especially at this time.

I’m wondering if you had a chance to hear Melissa Lockard on Extra Innings tonight? She spent about 40 minutes discussing practically every prospect in the organization. She also was complimentary about Mazzaro’s last few starts.

that’s 40 HR’s, 40 SB’s and 40 RBI, btw.

We’re waiting, Billy.

Keep them coming, grover darlin’.

I like what Coleman’s showing in his first full season of pro ball. Sure, the K rate is not good, but at least he’s showing power to go with it. I am starting to think we may actually see that mythical line up of nine Custs in a few years.

A couple guys who might get promotions sometime this season (outside the usual Sep Rush) that were not listed include;

-3B/SS Jason Christian, in Kane County
-CF Corey Brown, in Midland, though any call up likely would be delayed because of his stint on the DL during April. Otherwise, he might otherwise have been up in Sacramento already.
-Sam Demel, in MIdland, who is tearing up the league, and could quite possibly be promoted to AAA (and then the Big Leagues, if he continues pitching well).

So far, he’s line for this year is .306/.352/.799. He’s listed as an 21 year old corner outfielder, which is normally a position saved for a power hitter. Last year in Stockton he hit 9 HRs, a career best so far in the minors. With increasing age, does he project to hit for more power? Too bad he doesn’t play 3B…

Always nice to see a K-Stater doing well. Hope he keeps it up.

After all, falling into a six-foot deep hole in the ground does hurt, but it doesn’t create anything or abet the situation, digging a bit more in the same hole, making it seven foot deep…

I appreciate your efforts and research.

As broken down and ineffective as the A’s are right now, I worry about it having a trickle-down effect through the minors when it comes to some people being moved up through the system sooner than they should be.

By most accounts, Cahill and Anderson should still be in the minors. Both have struggled mightily in their first month and a half in the bigs, though they have also shown some signs of the promise they carried as they tore through the low and middle levels of the minors. However, dominating in Stockton and Midland is not enough to say they’re ready to pitch in Oakland. Not yet.

Problem is, Duke’s out. Gallagher’s pitching like crap. Eveland’s pitching like crap. Smith was mediocre but he at least held down a starter’s spot last year. Outman started out rough but now he’s looking better. Braden’s been a revelation so far. Gonzalez is shuffling back and forth and it looks like he’s still got a problem with too many walks. Giese was added as a bit of a long arm, but now he’s on the DL.

With the state the starting rotation was in entering the season, the team gave no real alternative but for Cahill and Anderson, or at least one of them, beginning the season with the A’s. It seems like they’ve kept enough starter depth in Sacramento so as not to rush anyone else else up from the lower levels (if they did, I missed it), but that’s not all.

The Chavez, Ellis and Garciaparra injuries could be a bit of a surprise, could be a bit expected, but it’s not that big a deal if only one of them is hurt. With all three out at the same time, we’ve had to suffer through Crosby playing third base. Patterson was up for a couple days. So was Petit. Then they traded for Kennedy, which at least keeps both of them in Sacramento. Powell has to back up Giambi at first once in a while. So does Crosby. Now Cardenas is up in Sacramento partially as a result of this, and he’s about half as good overall as he’d been in Midland, which is where he still ought to be. He’s played all of 45 games in AA with 164 AB.

Though he was hitting very well there to start 2009 I don’t think he’d be in Sacramento already if not for the injuries hitting the A’s at the same time. Because of the shuffling around that’s had to take place, mainly in using Patterson and Petit as brief fill-ins in Oakland, Cardenas was bumped up a level and it’s taking him some time to catch up to the competition. If he’s going to be a good player he’ll take care of business, but it still feels rushed. They had Pennington there already and he could have also been brought up if they needed another temporary fix.

Having Kennedy is nice so far but it feels more like an attempt to use a proven Major Leaguer to help keep the team afloat with the hope that the team will avoid getting buried by the end of May (which is in the process of happening anyway) and pick up their hitting and pitching in time to get back into the division race.

Thing is, even with Kennedy here they aren’t giving Cardenas much time at 3B, which is one of the infield spots the A’s are most in need of finding a solution for. Baisley is probably a AAAA player and he’s holding down 3B in Sacramento. Patterson plays the outfield there more than the infield. Pennington and Petit are mostly SS, but Pennington was at 2B last night and Petit was at 3B a couple nights ago. Cardenas was the DH. Barton and Doolittle have split time a 1B and DH, Doolittle sometimes in RF as well. From just the last week’s boxscores alone, Cardenas has primarily played 2B while SS and 3B have been a rotating carousel of Petit, Pennington and Baisley. Is Cardenas supposed to be a potential solution at 3B, or do they see him as a 2B only? I wish we knew for sure at this point, but where he’s playing seems to suggest that answer. I do hope he goes back to Midland when Garciaparra or Ellis returns, though. Fast-tracking anyone to the bigs is getting to be a bigger concern of mine.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land/bird-land/2009/05/brett-wallace-ascending-how-high-how-fast/

http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/5/8/869429/a-justin-smoak-comparison

Somehow they ended up elsewhere…

He’s pretty much completed his rehab at extended Spring Training and will be heading to Stockton for a few innings before joining either Midland or Sacramento in a week or so.

He’ll be used exclusively in relief this season and if he shows any semblance of command, he could make it the big leagues later this year, especially considering that he’s already on the 40-man roster.

He’d be a nice Zumaya-esque bullpen piece for this team for a years or I could easily see him as a valuable trade piece. The A’s bullpen has been fine without him and with Ziggy, Bailey and Wuertz likely with the team for a few years and Devine and Sam Demel probably ready to contribute next year, the big league club should be fine without him long-term. Other teams have drooled over Henry’s heat for awhile now, and if he performs reasonably well over the course of this season and stays healthy, he, along with a couple other expendable pieces, might be able to fetch a premium 3rd base or shortstop prospect.

would both benefit from spending the rest of this season in AAA, refining their pitching and also getting away from the negativity at the big club. He also doesn’t want to see Mazzaro up this year. He suggest combing the waiver wire if necessary to get some veterans in the rotation (noting that Duckscherer should be back by mid-June). Says Marty “don’t force feed such young pitching prospects into the major leagues.”

Also he thinks the A’s should show more patience with Travis Buck.