Is 2007 an evaluation year?
It's been a strange offseason for the Oakland A's, and the growing restlessness among the faithful at AN is obvious. What is Billy thinking? How can we compete in 2007 when we lost Thomas, Zito, and Payton and replaced them with Piazza, (insert favorite in-house candidate for 5th starter), and an injured and inexperienced Ryan Goleski? Has Billy lost his touch? Does Billy care more about his role as corporate darling than fielding a winning baseball team? At some point this winter, most of us have probably raised these questions to ourselves. After getting tired of arguing with the voices in my head as to what I believe, I have decided to present my current theory and let the wise folks at AN attack it.
My theory of 2007 is this: the question marks surrounding the team in 2007 are simultaneously the major cause of concern for the folks at AN and the justification for Billy's offseason. I have a feeling that Billy views 2007 as an evaluation year: a year to find out what we have in an effort to deal with the large shadow that the Angels will cast upon the AL West over the next 4-5 years.
Prior to the 2005 season, Billy was fond of saying that the A's were a young team that was going to get better and better as the years went by. Of course, GMs and owners always say shit like that; Allard Baird, Cam Bonifay, etc. have made careers out of promising future growth in the midst of dwindling talent. In Billy's case, though, his 2005 optimism was based on reasonable assumptions. Rich Harden was a rising superstar who had not begun his Mark Prior impersonation. Chavez was a super talented player who was entering his prime and appeared ready to join the superstar class. Dan Meyer was one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, and Dan Haren was a good young pitcher who had just pitched really well in the postseason at a young age. Our up the middle defense/offense was very strong, led by a healthy Kotsay, a budding star in Crosby, and newly healed Ellis to go along with a catcher coming off a .395 OBP in 2004. At that time, our minor league system was still considered solid, and the sky appeared to be the limit for the future.
Fast forward to this offseason, and many of these reasonably based optimisms have not turned out to be true. Harden is a huge question mark because of his health, Crosby is a question mark in a medical sense and a baseball intelligence sense, Ellis has been brilliant defensively but erratic on offense, Chavez has been hurt and has now declined offensively for three straight years, Meyer has become a sad reminder of why stat guys say TINSTAAPP, Kotsay appears to be in an irreversible decline because of chronic back problems, and Kendall had a horrific 2005 followed by a mediocre 2006. To add insult to injury, our minor league system is now considered weak by every major prospect expert.
Of course, despite these crushing blows, good things have happened. We were competitive in 2005 despite Ratto's "expert" predictions. Haren, Street, Swisher, and Duke have surprised. In 2006, we leveraged a year of Thomas, solid pitching, and a bit of luck into an ALCS appearance.
Faced with the question marks created by the failure of reasonably optimistic assumptions about players to materialize, what does Billy do in 2007? Does he give up a 2007 season and rebuild for 2008? Billy has never been willing to tank a season, and it was not reasonable to expect that he would do so in this offseason. However, Billy is willing to risk a season to find out what he has, 2005 showed that Billy is willing to "reload with risk." I think this is what Billy is doing in 2007. Billy is willing to risk the A's 2007 season in an effort to see what he is going to get in the future from Crosby, Chavez, Gaudin, Kennedy, Ellis, Johnson, and Harden.
Is this a smart strategy by Beane? For 2007, it is a risky option. We are basing a lot of our season on players that are large question marks for 2007. However, it seems to me that the A's may benefit in the future from this strategy. The one nice thing about this offseason is that we have not taken any steps that limit our future options. We have signed no players to long-term contracts, and we have not traded anyone who was a part of our future. If the disappointing players continue to disappoint in 2007, I believe we will see a housecleaning prior to 2008. For this year, I think it's a reasonable decision on Beane's part to buy time while assessing what we have. The weakness of the AL West still gives the A's a fighting chance to compete in 2007. It's not what I wanted going into the offseason, but I can accept this strategy if no major moves are made prior to Spring Training.
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82 comments
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good stuff
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 24, 2007 5:53 PM PST
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What happened to your poet friend?
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 6:57 PM PST
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We will all miss his wit and prose
-Nick Swisher
by kaweahkaweah on
Jan 24, 2007 7:03 PM PST
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That is exactly how I feel...
Although I am expecting big things from Harden, Crosby and Chavez next season... Not so much from DJ, and Kielty... So I hope they surprise me.
by SD Erik on
Jan 24, 2007 6:37 PM PST
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Sums up my thoughts quite nicely
Although, assuming a Worst Case Scenario, the housecleaning could start in July 07. It would take amazing seasons to boost Kennedy and Bradley into Type A FA status (and if we have amazing seasons from those two we probably aren't in a WCS) and since the Type B class have lost much of there value I would expect Beane to trade those two if it looked like the A's were in for a rebuild.
