February
got off to a smoking start for the A’s and their fans as Billy Beane pulled off
a bit of a stunner in sending Chris
Carter, Brad Peacock, and Max Stassi to their new division rival, the Astros, for
Jed Lowrie.The A’s also picked up RP Fernando Rodriguez
in the deal.
I was
pretty surprised to see Beane deal away Carter and several relatively prominent
names from the farm system for a player that has been injured quite a bit and
has played the majority of his time at SS in the past, given the Nakajima
signing.However, in four preseason
games, Lowrie has been playing all over the infield, including SS twice and one
game apiece at 2B and 3B.We may see
this happen quite a bit in the regular season as the A’s and Bob Melvin mix and
match across the infield to try to the find the right combination of players
and/or sticking with the “hot” player.
Chris
Carter has always been tough to figure out for A’s fans.His career did not progress too far over the
past two seasons and perhaps the team feels like he has plateaued a bit.Perhaps Melvin wasn’t convinced in Carter’s
ability to play more frequently and wasn’t comfortable with his
limitations.That certainly makes sense
given the coach’s decision to use others in last year’s playoffs over
Carter.Also, I thought this story over at
AN provided some strong rationale as to why Carter was no longer with the A’s.
After
this “blockbuster”, the month of February was very quiet.In fact, the only other deal that the team
announced was the signing of LHP Hideki Okajima to a minor league
contract.While the A’s have a good
amount of depth in their bullpen, you can never have enough to cover for
injuries, rest, etc.Hideki has made two
appearances thus far in spring training and has not given up a run yet,
pitching 2 innings with 2 K’s and 2 BB’s.
It is
certainly nice to have baseball back in the mix, even if it is only spring
training!Now, on to the WBC, where zero
A’s will be participating … thankfully!
The Oakland Athletics Spring Training unofficially begins today with a 3pm (EST) game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately, MLB.TV only has radio coverage of today's game. Those wishing to see Jesse Chavez opening up the Spring session for the A's will have to be there in person or live another day.
The A's Twitter feed posted the lineup above and I thought it was interesting to see the middle of the infield (Weeks and Nakajima) at the top of the lineup. I'm a big fan of Jemile and hope that he plays well enough to win the starting 2B job. We need his speed on the roster, he will need to do a little bit of everything else however to prove he deserves the spot.
Other notes from today's lineup - Cespedes and Crisp stay on the pine and Jaso gets the nod behind the plate.
While today's game is virtually meaningless, it is great to have A's baseball back! Let's go Oakland!
Our
next A’s Favorites piece continues from the early 2000’s era and my favorite
pitcher from those teams, Tim Hudson.Again, as a quick reminder, the genesis of
this series is from a thread on Athletics
Nation regarding who were some of each poster’s favorite players from the
past.My responses within that thread
were grouped together by era:
80’s
and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford
Late
90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez
Recent
departures – Kurt Suzuki
Career Summary
Tim
Hudson took quite a path to becoming one of the better pitches baseball has
seen over the past decade and a half.He
was drafted by the Athletics in the 35th round but went to play at a
Community College for two seasons before finally gaining recognition and
landing at Auburn University.Hudson
pitched his final two years at Auburn.He
was also known as a good hitter in college and made the All-SEC team as both a
pitcher and hitter.Tim Hudson was drafted
again by the Athletics in the sixth round of the 1997 draft.
Small
in stature but big in heart, Hudson quickly made his way to the pros in 1999.He was a June call-up for the Athletics that
year and proceeded to go 11-2 through the rest of the season with a 3.23
ERA.In 2000, Hudson led the AL in wins
posting a 20-6 record and helped lead the A’s back to the playoffs for the
first time since 1992.
Tim
pitched for the A’s from 1999-2004 putting up gaudy stats. In 183 starts for
the A’s, Hudson was 92-39, good for a 70% win percentage clip.He posted a 3.30 ERA over that same
timeframe, with 899 strikeouts and 16 complete games.He made the All Star team in 2000 and 2004
with the A’s. As
you are likely well aware, Hudson was part of Oakland’s ‘Big Three’ with Barry
Zito and Mark Mulder.These three were
close to dominant in the regular season and helped the team make four straight
playoff appearances from 2000-2003.Unfortunately, once these A’s teams got to the playoffs, things crumbled
for one reason or another.
