This new group of young players looks very promising. Now as long as Beane doesn't trade these guys a couple years down the road when they are peaking, as he did with Haren, Harden, and Swisher, we have the opportunity to be dominant for many years, possibly even become a dynasty (but that may be a little optimistic looking at the other teams in the AL). But looking at the promise and potential of this group, it's tough to believe otherwise. Here are some of the players to look for in the near future, as well as some guys who I hope the A's keep for awhile.
Carlos Gonzalez: This kid is special. Aquired as one of 6 players in the Dan Haren deal in December, he's only 22 years old and is the perfect combination of speed, power, average, and defense! Called up on May 30th, he has become the starting center fielder for the A's, hitting .280 with a .430 slugging percentage and a .747 OPS. Even more impressive, since the All-Star Break, he's been hitting .325. While he's only hit 3 HR's on the season, the power he showed in the minors will come with a little more big league experience. Defensively, he's already a regular on Baseball Tonight's Web Gem's and has an incredible arm. Carlos has everything he needs to be a force in the league for years to come.
Ryan Sweeney: Also able to play CF because of his speed and range, him and Carlos Gonzalez will more than likely be splitting time between CF and RF for awhile. Sweeney, 23, may not have the power that Gonzalez will have, but will still be a threat at the plate as a #2 or maybe 3 hitter. Sweeney leads the A's in batting this year, hitting .307 with a .358 OBP and a .760 OPS, tremendous numbers for a 23 year old rookie. He has also stolen 8 bases, a good total considering he missed 15 games in early June. Look for Sweeney to be a key part of the A's outfield for awhile.
Kurt Suzuki: The real deal behind the plate. In his first full season starting behind the dish, Suzuki is hitting .300 with a .400 slugging percentage and .754 OPS. Suzuki is also solid defensively, holding a fielder's percentage of .992. He's improving with the pitchers, holding a CERA (the ERA of the pitcher with him behind the plate) of 3.52. Suzuki is only 24 years old and has the tools to become an excellent catcher and leadoff hitter for the A's.
Travis Buck: Although Buck has had injury problems in his 2008 campaign, he really impressed in 2007, his first season in the majors. Buck, a 2nd round pick in 2005 out of ASU hit .288 with a .377 OBP, .474 SLG, and .851 OPS, killer numbers for a rookie. He's also very young at 24. If Buck, Gonzalez, and Sweeney can stay healthy adn continue to improve, the A's can have 3 outfielders in the All-Star Game consistently in a few years.
Others to watch out for:
Jesus Guzman, 24, 3B, hitting .359 with a .414 OBP, .562 SLG, and .976 OPS in Double-A Midland.
Daric Barton, 22, 1B, has been struggling with injuries in 2008, but hit .347, with a .429 OBP, .639 SLG, and 1.068 OPS in his ML stint in 2007 (18 games).
Eric Patterson, 25, Utility, could play 2B or OF, hit .320 for the Cubs AAA team and is hitting .366 with a .422 OBP, .756 SLG, and 1.178 OPS for the A's AAA affiliate. Also, stole 24 bases last year for the Cubs AAA affiliate and stole 37+ bases in his previous 4 seasons.
Gergio Petit, 23, 2B, hit .292 in AAA ball this year before he was called up. Petit is hitting .348 for the A's with a .400 OBP in 12 games.
Cliff Penington, 24, SS, the A's number 1 pick in 2005, is hitting .286 with a .413 OBP in 45 games for the AAA River Cats.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Recent Trades
Well what do the A's expect? Trading away their ace and two members of their rotation for a bunch of young guys who can't make a big impact yet, all while being a few games behind first place. I mean, I love the Joe Blanton trade for the future, getting three guys who strengthen our farm system tremendously (Cardenas is hitting .309 with 6 triples and 16 SB in 67 games in A, Spencer is hitting .250 with 6 HR, 41 RBI's in 84 games in A, and Outman was 5-4 with a 3.20 ERA in AA ball) for a guy thats no better than a #3 starter, but Blanton is ML ready while all three of these guys are a few years away.