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 6:50 PM PST
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What do you think
by carp on
Jan 24, 2007 7:01 PM PST
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I'm not sure modest exists in this market
I don't believe in paying money to players I can't count on to play when I want them to.
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 7:13 PM PST
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I see your points...
by carp on
Jan 25, 2007 7:29 AM PST
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i say we try to lock him up
by methodrampage on
Jan 25, 2007 7:04 AM PST
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Good points
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 24, 2007 7:06 PM PST
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Yes, indeed
http://athleticsnation.com/comments/2007/1/24/103313/873/29#29
As we all get a little frustrated waiting for the next genius Beane move, I am kind of hoping he waits for the deadline. For one thing, we have little of value to trade right now that we aren't already counting on if we are good. But even if Beane was able to whip up a classic and get 2 or 3 guys that we are all thrilled about, it would probably be at the expense of the farm and then the axis of injury (Harden/Crosby/Ellis/Bradley/Kennedy/Kotsay) could all go down at once and we would have traded some good future pieces for nothing but a failure in the present.
If Beane waits until the deadline to decide, the picture will be clearer. We could either be in a position to fill a desperate need on a contender, or we could be in a position to get a heck of a lot more for a guy like Blanton than a 21 year old outfielder with a bad attitude that will probably demand a trade when someone tells him he can't steal bases. Heck, as desperate as it looks like the Mets will be for pitching by then, we probably could have gotten a gem prospect from them for Saarloos if we had waited. (No offense, David Shafer)
by broaklyn on
Jan 25, 2007 5:53 AM PST
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The Axis Of Injury....
by Shippee33 on
Jan 25, 2007 7:01 PM PST
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In a related thought...
http://www.minorleagueball.com/
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 6:56 PM PST
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Yes
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 24, 2007 7:09 PM PST
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Trades
by Threepwood XX on
Jan 24, 2007 7:11 PM PST
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nice diary, but:
i think with a healthy chavez, a healthy harden, a healthy crosby, bradley going into a contract year, haren and street one year more experienced, a better balanced bullpen and a team playing for a new manager, this '07 team is a 100 win team... EASY. This team will win the west next yr....comfortably.
as for trying to understand "what billy is thinking?"-don't. my guess is you'ii never figure it out. you see, the greatest trick billy ever pulled was convincing the baseball world he didn't know what the hell he was doing. And like that...poof, he pulls a fuckin' a trade. :-)
by bigelephant on
Jan 24, 2007 7:13 PM PST
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Unfortunately BigE
Larry Davis is still the trainer and I believe Hannibal Lector is the team doctor.
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 7:16 PM PST
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oh, yea of little faith!
by bigelephant on
Jan 24, 2007 7:54 PM PST
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<sigh>
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 8:06 PM PST
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should make AN Quote of the Month
by carp on
Jan 25, 2007 7:29 AM PST
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Don't steal our fun
As to your optimism for 2007, the large amount of qualifiers in your 100 win prediction is exactly what we're talking about. I would love to assume that all of those good things will come true, but they didn't come true last year, and there's no way to know whether they will this year.
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 24, 2007 7:22 PM PST
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well, exactly my friend
by bigelephant on
Jan 24, 2007 7:53 PM PST
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Agree
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 24, 2007 8:04 PM PST
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we have a good shot to win the AL west next year
if i had to do an oaktoon-like pulling of numbers out of some orifice, i'd say:
angels 50%
a's 40%
rangers 10%
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 24, 2007 8:10 PM PST
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sounds about right
Angels 50%
A's 45%
Texas 5%
But I'm just orifice pickin' as well.
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 24, 2007 8:16 PM PST
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I'd say
A's: 35%
Rangers: 10%
Mariners: 0% (accurate to 0.0%)
by mikeA on
Jan 24, 2007 8:22 PM PST
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*Reflects Angels-boosterism
by mikeA on
Jan 24, 2007 8:23 PM PST
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35% is too low
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 24, 2007 8:34 PM PST
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over the rest of his career?
by matthias on
Jan 24, 2007 8:36 PM PST
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he's got something to prove
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 24, 2007 8:42 PM PST
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whoa, that's how i originally had it
and really that makes it 47% to 53% because we all know the rangers will tank in the summer and finish with 82 wins, as they do every year.
really shouldn't we be satisfied with a 47% chance of winning the division? add our 6-10% chance of being the wild card, and i'm quite satisfied with our current team.
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 24, 2007 8:23 PM PST
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Texas is revitalized
by Charlie Brown on
Jan 25, 2007 3:58 AM PST
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and...
by peoples27 on
Jan 28, 2007 7:25 AM PST
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I would revise those rankings
Angels 40%
A's 32%
Rangers 26%
Mariners 2%
Point is that the Rangers are revitalized with Ron Washington and management willing to spend some money to get him the team he wants.
by Charlie Brown on
Jan 25, 2007 4:03 AM PST
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mine
A's 30%
Mariners 10%
Rangers 5%
...I think the Mariners have a better chance than the Rangers of finishing last also; they just have some talent that, if all goes well, could materialize into something of a contender, despite Bavasi's well-earned recent ranking as the worst GM in baseball. With Ichiro in a contract year, Beltre perhaps showing signs of life in the second half last year, Ibanez, Sexson, a healthy Vidro (bigger if than a healthy Crosby), Jojihma, decent middle IF, and Jose fucking Guillen (potentially the best player on the team), they're likely the best lineup in the division. What they lack in OBP they make up for in SLG. Still, no easy outs there, unless Hargrove gives Bloomquist 400 AB's again, which would be nice. I predict Felix competes with Harden for the Cy this year, the bullpen is solid...if they get any pitching from 2-5, they could win 90 games. More likely that they lose a lot of 8-6 games and finish 75-87.
OTOH, Texas is like guaranteed to finish within 5 games of .500...
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 4:26 AM PST
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so, how 'bout some last place %'s
Rangers 28%
A's 17%
Angels 5%
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 4:35 AM PST
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random sportsbook AL West odds
A's 2:1
Rangers 5:1
Mariners 12:1
Most people here would probably like those 2:1 odds for the A's...I almost do. M's at 12:1 almost appeals to me.
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 4:41 AM PST
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translated into percentages:
A's 2:1 = 33.33%
Rangers 5:1 = 16.67%
Mariners 12:1 = 7.69%
No, I am not betting on the Angels, despite what the numbers would suggest, heh
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 4:50 AM PST
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my bad...
So yeah, now I'm definitely not betting on them. And I was kind of wondering why the sportsbook was being so generous...with my previous percentages, the numbers added up to a bit under 100%, which would mean no juice, and in fact a little overlay for the bettors. Now the sum of the percentages is about 116.
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 4:56 AM PST
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Angels' computational error
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:09 AM PST
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last step
Angels: 50.28% (I guess the real bet here is Angels or the field...)
A's: 28.73%
Rangers: 14.37%
Mariners: 6.62%
heh, despite rounding to the hundredth place, that adds up to exactly 100%.
So that's what the sportsbook I consulted is "predicting" (more accurately, what the bettors on that sportsbook are predicting with their bets) for the AL West. These are the useful figures for comparisons with our predictions; if you're going to bet, obviously, the previous ones are the useful ones. The juice makes all the difference for whether of not I would bet on the A's...given any credibility for my 30% projection, I would bet on them without the juice, seeing as I'd have a SLIGHT advantage over the house's projected 28.73% chance. But with the juice, the 33.33% chance gives me, in betting parlance, a -EV (negative expected value), of 9% to be exact.
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:07 AM PST
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other divisions' odds
Yankees 4:9
Red Sox 2:1
Blue Jays 6:1
Orioles 100:1 (lol)
Devil Rays 100:1 (lol...c'mon, 80:1 for the D-Rays)
Seeing as the Yankees' odds are predictably skewed, I think betting a good amount of money on the Red Sox AND Blue Jays here would be really smart. Two ways to do this. First, say you put a grand down on both, two grand bet total. If the Red Sox win the division, you win two grand...you get your money back. If the Blue Jays win, you get six grand...a 3:1 payout.
But if you're like me and think Boston's 2:1 odds are what you really want to cash in on (anyone want to argue with me that they're the best team in the league?), then bet six times as much on the Red Sox as you would on the Blue Jays. For example, 1800 on the Sox and 300 on the Jays. If the Jays' well-balanced squad overcomes the Evil Empires and prevails, you get 1800, your money back. If the Sox win, as you would expect, you double up to 3600. Note to self: remember this.
AL Central:
Before I even click on this division...if ANY of the 4 contenders here have odds significantly below the other teams, that's the bet.
White Sox 9:5
Tigers 9:5
Twins 3:1
Indians 4:1
Royals 75:1 (I think they forgot a zero or two)
Give me a small bet on the Tribe, please. With each passing day I'm getting more and more convinced that they're the best team here...but say for argument's sake that all 4 teams are even bets to win the division, then they should all be 4:1. So there's no real value in betting much on the Tribe. Thank the juice for that.