The
team decided that they needed to restock the roster and farm system and couldn’t
afford to keep the big three in the middle of the decade.Hudson was traded to the Atlanta Braves for a
package of players that never really became much for the A’s organization.(Why are the Braves the one team that no
opposing team ever seems to “win” a trade?) Hudson
has posted similar numbers during his tenure in Atlanta and has come back Tommy
John surgery during the 2008 season.The
surgery cost him most of the 2009 season as well, returning for September
baseball for the Braves.In 2010, Hudson
returned to make 34 starts and win Comeback Player of the Year, with a 17-9
record and 2.83 ERA.
Interesting
enough, Hudson has never had a record at or below .500 in his major league
career. His career ERA is 3.42, which
should be considered very impressive given the era that he is/was pitching
in.
While
his regular season numbers are strong, his postseason results are mixed.He pitched well for the A’s in their two
series against the Yankees, but was hammered by the Twins in his two starts in
their 2002 series.He didn’t get a
decision in either of his starts when the A’s played Boston in 2003.Hudson’s time with the Braves has been met
with limited success as well, as those teams have been unable to move past the
NLDS in either effort (2005 and 2010).
What drew me to … Tim
Hudson
Hudson
was my clear favorite from the “Big Three”.He had a fiery attitude and wasn’t willing to back down from anyone when
on the mound.He also liked to talk a
little trash out there too.While
completely ridiculous, Hudson wore #15 which happened to be the number I wore
in Little League and another reason that he drew my attention/fandom.
Hudson
used multiple pitches to get batters out and was consistently seen as a Cy
Young candidate during his tenure with the A’s.I wish that those teams from the early 2000’s were able to move along at
least once to get into the longer, seven game series, where they would have
held an advantage over any other pitching staff.
Where is Tim Hudson
now?
‘Huddy’
is entering the final year of his current contract with the Braves, as the team
picked up his option for the forthcoming season at $9 million.Hudson has stated that he would like to
resign with the team beyond the 2013 season, so it doesn’t look like retirement
is in his foreseeable future.
Best
of luck to Hudson this upcoming season, unless of course he is facing the
Athletics in the World Series!
(Photo credit: San Francisco Chronicle Photo: Jim Merithew)
On
Thursday, the A’s announced that
Grant Balfour, their first option at Closer, was to go under the knife for a
minor surgery on his knee.This is by no
means good news for the A’s but it certainly isn’t tragic either.While Balfour may be ready to go for the
start of the regular season, the A’s – and Balfour – would be wise to take this
slow and let his leg fully recover from the surgery.The team has two more than capable arms to
fill the role for the time being in Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle.
As I
say that, Balfour has already reported to camp
today to begin rehabbing his leg.Look,
Grant has been my favorite player on the roster the past two seasons, but please
do not rush back and please let the leg recover fully!The 2013 A’s have the chance to do some
magical things and need to weather the storms in the earlier parts of the season
to prepare for September baseball and hopefully well beyond that!
I
really hope that this does not become an omen for the 2013 club.(Crosses fingers … please do the same!)
(Note
that this plea comes from a Timberwolves fan, who has seen their current season
turn into an unmitigated disaster because of injuries.)
January
came and went with a few more moves from Beane and company to tinker with the
regular lineup for the A’s this coming season and sure up the bullpen.
The
team avoided arbitration and reached an agreement with several players before
the deadline – including Chris Resop, Seth Smith, Brandon Moss, and Jerry
Blevins.Resop was acquired in
a trade with Pittsburgh earlier in the offseason and will compete for a spot in
the bullpen.After struggling earlier in
his career, Jerry Blevins had a phenomenal 2012 season and really turned me
into a believer.While it will be
interesting to see what happens with Seth Smith and his playing time – given the
team’s depth in the OF positions – this was a no-brainer signing for the
team.Brandon Moss will be playing 1B
for the A’s a lot more frequently in 2013 (given today’s move to send Chris
Carter packing for Jed Lowrie … we’ll cover this deal in a separate entry later
in the week).
The big
news for January came when the team announced it had acquired John Jaso
from the Seattle Mariners, who immediately became the A’s starting catcher in
2013 and provides Derek Norris with a little bit of breathing room in his
development and takes some pressure off the kid for having to be the everyday
man behind the plate.This was an
interesting deal that came out of nowhere, particularly since just days
earlier, the team had resigned George Kottaras to a one year contract.After announcing the deal for Jaso, Kottaras
was designated for assignment and later claimed off waivers by the Royals.
Looking
at Jaso’s career numbers the move itself
screams “minor upgrade” for the roster and the everyday lineup.The team has gotten rid of the black holes
that were seen towards the bottom of the lineup on most nights over the past
few seasons and continue to show signs that they are fully committed to putting
a winner on the field in 2013 and are “going for it”.Yes!
The
only reason you may not love the deal for Jaso is if you had huge hopes for AJ
Cole in the A’s organization.The A’s
acquired Cole in the deal last offseason involving Gio Gonzalez, but he
struggled mightily in Stockton.While he
is only 21 years old, there are no guarantees here and I absolutely agree with
the idea of “going for it” when you have the chance.
The one
other piece of news that came from the clubhouse in January was that the A’s
locked up Bob Melvin through 2016, agreeing on a contract extension
for the skipper.I don’t think we need
to go into too much more depth of what Melvin has brought to this team when he
replaced Bob Geren.I think a simple “thank
you” is sufficient here.That “thank you”
is to both Melvin for what he has done as the manager and to Beane for getting
this deal done.
Next
in line in the “A’s Favorites” series brings us into the 21st
century and another great third basemen for the franchise, Eric Chavez. Again, as a quick reminder, the genesis of
this series is from a thread on Athletics
Nation regarding who were some of each poster’s favorite players from the
past. My responses within that thread
were grouped together by era:
80’s
and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford
Late
90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez
Recent
departures – Kurt Suzuki
Career Summary
Eric
Chavez was taken in the first round (10th overall) of the 1996 draft
by the Athletics and quickly made his way through their farm system. He was called up in the fall of 1998 to begin
his major league career. At the age of
20, he hit .311 in his 16 games of the 1998 season. He became the A’s third baseman the following
year and by 2000, he was becoming known as one of the best all-around third
basemen in the game. Working with then
Assistant Coach Ron Washington extensively, Chavez became the premier defensive
third baseman in baseball, winning the gold glove award six straight seasons
from 2001-2006.
From
2000-2006, Chavez was a key cog in the A’s (somewhat limited) success. Aside from his glove, he provided a
consistent bat in the middle of the lineup - .273 BA, 199 HR’s, 660 RBI’s,
1,041 hits and 467 walks during this time span.
Times were good, particularly when the A’s resigned Chavez in 2004 to a
6 year, $66 million contract. Fans were certainly
not used to seeing the club resigning core members of the squad for big
money.
However,
those good vibes didn’t last too long.
While it started to rear its head in 2006, the 2007 season was where
things started to deteriorate for Chavez’s health. In 2007, Eric played in 90 games for the A’s
and then seemed to hit a wall when he turned 30 years of age. In his final three years in Oakland from
2008-2010, Chavez only played in a total of 64 games (out of 486 regular season
games available). Back pain was the
major culprit for Eric, but he also suffered from problems with his
shoulder.
The A’s
declined Chavez’s option after the 2010 season and he went on to sign with the Yankees. The injuries continued for Chavez during the
2011 season, including a broken bone in his foot while rounding the bases. (I actually remember this happening and
just putting my head down and shaking it in disbelief.)
The
Yankees resigned Eric for the 2012 season and he put up very respectable
numbers, replacing Alex Rodriguez as the regular third baseman for the
team. In 113 games played last season,
Eric hit .281 with 16 HR’s and 37 RBI’s.
This isn’t necessarily lighting the world on fire, but it was a nice
comeback from the veteran.
While
not a highlight in his career summary, Eric’s numbers in the playoffs display a
noticeable drop-off vs. his career averages.
The two good series that he had (vs. the Yankees in 2000 and vs. the
Twins in 2002) were both losses for the team.
The cynic in you could point out that the “it” factor wasn’t necessarily
there come October.
What drew me to … Eric
Chavez
Chavez
was a very popular figure in the A’s clubhouse and became a very, very good
player. There are a few things that
really drew me to Chavez, some baseball-related, some not so much:
Chavez fit in perfectly with the loose clubhouse the A’s had at the time. His persona on camera was one that was calm, cool, and collected.
Resigning with the A’s for the $66 million vs. grabbing every last nickel really impressed me.
The amount of work that he seemingly put in at third base to become a premier defensive player.
There were rumors floating around that Eric would wear a white mink coat when he “hit the town” (speaking in code) and for some reason I thought / still think this is awesome. (If anyone can confirm this with a picture, I would be forever indebted to you.)
Where is Eric Chavez
now?
We
may see Chavez in an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform this coming season, as he
agreed to a one year contract with the team pending a physical. The National League version of the Oakland
Athletics added another piece of the A’s past.
Best of luck to Eric this upcoming spring / season!