The Harden/Gaudin trade on the other hand is questionable for the present and possibly the future. Harden is 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 122 K's to 39 BB. Gaudin is 5-4 with a 3.41 ERA. But most importantly, both are ML ready. The A's got Sean Gallagher, who is 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA, Matt Murton who is a .288 career hitter, but only hitting .186 this year in 26 games, Eric Patterson who is hitting .237 in 13 games, and AA catcher Josh Donaldson. According to an inside source with the Cubs, talks of this trade were going on for about a month. But as soon as the Cubs threw in Sean Gallagher, Beane accepted. Gallagher, who is only 22, is ML ready, and is just like Joe Blanton. I don't ever see him being a start, but will be a solid #3 starter and the A's have him for 5 1/2 more years before they have to resign him which is good cause they have him for cheap for 5 1/2 years. Murton is 26, but is a .288 career hitter and could provide some outfield help to the A's who are down Travis Buck due to injury. Eric Patterson is 25 and has been moving between AAA and ML with the Cubs. Patterson is a strong utility player, and fast. He can play 2B and OF, and is also a threat on the basepaths, something the A's desperately need. Patterson started off in AAA Sacramento, but was hitting .349 so the A's recalled him and is now our leadoff hitter. Josh Donaldson fits into the A's system perfectly. He's extremely patient at the plate and has a high OBP. Gaudin is 25 and Harden is 26, so the A's got younger in this trade. Harden was sceduled to make 4.75 mill this year and Gaudin was scheduled to make 1.75 mill this season, but their salaries are increasing in 2009 while all four of the players the A's aquired are making less than 1 million. As far as contending for this year, the A's hurt themselves a lot in this trade, because Harden was their ace and Gaudin was a key part of the staff. But a year or two down the road, this trade could turn out good. Harden has been on the DL more than not, and Gallagher, Murton, and Patterson will only get better with experience. Look for these guys to play key roles in a playoff team in 2009 or 2010. But Beane has to keep this team together. He can't keep trading players when they start to accel at the ML level like he's done in the past. If he can keep this squad together and they can continue to make improvements, the sky is the limit for this team.
The Harden/Gaudin trade on the other hand is questionable for the present and possibly the future. Harden is 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 122 K's to 39 BB. Gaudin is 5-4 with a 3.41 ERA. But most importantly, both are ML ready. The A's got Sean Gallagher, who is 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA, Matt Murton who is a .288 career hitter, but only hitting .186 this year in 26 games, Eric Patterson who is hitting .237 in 13 games, and AA catcher Josh Donaldson. According to an inside source with the Cubs, talks of this trade were going on for about a month. But as soon as the Cubs threw in Sean Gallagher, Beane accepted. Gallagher, who is only 22, is ML ready, and is just like Joe Blanton. I don't ever see him being a start, but will be a solid #3 starter and the A's have him for 5 1/2 more years before they have to resign him which is good cause they have him for cheap for 5 1/2 years. Murton is 26, but is a .288 career hitter and could provide some outfield help to the A's who are down Travis Buck due to injury. Eric Patterson is 25 and has been moving between AAA and ML with the Cubs. Patterson is a strong utility player, and fast. He can play 2B and OF, and is also a threat on the basepaths, something the A's desperately need. Patterson started off in AAA Sacramento, but was hitting .349 so the A's recalled him and is now our leadoff hitter. Josh Donaldson fits into the A's system perfectly. He's extremely patient at the plate and has a high OBP. Gaudin is 25 and Harden is 26, so the A's got younger in this trade. Harden was sceduled to make 4.75 mill this year and Gaudin was scheduled to make 1.75 mill this season, but their salaries are increasing in 2009 while all four of the players the A's aquired are making less than 1 million. As far as contending for this year, the A's hurt themselves a lot in this trade, because Harden was their ace and Gaudin was a key part of the staff. But a year or two down the road, this trade could turn out good. Harden has been on the DL more than not, and Gallagher, Murton, and Patterson will only get better with experience. Look for these guys to play key roles in a playoff team in 2009 or 2010. But Beane has to keep this team together. He can't keep trading players when they start to accel at the ML level like he's done in the past. If he can keep this squad together and they can continue to make improvements, the sky is the limit for this team.
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