but I think you may be right. If they let MSweeney hit regularly I think he might really get in the groove. I know Hurt is a slow starter but Sweeney is definitely the better hitter right now IMO.

i think you mean “i wonder if sweeney is a better hitter at this point” not thomas

good article though

4 days a week is plenty of playing time for him IMO.

Frank may be declining, but he’s gotten off to very slow starts the last 2 seasons and he’s heated up each time. I don’t think it’s been long enough to throw in the towel on him yet, but at the same time I have a feeling that Beane may have brought him back with the understanding that he’s got 6 weeks (or some set amount of time) to start hitting the ball with the A’s before he’s given his walking papers.

.237/.342/.348, good for a .690 OPS. That’s Barton’s line thus far. It’s also not far from the unpopular prediction I made for him in the offseason.

At this point in his career, he’s not yet a viable full-time option at first base or DH for a team in playoff contention. It’s hard to swallow a sub .700 OPS combined with less-than-elite defense out of your first baseman.

What seals the argument is the fact that, right now, his backup is a better player. Sweeney has earned the right to play every day with his performance – .322/.381/.448, and an .830 OPS.

As for Thomas, he had gotten on base at a .391 clip entering tonight’s game since joining the A’s. I think it’s too early to give up on him. At that OBP, he has good value even without power.

On a non-statistical note, I think it’s valuable for these young guys to see two veterans who’ve had terrific careers and made over $60 million each in their careers now busting their butts for the league minimum. I think that can have a positive long-term ripple effect on teaching Barton/Suzuki/R. Sweeney/Buck/et al how to carve out terrific careers for themselves and make good decisions. You know, like, not having your iPod in your ear during autograph sessions at team promotional events. :)

For the Barton lovers who hated the idea in the offseason and hate demotion talk now, please consider this thought:
It turns out that OPSing .827 over a full season in the PCL really does indicate that you’re not ready to OPS .750 or better in the bigs, which every first baseman should do. A small victory for Minor League Equivalencies!

Barton is 22. He’s going to get better. I like him as a player and I think he has a great swing. But right now he clearly has not been critical to the team’s success, as evidenced by two facts: a.) His stats are below league-average for his position, and b.) His backup has outplayed him.

So again I come back to the unavoidable point: Now that we know that he’s not critical to the team’s success (at least as long as Sweeney is healthy and able to play first), why not wait until he is ready to hit at level that justifies starting him (say, an .800 OPS)?

If Barton gets sent down now, and stays there for merely a month at least, it accomplishes so many things:
a.) it eases the 25-man roster crunch, which only figures to grow if and when Chavez is ready to play, which could happen by the end of this month.
b.) It enables the A’s to put their best offensive lineup on the field, which undeniably includes Cust, Sweeney, and Thomas right now.
c. It preserves Barton’s service time, which would lead to an extra year of contractual control over him for the A’s. Would you rather have Barton’s age 22, .690-720 OPS season now, when his backup is better…or would you rather have his age 28 season when he’s a fearsome slugger? Think about how nice it would’ve been to have just one more year of Giambi or Tejada before they were free agents.

A lot of people around here hate that service time and money enter the equation. But that’s why I mentioned it last – it’s not the most important issue, but it is a factor to consider. If Barton were hitting well, it wouldn’t be an issue. But the fact that he isn’t, that it makes wonderful financial sense, and especially the fact that his backup is out-playing him all make it a slam dunk to me.

offense. We simply dont have many good “hitters”. Sure we got guys who get on base. And we have been lucky to drive them him at such a high rate. What this team needs is “Hitters”, not “Walkers”.

is frank has about two weeks to get hot. If he doesnt heat up he is a DFAer. (it was worth a shot, but his bat is slow and his speed kills us) Because when Chavy gets back he or hannahan can be the back-up 1st baseman and sweeney can be a full time DH, barton can countinue to work things out at first. Barton can benefit from a drop in the line-up when chavez returns.