A look ahead to 2007
by limecat on Oct 13, 2006 11:32 PM PDT
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PrintAs the door begins to close on the 2006 season, it becomes time to look ahead to next year, and how the A's will perform.
I was discussing this with a friend, and he said that this would be the best A's team for the next few years. After all, Zito is leaving us and we don't really have anyone in the pipeline who is his equal. At first I agreed with him. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the A's could be even better in 2007!
Its true that barring a huge change of heart, Zito will be leaving us. But none of our the rest of our core pitching staff is going to change. Add to this a healthy Rich Harden. Harden, in my opinion, is a better pitcher than Zito. With Harden taking over for Zito, and our bullpen continuing to be great, I'm putting it out there: our team ERA will be slightly better next year than it is this year. Maybe by as much as a third of a run!
2007 will also have Crosby return to us. Now, I love Scutaro as much as anyone but Crosby is a better player. It would be almost impossible for him not to improve upon his .229 average. Chavez is in a similar situation, and should rebound next year. If Dan Johnson finds his stroke, the A's should have a much more potent line-up, offensivey - Kendall, Kotsay, Crosby, Chavez, Thomas, Swisher, Bradley, Johnson and Ellis make for a nice order. No easy outs.
Otherwise, our team will in 2007 will resemble this year's team in most other respects. No one really played about their level, so we don't have to worry about someone regressing to the norm. Honestly, it seems like 2007 will be an even better year for the A's.
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Too soon.....
Let's be real, BZ is an oakland A. He should stay an A, but should be our fourth or fifth starter. He has not been lights out since his cy young, his best asset is despite his ERA he doesn't miss a game, but even though he has the best hook in the league, people have seen, studied and learned it. Unless he learns a spliter, he is going to continue to be a good day/bad day pitcher. lets at least get a high draft pick before the rules change. I agree with the rest though, just too early to think about it, (sniff).
Now time like the present!
I'm hopeful they'll win the next eight games
hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation
That's what I'm doing.
by Alameda Greg on Oct 14, 2006 12:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Accounting for Injuries
For example, Thomas played without issues for the better part of the year. And Blanton's been healthy, as has Haren. What if those change? Pitchers wear down...
What if Chavez goes down for an extended period?
What if Kotsay's back acts up?
What if Ellis is hurt again?
The inuries are more a crapshoot than the playoffs.
But you can't assume they WILL be injured, either
In fact, come to think of it, I doubt 2007 could be worse, injury-wise, than 2006. Yet another reason why the A's will be better next year! :)
We need an upgrade in LF
Payton is an ideal 4th OF'er...a guy who can play all three OF positions, and has a bit of pop off the bench. Unfortunately, he's made it abundantly clear he does not see himself in a reserve role, and he will be costly to keep next year. Kielty is a solid #4 OF'er (God, I hope he gives up this switch-hitting charade and just goes RH against everyone).
Gary Sheffield, anyone? Can we turn another alleged clubhouse cancer into a good guy? The Yankees are definitely not picking up his option. With Sheffield and hopefully healthier seasons from Bradley, Crosby, Chavez and Ellis, we would have a much better offense than this year, even with lesser production from Thomas.
And don't let this post fool you: I'm still holding out hope for tomorrow. And Sunday. And Tuesday...
How about Bonds!
But that's not the point of this diary. Instead, I just wanted to point out that even if Billy Beane doesn't make single transaction - which is ridiculously unlikely - the A's will field a better team next year than they did this year. :)
Only worries are
The rotation will be Haren, Blanton, Loaiza and Harden if he can get healthy. I think Blanton can bounce back some and Loaiza can stabilize but Harden has spent the last two years proving he can't be counted on for a full season. That's a serious problem.
Losing Zito is not going to hurt the A's much
I'm not a big Barry fan
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