A very hopeful read for us A's fans. Lets glance back at what we had to deal with last year:
1) Kendall's woeful hitting
2) Crosby never being healthy long
3) Chavvy's tendinitis
4) Kotsay's constant back issues
5) Piazza's injuries (although he did produce well early on)
What we lose:
1) Stewarts consistent bat (although he still hasn't signed with anyone yet)
2) Swisher's developing sweetness

With those things in mind and looking at who is, at the moment, likel to fill in our gaps I think our lineup could be much improved, although I have some slight reservations about the Brown and Denorfia production numbers. I see us getting some great ABs from Ellis for good contact hitting.

1. Denorfia
2. Barton
3. Buck
4. Cust
5. Ellis
6. Chavez
7. Suzuki (or #1)
8. Crosby
9. Brown

That looks like a pretty long sweet spot in the middle where I could see that group of 2-7 batting around a .280 avg for the group.

Which is what -- 6% of the total? Distributed in the right way, that could be signficant to the Ws-n-Ls. And Lawd knows we all try to "play the game the right way" (if I hear that buzz phrase again I promise to retch on the speaker's shoes).

Would it be fair to say the best-to-random might be about half of that, or 23 runs=3%? And best-to-almost best is a lot less? That's the gap I don't think merits the amount of mental anguish we devote to it.

With the caveat that you don't want to stack lefties or righties because it gives the opposing manager a tactical advantage.

Imagining the starting nine listed above and eyeballing the ZiPs projections, you'd want something like this:

Buck
Barton
Chavez
Cust
Denorfia
Ellis
Suzuki
Brown
Crosby

Of course, that leaves four lefties at the top of the lineup, which is a tactical disadvantage. In Oakland's case, it might not make a difference, since avoiding the four lefties in a row leaves them giving more PAs to bad righties.

That way you will have there "B's following by 3 "C's".

It is a shame we don't have some A's in the lineup.

I am also waiting for when we have two Gonzales and to Sweeneys on our team at one time.

Your line does provide one awesome 1-6 when Chavez is healthy.

I wonder if he knows how universally beloved he has become.

But he needed to be updated for this thread.

who let their starters throw 14 innings just aren't around any more. Yet Billy, and only Billy, could get guys like Wayne Gross, Mickey Klutts, Keith Drumright, Shooty Babbitt, Rob Picciolo, and Chicken Stanley, to "triple steal of home" their way into starting a season 17-1. Good times.

... in order to replicate Rickey, not only would you need his speed, timing, and acumen on the basepaths, and a manager and milieu that encouraged stealing, you'd also need Rickey's strikezone command, plate discipline, and overall batting skills--as in the old adage, you can't steal second from the bench.

"Once in a lifetime" is, I think, inadequate to describe Rickey.

confirming what we all though we saw. They don't need more clutch, they need a whole new transmission.

and we know how great Texas was and how bad Cleveland turned out.

But the two teams in the world series finished 13th and 23rd overall, and their opponents in the ALCS and NLCS finished 18th and last overall, so I see how based upon those numbers how the OPS change w RISP, translates to a winning ball club.