NL East:
Mets 2:5
Phillies 4:1 (I guess people are buying into Jimmy Rollins' recent prediction that they'd win the division...I certainly don't. This 4:1 bet is way worse than the Tribe's.)
Marlins 6:1
Braves 8:1 (um...$$$$$$$)
Nats 50:1
I'd wait on this one. If the Mets don't add an SP by the beginning of the season, Braves are a good bet at those odds. Besides, you'll have more reason to cheer for Hudson.
NL Central
Curious to see how the Cubs' flurry of deals has affected the betting lines...
Cardinals 7:5
Cubs 7:5 (oh boy)
Astros 7:1
Brewers 7:1
Reds 12:1
Pirates 35:1
wow. If you held a gun to my head and forced me to throw money at some team in this division (and you'd have to do that to get me to bet in a 6-team division stacked with mediocre teams), I guess I'd take a flier on the Pirates paying off big, like I did for the NFL this year when I took the Cards at 25:1 odds to win the entire NFC (heh...looks dumb now, but if Leinart started earlier, they probably win the division, then who knows...they sure showed they could beat the Bears during the regular season). Mind you, that was for $20. Wouldn't even waste that on the NL Central...
NL West
Dodgers 7:5
Padres 5:2
Giants 3:1 (lol)
Diamondbacks 6:1 (should be odds for the Giants, too)
Rockies 12:1
Given the gun-to-the-head scenario for this division, I think I'd let you shoot me and hope for the best.
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:40 AM PST
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thanks for the odds
by apilgrim on
Jan 25, 2007 9:16 AM PST
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my pleasure
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:09 PM PST
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mullet once again breaks his own record
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 25, 2007 10:57 AM PST
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heh
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:13 PM PST
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is this correct?
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 25, 2007 11:00 AM PST
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from the bettors' perspective, yeah
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:06 PM PST
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with juice though...
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:14 PM PST
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confirmed
by methodrampage on
Jan 26, 2007 9:07 AM PST
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one error
If you have the funds and have no qualms about making bets (whether it be philosophical opposition or whatever other reason), I would strongly recommend betting heavily on this. As things stand, I look to (finally) be making an income soon, with an Internet venture being launched next month that AN will be hearing about, but...it will take about a year to determine whether that's boom or bust. In the meantime, I'm going to have to part with a Tiger Woods SI for Kids card that inexplicably (to me...it's a fucking cutout card...but it's considered his "rookie" card, and it's valuable, so I'm not complaining) is worth anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000+ depending on the condition of the card, which I need to have professionally graded. So the moral of the story is that I'll probably just have a little bit to throw at this bet, but if I had more, I'd use it to essentially bet against the Yankees winning the AL East.
by Cutthemullet on
Jan 25, 2007 5:40 PM PST
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Dan Johnson will indeed
by Nico on
Jan 24, 2007 9:16 PM PST
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You know
by grover on
Jan 24, 2007 9:23 PM PST
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Yeah, I forgot to mention that
by Nico on
Jan 24, 2007 9:31 PM PST
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Thanks for the clarification
by grover on
Jan 25, 2007 7:20 PM PST
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2007 as an evaluation year
by grover on
Jan 25, 2007 5:32 AM PST
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true grover
by bigelephant on
Jan 25, 2007 5:56 AM PST
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I agree 2007 will be an evluation year...
by Miggy on
Jan 25, 2007 8:24 AM PST
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health evaluation
by methodrampage on
Jan 25, 2007 7:14 AM PST
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Evaluating Health
- Swisher and Chavez as the cornerstones. Harden, Haren, and Street on the bump. These guys are locked up for 3+ Years.
They BELIEVE they have the right prospects filling key positions over the next 2-3 years:
- Buck (07-08), Barton (07-08), Suzuki(08), Herrera (09), Mellilo (08-09)
They BELIEVE in the young pitching prospects they drafted the past few seasons:
- Cahill, Lansford, Mazzaro, Italiano, Ray, Webb
I don't see things getting BAD all of a sudden. I don't see things getting BAD gradually. Some things never change. Death, Taxes, and the A's in contention in the AL West.
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 7:46 AM PST
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agreed, however
i believe the overall future of the team looks fine but depending on the health of this team things could get pretty BAD pretty FAST for any given season as i don't see the depth on this team being a strong point.
by methodrampage on
Jan 25, 2007 8:52 AM PST
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I understand the depth issue
Depth is a concern for all teams. Isn't it? If the Yankees lose Jeter or A-Rod, who's their replacement(s)?
