Can the Swinging A's Win the West Again? Oakland A's 2007 Season Preview...

The Oakland Athletics in this decade, year after year have been able to compete in a stacked American League despite their market size and the economic reality of the sport. Under the tutelage of GM Billy Beane, the A’s have been able to build contender after contender, despite the economic disparity between the franchise and powerhouses like the New York Yankees. Although the team has seen a revolving door of stars leave like the organization, with the most recent being Barry Zito and Frank Thomas, through shrewd roster moves and great scouting, the A’s have remained an influential & a viable force in the game.

Changes were abound over the winter, as the aforementioned Barry Zito went to San Francisco, Frank Thomas parlayed his year to a big contract in Toronto, and maligned Ken Macha was disposed of, and Bob Geren took his place. In addition, Jay Payton and Jerome Williams left the team for free agency and Kirk Saarloos was traded. Over the winter, the team added longtime veteran and future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, pitcher Alan Embree, and the team acquired Donnie Murphy, David Shafer and Ryan Goleski via trades.

The A’s have been known for their efficient pitching and an always durable, reliable young core of talent. 2007 should bring more of the same, and expect the A’s to once again fight with the Angels for the reign of the AL West, as well as an American League wild card spot.

Let’s start off with the pitching rotation. With the exception of Barry Zito, the pitching rotation from last season remains pretty much intact with Rich Harden now as the future ace of the staff, with young Dan Haren, veteran Esteban Loaiza, Joe Blanton and Joe Kennedy.

Rich Harden starts off the rotation and was 4-0 with an ERA over 4 in 2006; however, he’s missed a lot of time the past two seasons due to injury. Harden has the potential to be one of the best starting pitchers in the league at only 25, but he simply needs to remain healthy. Dan Haren will probably be slotted to be the second starter, as he had a solid year in ’06 with a 14-13 record and a 4.12 ERA, and he’s got the potential as well to step up his game.

Esteban Loaiza struggled for during the first of the season with an injury, but got himself in order and finished with an 11-9 record and an ERA under 5. Based on his track record, he can expect to show some improvement from his ’06 and bring some balance to the starting rotation.

Reliable Joe Blanton will be the fourth starter, as he was 16-12, but with an ERA a little under 5. His ERA last season went up almost a run and a half from 2005, but he should be expected to improve. Joe Kennedy will round out the rotation, as he was 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA and shuffled between the bullpen and the starting rotation. Even though Kennedy’s ERA will most likely go up in ’07, if he can be solid for the A’s, he’ll stabilize a rotation which has the potential to be one of better staffs in the AL.

The bullpen for the A’s was one the strongest in baseball, and should remain the same way in 2007. Huston Street will be back in the fold, and in his third year, A’s fans should expect more of the same production from him. Although his ERA was nearly more than a run higher than his previous season where he won the Rookie of the Year award, he finished the season with 37 saves. He did struggle at times in 06, but overall, he’s been solid for the A’s and is regarded as one of the better closers in the game. Hopefully, Street will improve and bring down his ERA.

Rounding out the bullpen are Justin Duchscherer who had a solid year with a 2.91 ERA, Kilo Calero who got into 70 games, durable longtime veteran Alan Embree, Chad Gaudin, Jay Witasick and Brad Halsey.

Let’s move onto the starting lineup now. The starting lineup and offense for Oakland struggled at times, but were buoyed by the big bat of Frank Thomas in 2006 and helped get them into the playoffs. However, he’s gone, and the everyday players will need to do better to improve an offense which at times looked anemic and lacked run production. In addition, the team will need to find a way to stay healthy, as almost all the everyday players with exception of Kendall, had injuries or ailments to deal with and in turn, the offensive numbers suffered.

Future Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza headed north to Oakland to continue his career and will be counted on to be the designated hitter. Last season with the Padres, he hit .283 with 22 homers and 68 RBI. He’ll be counted to replace the amazing production that Frank Thomas brought to the organization. It’s not likely that he will match the production of Thomas, but at this stage in his career, the A’s should count on him for 15-20 homers, driving in 60 to 80 RBIs and batting .260-.290. The A’s will really need to count on to produce for the offense and perhaps rekindle some of the magic he had with the Mets.

Also a potential DH will be Bobby Kielty. He was solid in ’06 batting .270 in 81 games, and he can play the corner outfield positions.

The infield will be covered with Dan Johnson at first base, Mark Ellis at second base, Bobby Crosby at shortstop and Eric Chavez at third. Dan Johnson struggled last season as he only hit .234. The A’s will need him to improve as he’s slotted to be the everyday starter, but Nick Swisher right now is the backup and could be back in fold if Johnson falters. Also as a backup at first base will be Adam Melhuse.

At second base will be Mark Ellis who struggled after missing some time with injuries, and finished out the year with a .249 batting average and 11 homers with 52 runs driven in. He had a down year from 2005 where he batted .316 and will need to improve on his season last year. The every day shortstop will be Bobby Crosby who too missed time with injuries, only seeing action in 96 games and mustering a .229 batting average. The injuries definitely attributed to his poor display at the plate, as he’s missed a lot of time in 2 years.

For the A’s to be productive, they hope both Ellis and Crosby are healthy this upcoming season.

At third will be Eric Chavez, who too had a down year where he only batted .241, although he hit 22 homers and with 72 RBI. He too missed time with ailments, and although he’s a wiz with the glove, the A’s will need him to return to his form at the plate he’s had in previous seasons and really help lift up the offense.

The everyday outfield will have Milton Bradley in right, Mark Kotsay in center and Nick Swisher in left. Fiery Milton Bradley had good season, playing in 96 games, batting .276 and hitting 14 homers with 52 RBI. He too missed time with injuries, but his track record shows a solid player who should be able to hit for power and average although he’s been quite injury prone throughout his career.

In center field will be Mark Kotsay. He hit .275 with 7 homers and 59 RBI last year & should be relied upon to be solid. In left field will be dynamic Nick Swisher who hit 35 homers and drove in 95 runs. Although he only hit .254 during last season, he was a key cog in the offense along with the departed Frank Thomas. The A’s will need him to continue his progress and hope he too can stay healthy and avoid injury.

Backing up the outfield will be Shannon Stewart who hopes to stay healthy after struggling with injuries the past several seasons. He may see some time out in the field, as he is looking to re-establish himself, along with Bobby Kielty.

Jason Kendall will be the everyday catcher for Oakland as he hit .295 and drove in 50 runs last season. Although he’s lacking in power, based on his track record, he’s always been able to hit for average and should continue his production. Adam Melhuse and Mike Piazza will be the backups.

In the end, the A’s should once again be counted as contenders for both the American League West and the pennant; however, but the team must avoid injuries and get better production from the offense. The pitching, even with Zito leaving for the National League should be among the league’s best and will be perhaps what gets Oakland into the playoff. The main competition for the American League West will be the Angels, but in a stacked American League, it may become a dog fight in the end for a playoff spot American League supremacy with the crowded talented AL Central and East.