What's Going To Give

by Gerard on Apr 25, 2007 11:31 AM PDT Comment 26 comments

Alright AN our heads are spinning with all of the injuries that have taken place. So what's this roster going to look like in the next month, by July and beyond? Theorists, prognosticators and cynics are all welcome.

The casualties thus far: Let's start form the top. Johnson went down in ST but is ready for the call. Torn labrum or not, he's playing to his usual AAAA capacity. Hey he's a "healthy body", so when does he come up?

Harden: Oh man, at this point I think he won't be right until he learns to be a pitcher vs a guy who pushes his body to the extreme but at the price of abusing his body.

Loaiza: Cervical Disc disease. It won't get any easier for him but the latest surgeries such as micro disc-ectomies show promising results for most individuals. All I can say is, get him healthy then trade him.

Kielty: if his calf injury lingers he will go on the DL then to Sacto depending on who's healthy.

Bradley: He wears his body down based on poor technique especially when running. Just watch him the next time he's able. He also does better in warmer weather. Don't question his motivation this is a contract year for him. He wants to play.

Kotsay: On the 60 day DL. We knew he'd be out for a awhile. Just a roster move b/c we knew he wouldn't be back in April or May. I target mid to late June...if all goes well.

Swisher: Hamstring injuries can be tough. But if you look at the replay he twisted his ankle as well. This can alter his gait which can have implications in terms of affecting his hips and back if he doesn't rehabilitate properly. I suspect he be limited to 1st base or DH.

Buck: He doesn't have the largest wrists in the world and twirling a bat can cause tendinitis which heals with time. Let's hope his therapy is going well.

Whew... I'm sure I forgot to mention other issues but this is exhausting. So what moves do we make? I'm not a huge Walker fan and replacing him with Johnson is okay with me. Swisher's injury may now affect that scenerio.

Starting pitching. Damn we're good. Are we now 7 deep? Maybe not so fast but the future remains promising DESPITE INJURIES. Our Bullpen is okay. I dont' think Duke is quite right but if a couple of people will be dropped I expect Dinardo and or Witasick.

So what will this team look like? Is their hope to still be had or are more medical consultations on the way?

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Starting Pitching: early success may be illusion

This is not to start any divisive argument, but I don't think we can win the division if E-Lo and Harden are out the whole year, or a good portion of it. Gaudin is a pleasant surprise but he is missed in the bullpen. Kennedy hasn't yet gone over 5 innings if I recall correctly. We are not going to continue the historic "roll" we are on with the Starting Pitching, - I won't call it a "fluke" but it isn't the "statistical norm" for SP either. I can't comment on the injuries because I have no knowledge of sports medicine, training, etc. Getting Kots and DJ back will help depth-wise. I'm all for any moves that increase our outfield depth. Other diaries are discussing our depth chart and what we have in the minors for emergency callups; have to defer to those. :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 12:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We Won't go anywhere without Harden

A promising young staff is one thing, but Harden's talent really is sublime. We just need more bandaids. ELo I suspect will be out longer that we'd like, but there's nothing that can be done about that.
A younger team has a better chance to be healthy as we saw in the early part of this decade. I believe youth is an undervalued commodity that gets overlooked as teams become attached to certain players (see Kotsay).

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Apr 25, 2007 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe Todd Walker is a find in '07 only

With the injuries we have, it seems nice to have A warm body with experience. The pitching will be key and it will take another hot streak in July/August to win the division. If the Angels lose Vlad then their season is over.

Anyone else worried that we are starting out in a decent fashion? It scares the crap out of me.

"Shitburger, Skip?"

by ohtobe21likehuston on Apr 25, 2007 1:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Walker had important at-bats

that were directly related to two wins. I doubt DJ in his place would have gotten those hits.

I don't claim to be a big Walker fan, particularly not his glove. But it's nice to have that veteran bat on the team.

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Walker's 'D' has been fine so far ..

I realize you're not a fan of his defensive play but to be fair, thus far it hasn't been that bad? He's made some pretty good plays at first. Not implying you're wrong, just that so far Walker's defense hasn't hurt us - it has been serviceable. And definitely would rather have a bench player like him, who is a professional hitter {who has already come through in the clutch as you said}, than someone like "interstate perez" who couldn't hit a lick for us last year. Or maybe it's "bingo perez", not sure. :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

his defensive play has hurt in some cases

but that's not the point. I'm arguing for trying to keep him as a valuable veteran bat off the bench.

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

When? Where?

I can't think of a single play where I would fault Walker and say definitely he blew that play. Has he been charged any errors? The only thing I can think of was one play in Texas where maybe Swisher might have gotten a hard smash to Walker's right because Swish is left-handed and Walker is right-handed.

