Bright Future for the A's

by What Would Rickey Do on Jul 21, 2008 8:39 PM PDT

Rotoworld.com's Matthew Pouliot has released his top150 mid-season prospect list with the A's leading the way with 11 prospects. Here is our future with Pouliot's mid-season's ranking. He actually ranks Cahill ahead of Gio Gonzalez but estimated time of arrival for Trevor Cahill is 2010. The more and more I see Cardenas in these top prospects list, the more I like the Blanton trade.

17. Trevor Cahill - RHP Athletics - DOB: 03/01/88 - ETA: 2010

29. Gio Gonzalez - LHP Athletics - DOB: 09/19/85 - ETA: Sept. 2008

32. Adrian Cardenas - 2B Athletics - DOB: 10/10/87 - ETA: 2010

36. Sean Doolittle - 1B Athletics - DOB: 09/26/86 - ETA: 2010

38. Brett Anderson - LHP Athetics - DOB: 02/01/88 - ETA: June 2009

74. Chris Carter - 1B Athletics - DOB: 12/18/86 - ETA: 2011

106. Henry Rodriguez - RHP Athletics - DOB: 02/25/87 - ETA: 2010

118. Eric Patterson - 2B/OF Athletics - DOB: 04/08/83 - ETA: Sept. 2008

123. James Simmons - RHP Athletics - DOB: 09/26/86 - ETA: May 2009

144. Aaron Cunningham - OF Athletics - DOB: 04/24/86 - ETA: July 2009

150. Vin Mazzaro - RHP Athletics - DOB: 09/27/86 - ETA: 2010

http://rotoworld.com/content/features/column.aspx?sport=MLB&columnid=2&articleid=30730&pg=1

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Position players.

It’s a little disheartening to see the higher ranked position players ETAs 2010. It would more thank likely be another year or two in the MLB after that before they have enough experience to help lead a team to a WS.

What about Barry?
"Barry who?" Forst said, and I felt like I was in the middle of a knock-knock joke.

by KMoAsFan on Jul 21, 2008 8:51 PM PDT reply actions

Well we have 2 of them on the team already

in Gonzalez and Sweeney. You could also count Buck and Barton if they get straightened out.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Jul 21, 2008 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Rickey would announce that he is better than all these guys combined

by Swooney's Left Foot on Jul 21, 2008 9:30 PM PDT reply actions

And he'd be right.

by nevermoor on Jul 22, 2008 6:16 AM PDT up reply actions

What, hope?

No. We must deal all of these players for short-term veteran solutions to prove that we are not Pittsburg. 83 wins or bust, dangit!

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 21, 2008 10:43 PM PDT reply actions

yas!!!1

"It's not my fault your team's so shitty." -Steve Friend, head coach, Chabot College, to Laney College's head coach, who asked why we scored so many runs after we beat Laney 30-3 in 2006

by flipgatey3 on Jul 21, 2008 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Pittsburg

Is in California. Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania.

by richwol1 on Jul 21, 2008 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions

If we can't be Pittsburg, maybe we can be Antioch

by Swooney's Left Foot on Jul 21, 2008 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions

I'd rather not be Antioch

I prefer to avoid being sacked and looted by Christian crusaders.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 22, 2008 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions

did you just say "we?"

but, all seriousness aside (to quote Nico), Billy is going to trade some of your precious pitching prospects for hitters. Maybe not this year, but next. He has to. No choice. Even if the chances of the A’s contending next year are dimming, the can’t afford to let this offense slip into oblivion and attendance slip into the 10,000 per game range which that would entail.

Pitching prospects will go. Hitters will be bought with all that abundance.

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 21, 2008 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Money Talks

If the A’s are willing to up their payroll for next year, they can try re-signing Ellis, perhaps bring in Hank Blalock and/or Mark Taxieria, and if it doesn’t look like Frank Thomas has anything in his tank, bring in Jason Giambi as well in 2009. All free agents, and all available without losing a single prospect.

by richwol1 on Jul 21, 2008 11:30 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't see them re-signing Ellis...

but, that’s just me. Giambi might make a nice DH in his declining years. Obviously, the A’s will have a lot of money to spend, so I don’t think that’ll be an obstacle.

But, I think Beane is building for the future. He’s going to trade some of our abundance of pitching “prospects.” And, that’s all they are for what he views as future stud hitters. They are out there and nobody, not even PT knows who they are yet.

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 21, 2008 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Or, we can upgrade Cust to the original model

Adam Dunn.

I like him better than Burrell/Teix/Blalock by a wide margin.

by nevermoor on Jul 22, 2008 6:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Don't know why

Burrell is a more balanced overall hitter, and he’s right-handed.

I’d be expecting Sexson-like decline years at the end of whatever contract Dunn signs.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 22, 2008 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions

I doubt he gets more than 3-4 years ...

because there are so many perceived question marks about him. As long as he can maintain enough bat speed to get a hit roughly one quarter of the time, he will be a very, very good player because his power and batting eye are likely to last for several more years. He makes contact at more or less the same rate he has over the last few years, so I don’t see any reason to believe that will happen in the immediate future.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Jul 22, 2008 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Maybe not these prospects

Maybe Billy ends up trading Eveland and/or Smith after they put up a couple of solid years, replacing them with the guys on this list.

by boilerdan on Jul 22, 2008 7:41 AM PDT up reply actions

Ha I thought you said Hitlers...

which should never be bought.

by GeorgiaBoy on Jul 22, 2008 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions

The downside

We need to get MORE than one difference-making hitter, because if you only have one they’ll just pitch around him (like the Padres and Adrian Gonzalez).

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Jul 22, 2008 1:02 AM PDT reply actions

I think Cahill's ETA is pessimistic

I see him up in 2009, likely more like May-June than July-August. He’ll start the season at AAA and if he shows he’s ready he could be the first callup when there’s a need. He’ll be young (21) but not THAT young to be called up if he’s ready.

I could see Simmons pulling a Street/Buck and making the rotation out of spring training, and Cahill being the “next guy up”. And if Beane is confident that Duke (if he’s still here), Gallagher, Gio, and Simmons are ready for prime time in April, 2009, he could reasonably trade Smith or Eveland as part of getting a bat, and the A’s would still come out ok with a heck of a rotation gelling together (a la 2005 with Haren and Blanton).

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 22, 2008 9:14 AM PDT reply actions

I tend to agree with this line of thinking.

I doubt that Beane would part with anyone of Cahill, Anderson, Gio or Simmons to upgrade the offense. But I think that trading Smith or Eveland even as soon as next year is a very real possibility. A young, cost-controlled, mid-back rotation lefty starter could probably fetch a solid big league bat in an area of need.

by Taj Adib on Jul 22, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions