for adding so much depth. Obviously no one can predict the injuries that occur but having depth will see the A’s able to weather the storm. Even though Eric Sogard has never produced in Oakland this may finally be his chance to break out and stick with the big team. Early on in his career in San Diego Sogard was seen as an excellent hitting prospect. Starting April 1 Sogard may finally get his chance to live up to the potential thrown on him.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

Admit it, it’s one of your favorite things to do.  You study the team you love, pick it apart piece by piece, and come up with solutions to solve all of the team’s problems.  Because if there’s anyone who knows what they’re talking about, it’s you.  Unfortunately though, the GM doesn’t exactly pay much attention to you and your opinions.  As they say, if you spend too much time listening to the fans, you’ll end up sitting with them.

Mar 19, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Daric Barton (10) warms up before the bottom of the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

We’re getting down to crunch time for Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics as this afternoon will mark their final Cactus League game of 2013, at least as far as games in Arizona go.  With that crunch time comes a roster crunch as the team has to select the 25 best players to head into the regular season with, and that’s when the decisions become exponentially more difficult.  Options, injuries, Rule 5 statuses, and versatility or a lack thereof  have to be taken into consideration when putting the final pieces of a roster together.  The marquis names don’t have to worry about their status, the team clearly cannot succeed without them, so they won’t dare try.

With the A’s there are a fair amount of players who’s presence on the 25-man roster is set in stone, so this piece will not focus on them necessarily.  But there are some distinct differences in how I believe the roster will ultimately look, and how I think it should ultimately look.

This is what I expect to see Monday:

Starting Rotation:

Brett Anderson

Jarrod Parker

Tommy Milone

A.J. Griffin

Dan Straily/Bartolo Colon (I lump them together because Straily will in all likelihood make the one start to cover Colon’s last few suspension games then be optioned to Triple A when Colon is activated, in this case they are one in the same to me)

Bullpen:

Grant Balfour

Sean Doolittle

Ryan Cook

Jerry Blevins

Pat Neshek

Chris Resop

Travis Blackley

Catcher/Infielder:

Derek Norris

John Jaso

Brandon Moss

Jed Lowrie

Josh Donaldson

Scott Sizemore

Eric Sogard

Nate Freiman

Outfielder:

Yoenis Cespedes

Coco Crisp

Josh Reddick

Chris Young

Seth Smith

There isn’t much in the way of earth shattering news as far as I can tell.  Hiro Nakajima isn’t on the roster because I expect the A’s to use his hamstring injury to place him on the 15 day DL whether he really needs it or not.  This will buy him some extra time to get comfortable here.  Also conspicuous by his absence is Daric Barton , who will have been designated for assignment if he isn’t on the roster (or maybe his intercostal strain flared up a la Adam Rosales).  I’ve been extremely critical of Barton for his lack of aggressiveness at the plate over the years, and despite his oddly successful 2010 campaign, he’s failed to make any kind of positive impression on me at the plate.  But at this point, his presence on the 25-man roster is necessary and important.

The trade of Chris Carter to the Houston Astros left a hole in the roster at first base.  Brandon Moss has been entrusted as the primary man at first, and I’m not saying he shouldn’t be, but going without a capable backup for him seems foolish.  Enter Nate Freiman.  Our own Andrew Brown looked at the waiver claim that brought him and his Rule 5 status into the fold last night, he could turn into the Brandon Moss 2.0 like Andrew coined, or he could turn into the Brandon Allen 2.0.  Barton’s defensive skills though should be of utmost importance though, the A’s have their fair share of power already.

As great a story as it has been (as great as a Spring Training story can be), I’m also still not sold on the Eric Sogard emergence.  I can’t help but continue to believe that we’ve seen this before.  Just last year Sogard had a very productive spring and did next to nothing with the Athletics during his stints with the club.  There are always late bloomers, and I’ll grant you the possibility that this could be one of those cases, but I’m not holding my breath on this one.  Assuming Hiro Nakajima is well enough to be able to play somewhere around Opening Day, he should be on the roster.  As he continues to acclimate himself to life in the US, feeling like he’s part of the team that brought him over from Japan is imperative.  Sure, he could barely buy himself a hit during the majority of Spring Training, but we all know the talent is there.  If this was a stretch during the month of July, I highly doubt his presence on the roster would be questioned as much as it is right now, let alone in an effort to replace him with Eric Sogard.  The more comfortable he gets, the more productive he will be.

The team may suffer without the presence of Daric Barton (I still can’t believe I’m writing those words) and Hiro Nakajima, perhaps not in a season crippling fashion, but enough to make things a little bumpy from the get-go.  With the presumed juggernaut Los Angeles Angels, and the surely vengeful Texas Rangers in the division, not to mention an improved Seattle Mariners squad, and I guess the Houston Astros (I didn’t want them to feel left out, especially since they’re new) too in the division with the Athletics, they can ill afford to stumble out of the blocks.  They had almost zero margin for error in 2012 on their way to the AL West title, and in 2013 I expect there to be even less.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

There is no question that Hiroyuki Nakajima has failed to impress in his short time with the Athletics thus far.  It’s Spring Training though, so a little common sense should lead you to withhold judgment until the regular season atleast gets under way.  Unfortunately common sense isn’t always plentiful, so there are many calls throughout the A’s fanbase to relegate Nakajima to bench duty due to his lackluster performance this spring.

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (3) at bat during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The logic behind these opinions is that Nakajima is not proven at this level, and there is no guarantee that he can in fact adjust to major league pitching.  He’s not comfortable here yet, and until he is, the lack of production will likely persist.  Through 14 games and 34 at-bats Nakajima has posted a .176/.300/.202 slash line.  He has just one extra base hit, a double, and six hits total for the spring.  But it’s still March…. MARCH.

Hiro Nakajima is not the only projected everyday player who’s been struggling mightily this spring, but he’s the only one facing this type of criticism.  Josh Donaldson has worked his way into the hearts of many Athletics fans with his personality, and high volume of fan interaction via Twitter.  The “Bringer of Rain” is now a definite fan favorite.  But his slash line over the same sample size is every bit as unimpressive as Nakajima’s.  In 35 at-bats he’s posted a .171/.268/.343 line with 2 home runs.  The two longballs account for the spike in his slugging percentage over Nakajima’s, but his on base numbers leave quite a bit to be desired.  Yet there has been nary a peep about him riding the pine.

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) gestures during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Sure he was highly productive down the stretch for the A’s last season, but that only came to be after Donaldson couldn’t buy a hit over the first portion of the season and was demoted to Triple A Sacramento.  It wasn’t until Brandon Inge‘s shoulder injury took him out for the duration of the season that Donaldson got a second chance.  He did grab that chance and make the most of it, there’s no denying that.  But does a month and a half of production make Donaldson a proven commodity?

The construction of this team is designed to guard against the possiblity that Donaldson’s hot streak last year was a flash in the pan, and not likely to be repeated.  The addition of Jed Lowrie specifically could end up giving Donaldson a short leash if he doesn’t produce.  Lowrie is having a very nice spring, and the consensus at this point is that he should be in the lineup everyday no matter where he plays.  But very few people are calling for Lowrie to slide over to the hot corner and replace Donaldson, yet there are many for him to take Nakajima’s place.

The bottom line is this, Josh Donaldson is no more proven than Hiro Nakajima is at this point.  Sure, Donaldson showed a little bit of promise last year, and Nakajima has yet to make his major league debut, but that short stretch for Donaldson is in not nearly enough to make him an established big leaguer.  Nakajima can hit, his numbers in Japan make that abundantly clear.  He needs time to adjust to not only a new league, but an entirely new life, so he should get more of a benefit of the doubt than Donaldson should.  Hopefully both of them will get their bats going as the regular season gets under way, and we can all sit back and have a good laugh when we look back to the crazy time when Josh Donaldson and Hiro Nakajima struggled during Spring Training.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

At this point in time, I’m struggling internally with the notion that one of two things is true.  Either I’m crazy, or everyone else is.  It was just shy of two weeks ago that I wrote a piece entitled “Athletics Roster Reality Check” wherein I attempted to diffuse a few pipe dreams regarding certain players in Athletics camp that I viewed as having zero chance of making the Athletics 25-man roster.  The cover boy for this piece was everyone’s favorite spectacle wearing utility man, Eric Sogard.

March 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Eric Sogard (28) singles in the third inning during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

With so many middle infielders in the fold, it seemed a near impossibility that Sogard would be able to crack the roster.  But he’s making noise in Phoenix, a lot of noise.  Every time he steps to the plate he’s making good things happen, and his slash line so far this spring looks like this: .519/.559/.742 in 34 plate appearances.  The question at this point is whether Eric Sogard is playing at a level so high that he can no longer be ignored and must be on the Athletics Opening Day roster.  There is certainly a growing groundswell of support for the diminutive infielder.

So it’s an obvious choice right?  Hiroyuki Nakajima is struggling, Jemile Weeks has been hurt, Scott Sizemore still needs to get his timing back, and Jed Lowrie is playing at a high level and will in all likelihood be in the lineup every day somehow.  Say Lowrie slides over to the shortstop position, leaving second base up for grabs, is it possible Eric Sogard could get some serious playing time there?

There’s a problem with this line of thinking; we’ve seen this before.  Just last year Sogard hit .302/.367/.528 in 59 plate appearances (couldn’t find exact PA numbers for last Spring Training, so I may be off by one +/- so forgive me if I am), and when he made the Opening Day roster it seemed justified.  He rewarded the A’s with a .167/.206/.275 line in 102 PA as he rode the Capital Corridor train from Oakland to Sacramento and back throughout the season (And the DL as well).

It’s often been a debate as to what significance if any preseason performances can hold.  The 2008 Detroit Lions in the NFL went 4-0 in the preseason only to finish a dreadful 0-16, if that’s not an indication of the insignificance of preseason play then I don’t know what is.  Another one of the most drastic examples of how Spring Training does not foretell the regular season was Bob Welch in 1990.  He pitched to an 0-3 record with a robust 17.72 ERA for the A’s, only to go 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA on his way to winning the Cy Young Award for the 1990 season.  Certainly nobody would have predicted that as the Athletics broke camp.

So what should the Athletics do with Eric Sogard scalding hot like he is?  Is Sogard showing that he can be a productive MLB player, or is this simply another Cactus League mirage?  I like the guy, but chances are this is an example of the latter.  Sogard can be useful on the bench while Nakajima continues to acclimate himself to the United States and MLB, and  Scott Sizemore continues to get up to speed after missing an entire season.  Jemile Weeks is something of a wild card, once thought to be the future for the A’s at second base, he’s been productive this spring despite his shoulder injury and may have opened up enough eyes to be back in the picture.  There are also the likes of Adam Rosales, Andy Parrino, and Grant Green who have all had good springs as well, though none at the level of Sogard.  So if the A’s do decide to fit Sogard onto the roster, someone will likely have to go, and just who that would be is a conversation for another time.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.

The third day of our trip brought us back to Phoenix Muni as the Athletics took on the Texas Rangers.  We made sure to arrive extra early at the ballpark in hopes of securing some autographs from the players.  I may look at the team in a more objective point of view most of the time when writing about them, but I still take time to be a fan and get autographs like I did when I was younger.  We had a very successful venture that day without a doubt.  I was able to nab Travis Blackley, Ryan Cook, and the big fish Yoenis Cespedes prior to the game.  Blackley was especially engaging with the fans, and even snapped a picture of me and my group that he put on the Athletics official Instagram that he was running for the day.  Cespedes really impressed me as well, spending upwards of 20 minutes signing autographs after warmups.  I was able to get his just before he finally obeyed the repeated calls from the dugout to get ready for the game as first pitch was fast approaching.

As for the game itself, it was a rather lackluster performance by the A’s, but thing was abundantly clear, Dan Straily is not ready to be a regular member of an MLB starting rotation.  The inconsistency that got him into trouble last season during his time with the A’s is still haunting him this year.  He pitches behind hitters, gets hit hard in the zone, shows flashes of the electric stuff that made him nearly untouchable at last season’s trade deadline, then loses it and gives up a crooked number.  In this case the defense didn’t help him, but he didn’t help himself.  He’ll make his one start while Bartolo Colon serves the last of his PED suspension, but until he polishes his command he really should not be anywhere but Triple A.

Feb 25, 2013; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; A general view of a game between the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Our fourth day in Arizona took us on the “road” to Salt River Fields as the Athletics took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in their shiny new Spring Training facility.  Salt River Fields has gained quite the reputation as being perhaps the finest of all the Spring Training venues, and while I have only seen three of them, it seems hard to imagine topping this one.

My first thought upon entering was that this place as it is right now is much nicer than the O.co Coliseum.  Of course the Coliseum has a special place in my heart since I’ve been going there since I was very young, but let’s be realistic here.  We had a bunch of separated individual seats so we decided to forego assigned seating in favor of the large grassy hills that served as the outfield bleachers there.  It was a hot but very enjoyable experience.

This game would end in a anticlimactic 2-2 tie, but the intrigue still was there because the A’s were facing their 2012 Opening Day starter Brandon McCarthy for the first time since his departure for the Diamondbacks.  McCarthy looked good, even though the A’s would get to him for a couple runs eventually.

Bartolo Colon made the start for the A’s, and his perfomance wasn’t exactly reassuring.  Without even looking at his stats, it is clearly evident that he’s not the same pitcher we saw in 2012.  The Dbacks made a lot of solid contact against Colon, and serious questions have to be raised about whether he can give the A’s quality innings in 2013 if he continues to look as he did.  Again, this is coming from just what I saw from him in person.

Eric Sogard continued to tear the cover off the ball this Spring, and the murmur of people calling for him to be on the Opening Day roster got just a little bit louder.  The double he hit really should have been a home run, but the design of this stadium called for a 20 foot brick wall to be in play 410 feet away in dead center field, so it wasn’t.  Sometimes a guy just can’t catch a break.

The tie at Salt River Fields was unfortunately the last game we got to see in Arizona before returning home.  While the A’s didn’t embarass themselves by any means, they didn’t dominate either.  I still believe regardless of how this Spring Training turns out, the A’s will be in the thick of the pennant race in 2013 with another chance to play in the postseason.  Opening Night is just over two weeks away, and regular season baseball can’t come soon enough.

Post Author: Athletics: Fansided.