OK I looked it up and here are his fielding stats:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/...

In 2007 he has 0 errors and 1.000 fielding percentage. How is that hurting the team on defense?

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's missed several

short hops on throws to first that most 1Bmen get. Serviceable, but definitely subpar.

by mikeA on Apr 25, 2007 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks Mike

saves me the trouble of mentioning the same plays

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Welllllllll ...

.. In one of the recent Giants-Cards games here in SF, I saw gold glove Puhols miss a ball softly tossed directly to him from the 2nd-baseman on about as routine play as they come. It was waist level, hit right in his 1B-mitt and popped out. Albert definitely got charged an error on that! Walker has been charged no errors. Let's lighten up on Walker's 'D' until the official scoring actually charges some errors or gives him a fielding percentage below 1000 !!!

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Now that I lost control with that rant

.. he'll probably make 2 errors tonite and I will be ashamed to show my face here tomorrow .. ;-(

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry you don't see the difference

between errors committed by a gold glover and routine plays that aren't made by a below average defender, even if they are not considered errors.

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand your point but do think

.. you seem to have had a strong objection about Walker's defense all along, even when the A's acquired him from the waiver wire, and even before he has made any errors playing for the A's. That's why I was reluctant to raise the issue, and probably shouldn't have. If Walker actually had been charged errors, you would be waving that in our faces, but since he hasn't been charged, to maintain your pre-bias about his defense you have to rely on qualitative opinion about plays you think he should have made {even though the official scorer didn't}. And I guess I do disagree about "routine plays", - if they were routine, one would be charged with an error. Some short hops are easy, others {the more in-between ones} are difficult. Swisher hasn't caught all those either, although he's definitely outstanding with the glove. I'm sorry for saying anything, I know from your past posting history on this that you've pre-concluded something about Walker's defense and won't change your mind on that. There was one AN member {don't recall the name} who objected and said he had seen Walker's first base play for the Cubs last year {when Derrik Lee was hurt} and thought it was plenty good. There's a "qualitative" witness in Walker's favor. But that doesn't count either because your problem is that you've made a dogmatic pre-conclusion which means anyone who disagrees you will not tolerate; which again is why I shouldn't have gotten in your way here; sorry. :(

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've been a baseball fan for a long time

and I've seen Walker play on quite a few occasions. I've also read numerous descriptions of him as a player with a good bat but below average glove. You can feel free to disagree all you want. I'm never offended by differences in opinion, even as I continue to defend mine. Certainly, I'm not the only person who has seen Walker this way, and in fact I've supported having him on the bench for his bat. (If he was better with the glove it's likely he wouldn't have bounced around so much, by the way.) so there's nothing "preconclusive' about what I or others have written.

You don't know me, and I find your characterization of what my "problem" is to be inappropriate for this site.

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I'm sorry for that

I tried to contact you privately but there was no alternate email listed. It is hurtful {to me} to get into a dispute with another member of a forum or blog. I always feel badly about that, and usually prefer to contact privately if possible about those things.

My thinking has nothing to do with Walker's history with other teams, nor with his history at other positions. I'm saying that, so far, playing first base for the Athletics in 2007, he has been fine in my humble opinion. Zero errors, 1.000 fielding percentage. And I have seen him make some nice plays, including his play in Baltimore.

Will he continue to play good defense? I have no idea. But until in my eyes, and the official scorer's eyes, he shows otherwise, I don't have reason to criticize his defense for the A's in 2007.

Btw I do have an email addy listed in my profile if you want to talk privately. Take Care Buddy,

Warmly, Ran

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

no need for private conversation

and I accept your apology.

A player's defensive ability isn't always indicated by errors, since players with great range also have more chances to have errors ascribed to them. And many times an error isn't charged, when it probably could be.

I'm glad Walker has on the team. But he wouldn't have been available if he had a better rep defensively. Even a poor defender won't suck in every game and in every chance, otherwise I doubt they'd make it to the majors at all.

by OaklandSi on Apr 25, 2007 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

{grin} Well we got DJ tonite so ..

.. I'm off the hook! .. I would have really eaten crow if Walker made couple errors tonite! :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 25, 2007 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There Are Liars,Damned Liars...

and then there's statisticians...
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/player...
I agree he's had a couple of hits but overall, I'd take Hatteberg back if I could (and that's still not saying a whole heckuva a lot). My only excuse is that DJ hasn't been in there so I can complain about him...yet. Bring on Barton

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Apr 25, 2007 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Barton is a diamond but so was Carlos Pena

I am hoping that they keep him down long enough for him to develop a power stroke. I just can't see it happening in the "bigs." He obviously would be equal to most of the guys but I'm not sure that is much of a compliment.