We’re
continuing the “A’s Favorites” series of write-ups with our second piece focused
on Dennis Eckersley. As a quick reminder, the genesis of this
series is from a thread on Athletics
Nation several weeks ago regarding who were some of each poster’s favorite
players from the past. My responses
within that thread were grouped together by era:
80’s
and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford
Late
90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez
Recent
departures – Kurt Suzuki
Career Summary
Drafted
by the Cleveland Indians in 1972, Eckersley made his MLB debut in 1975 and it
took him very little time to make his mark in the majors, winning AL Rookie
Pitcher of the Year. Some might forget
that “Eck” was a starting pitcher for the first twelve years in his career and
had a good amount of success in the role.
After three seasons in Cleveland and an All-Star game appearance,
Eckersley was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1978 (some interesting, mindless information
on the Wiki page linked above as for the reasons why) where he started to put
together some gaudy numbers. In ’78,
Eckersley put up a 20 win season, with a 2.99 ERA. He followed that up with a 17 win season and
a matching 2.99 ERA in ’79.
However,
in his last four, full years in Boston (’80-’83), Eckersley looked like an
average pitcher and potentially on the decline, going 43-48 in 114 starts, with
a 4.43 ERA. While he made the All-Star
team again in ’82, Boston parted ways with Eck at the beginning of the ’84 season
and sent him to the Cubs (for Bill Buckner).
While with the Cubs, Eck went 27-26 with a 3.63 ERA.
On
April 3, 1987, Eck was traded from the Cubs to the Oakland A’s. After starting two games early in the season
for the A’s, he was moved to the bullpen out of necessity and due to an injury
to the A’s closer at the time, Jay Howell.
Those were the last two starts in Eck’s career, as he quickly became the
dominant closer that A’s fans have come to know and love. After 16 saves in ’87, Eckersley became the
most formidable closer in the AL for a five year span. Maintaining impeccable control with his
pitches and perfecting his slider, you may not see many more impressive five
year runs as you do from Eck’s performance from ’88-’92. Leading the AL in saves in ’88 (45) and ’92
(51), over that five year span, Eckersley saved a total of 220 games for the A’s. His ’92 season led to even greater accolades
as he took home both the AL Cy Young and AL MVP awards.
Needless
to say, Eckersley was a pivotal member of the championship years for the
Athletics franchise and the run the team made over the same time period. While he is unfortunately most likely to be
remembered by the masses as the pitcher who gave up Kirk Gibson’s HR in game
one of the ’88 World Series, I choose to completely abolish this moment from
the record books and focus on the dominating performances he provided in the ’88
ALCS and throughout the ’89 playoffs.
Eckersley
played three more years in Oakland but saw his numbers start to decline. While he still closed games for the A’s, the
expectations of a “lights out” closer started to fade. When Tony La Russa left the A’s to manage the
Cardinals (!!!) he brought Eckersley with him.
After two more strong years as a closer with the Cardinals (and against
NL hitting), Eck finished his career with one final year in Boston in ’98.
At
the time of his retirement, Eckersley was the only player to have recorded a 20
win season and a 50 save season; since matched by one player, John Smoltz. Eck finished a 24 year career with
197 wins, 171 losses and 390 saves. His
career ERA was 3.50. He went to the All-Star
game a total of six times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in
2004. The A’s franchise retired his
jersey (#43) the following year.
What drew me to … Dennis
Eckersley
Plain
and simple, Eckersley was the most dominant pitcher in baseball and a member of
what had become my favorite team.
Similar to Carney Lansford, he had that unique look with the long hair
flowing under the cap and the thick moustache.
(Note; he still has that sweet hair style.) Eckersley was a phenomenal pitcher with a
unique delivery, but he was also intimidating as heck on the mound. Very few players would get as fired up as Eck
night in and night out. After closing
down big games, his “fist clench and then point” could have or should have been
patented.
In doing
a bit of online research across a number of sites, I stumbled across this
YouTube clip that I thought was pretty special.
His Hall of Fame speech came from the heart and showed his special
character. However, I find the beginning
clips equally riveting where former players provide their perspective on facing
him (and his arrogance when on the mound!).
Where is “Eck” now?
You
can find Eckersley calling games for the Boston Red Sox on NESN and/or in the
TBS studios for pre and post game shows with Matt Winer and David Wells. Personally, and admitting bias, I think Eck
does a pretty good job in the booth and in the studio. While he has a bit of flair, of course – what
would you expect, it doesn’t feel like pushed pomp and circumstance. I feel like he is just saying what he feels
and how he would normally say it if he wasn’t on television.