It is, What it is.
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 10:11 AM PST
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Of course
by BlameChannel53 on
Jan 25, 2007 10:18 AM PST
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OK
If contending teams stay healthy this season, they'll contend. If contending teams don't stay healthy, then they won't contend.
We are a contending team. We get injured more than other teams. That's unfortunate.
The end.
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 10:33 AM PST
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Every Year is an Evaluation Year
1st third of every season is figuring out what you have...2nd third is getting what you need...and the final 3rd is putting it altogether, hence our patented "second-half runs".
THat being said, I acknowledge that this year could be an especially active season in periods 2 and 3, especially if we are not in contention around those times.
I would hope that Beane finds ways right after the All Star Break to give guys like Buck, Melillo and Suzuki some substantive time on the major league club so that they will arrive in '08 with enough experience to make at least a league-average impact during their rookie seasons.
If Beane is able to do that, work in these rookies during a divisional race and get them seasoned for their full-season 2008 debuts, I would consider this "evaluation year" a success, no matter what our record ends up being or how we finish in the division.
by Taj Adib on
Jan 25, 2007 9:08 AM PST
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Mid-season trades to restock the minors
The problem with this strategy for this A's is that you never really give up on them no matter how bad they look early in the season, given their recent history.
by boilerdan on
Jan 25, 2007 9:44 AM PST
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good points
Not a whole lot of expectations from this team. 2006 I expected the team to win, and they did, other than winning it all.
I wouldnt be that shocked if the team is mediocre/under achieving based on things discussed (Crosby, Harden etc) or if the team wins the division again based on the same things.
No expectations, hoping for the best.
by pickinmachine on
Jan 25, 2007 9:56 AM PST
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Expectations
Health was a huge question mark last season. Not many people expected an ALCS appearance...and those who did were shot down as being "Way too Optimistic"... or with , "The Odds of the Big Hurt getting even 300 AB's is a longshot at best".
It's the duty of AN Members to shoot down overly optimistic projections (Oaktoon on a 8-Game Winning Streak), as well as overly pessimistic outlooks (Oaktoon on an 8-Game Losing Streak/Bender).
Basically: The Sky is not falling, and we're not much worse off than we were this time last season. In fact, our pitching projects to be better this season, than last season (4.21 ERA in 2006).
AL Pitching Projections:
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 10:27 AM PST
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team era
OAK 4.06
if we actually match the angels, we're probably coasting to the playoffs.
by xbhaskarx on
Jan 25, 2007 11:05 AM PST
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RISP
- In 2006, Our Overall Team Batting Average was .260
- In 2006, Our Overall Team Batting Average w/ RISP was .243
Like Howard Jones said, "Things can only get better". right?
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 11:35 AM PST
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disagree
I had huge expectations for 2006 BEFORE the season started, and I have the Vegas bets to prove it.
No I dont think the sky is falling, just saying that the "expectations" arent there for me personally.
by pickinmachine on
Jan 25, 2007 1:42 PM PST
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My expectations
by Colorado Fan on
Jan 25, 2007 2:26 PM PST
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expectations
however, i do expect laaoa to be better than they were last year. should there starting pitching keeping improving they will be very tough because can there defense really play that bad two years in a row.
with that said i expect a close race, as laaoa has some glaring holes that they haven't filled and i hope there prospects keep flopping like d-mac, napoli, kotchman and morales.
by methodrampage on
Jan 26, 2007 9:14 AM PST
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Beane really has no other choice........
by may7 on
Jan 25, 2007 12:25 PM PST
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Hmm...
by Uncle Charlie on
Jan 25, 2007 12:28 PM PST
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Interesting stuff...
It also didn't help that this was a weak free agency year. Obviously the A's are rarely in the running for the top names, but even the middle-of-the-road names the A's could count on to make a steal aren't even middle-of-the-road players.
So yeah, I can see 2007 being a "see what sticks" kind of year and go from there.
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on
Jan 25, 2007 1:44 PM PST
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Pretty good writing
I believe 2007 is looking like an evaluation period. I just hope that our players dont fall further off the talent market and if the worst happens and players like Crosby , Harden , etc. dont pan out we could still rebuild for the future.
I would love nothing more then if the A's fail by midseason and are at least 9 games out of first we make some major changes and really look to build a super foundation for Cisco Field. That means trading everbody with some value for some real star prospects.
by tankormike on
Jan 25, 2007 6:32 PM PST
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kendall
by methodrampage on
Jan 26, 2007 9:23 AM PST
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This is a great diary
by jeepers on
Jan 26, 2007 11:33 AM PST
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