I enjoyed the diary, Gerard. Goooo A's!!

"Shitburger, Skip?"

by ohtobe21likehuston on Apr 25, 2007 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Move Harden to the bullpen

I've given up on Harden as a starter. He's too dumb to pace himself and too fragile to go more than a few innings at a time, just like Duchscherer. So move him to the bullpen and be done with it, at this stage in his career that's all you're going to get from him.

Loaiza is a reasonable pitcher when healthy, and he helped a lot in last year's pennant race. I know nothing about the type of injury he has, but it's not hurting us that much that he can't pitch right now. Gaudin, Braden and Kennedy will do just fine.

I don't expect Kotsay to come back. Back surgery is serious business and it's going to take him a year to heal. He wasn't that good to begin with, too old and too slow, so write him off.

I don't know why Kielty is on the roster. He's also not that good when healthy, and if he can't stay healthy he's just taking up a roster slot for nothing.

I don't get the logic of minor league rehab games for a position player. The A's need warm bodies, and if Johnson can play in Sacto he can play in Oakland. Bring him up now.

I also don't expect Swisher to come back real soon. That ankle sprain looked really nasty.

I think we need to get used to seeing an outfield of Putnam, Buck, and Stewart for good while, and an infield of DJ, Ellis, Crosby, and Chavy. If DJ can hit like he did before he rubbed suntan oil in his eyes and Crosby is healthy, that'll be fine.

Finally, Jason Kendall is not such a super-producer that he needs to be in the lineup every day. He's an old man starting to break down, and he should play no more than 5 games a week. Melhuse is a perfectly acceptable sub and he needs to be used more often. If Kendall has to play 7 games a week, it's best to have the pitchers bat for themselves and use the DH to hit for Kendall. That will reduce GIDPs significantly.

"...so I figured, you know, why not test him." -- Travis Buck on One-Arm Johnny Damon

by BubbaDude on Apr 25, 2007 1:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree about Kendall

He needs to prove he should play every at this point in his career. I think Beane won't offer a contract extension to him.
With players such Kielty who aren't very service-able I could see Beane getting rid of Walker as well to create room for cheaper players/rookies. The issue with rookies, however, is that they like them to play.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Apr 25, 2007 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I respectfully disagree...

with you regarding Kendall. I do agree currently he is an awful offensive player, but he does provide veteran leadership, plays the game the right way (even with his deteriorating skills), and the pitchers all rave about his game calling skills. I give him a lot of the credit for the success the starting pitchers are having this year. By the end of the year he'll be in the .280 to .290 range. That's pretty decent if you compare it to the stats of other catchers in the league. I think the reason people give him a hard time is because he has only 1 HR in 2 plus years with the team. Remember, chicks love the long-ball!

by athleticsBB4life on Apr 25, 2007 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

For me it's the GIDPs

I don't expect everybody to produce, but guys who take other guys off the bases really piss me off.

"...so I figured, you know, why not test him." -- Travis Buck on One-Arm Johnny Damon

by BubbaDude on Apr 25, 2007 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No guarantee that he wouldn't get injured

if he is was a closer. I recall someone writing an in-depth piece on this topic and it sold me on not believing that it would change his health. On the surface-- it does appear to be a great thought but I am not ready to call him Kerry Wood or Mark Prior-- YET.

"Shitburger, Skip?"

by ohtobe21likehuston on Apr 25, 2007 7:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

not yet, but...

history isn't on his side. great pitchers with significant arm problems before they turned 25 -- Smoky Joe Wood, Dizzy Dean, Herb Score, Mark Fidrych, Prior and Wood ... none of them came back to where they were, and some of them had a lot of chances.

by vk on Apr 25, 2007 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Caveat: with exception of Prior and Wood ...

.. those others on your list did not have benefit of the state of the art in sports medicine that exists currently. The one encouraging sign I see is that Rich was able to avoid surgery last year, which would have probably made him unavailable most of this year for sure. The elbow ligament strain was potentially serious, - and by the way, Felix Hernandez' recent injury sounded eerily similar to Rich Harden's injury of last year, or Liriano's elbow injury. The Mariners are saying that he avoided potentially season ending Tommy John surgery by being honest and taking himself out of the game quickly - I hope he recovers because he's an amazing talent. With Rich, I'm not willing to give up on him yet, and definitely don't think the A's have much chance to make post-season if Rich goes down permanently this year. OK I will say it, I don't think the A's have any chance to win the division if Rich goes down. Harden is that great of a talent, and Zito is on the other side of the Bay, unavailable to bail us out this year. Just look at our anemic offense, if we don't have dominant pitching we have no chance. :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 26, 2007 6:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs