FanPost

A's staff underachieving? Hitting and injuries

A few nights ago, while I was at a River Cats game, I started wondering if the A’s have the right staff in a few key areas. In particular, I noticed that the A’s have really struggled to produce hitters lately. Continued after the jump.

By my count, we haven’t developed a big-time bat since Nick Swisher. And not that our minor league hitting staff is necessarily to blame, but then again… Carlos Gonzalez started really succeeding once he left town, and Michael Taylor has struggled mightily in Sacramento this year. Of course Colorado is a hitter’s best friend, and Sacramento may be a bit of a pitcher's park, but I don’t think you can attribute CarGo’s and Taylor's results strictly to setting. What do you guys think? Do the A’s have a fundamental problem in the way they develop hitters? We seem to have no trouble with pitchers, so why all the trouble with hitters?

While we’re exploring the possibility of underperforming staff, what about our injury staff? Same type of deal, right? We can’t say for sure that they’re to blame, but the track record (for several years now) certainly isn’t pretty. Is it time for a change?

I know most of this discussion is just speculation, and that we can't actually change anything. Still, I'm curious what other fans think on these matters.

Btw, the River Cats game was a very fun experience. In many ways it was actually more enjoyable than attending an A’s game, esp. with regards to stadium and atmosphere. That saddens me a little. On the bright side, I got Chris Carter and Michael Taylor to autograph my program. How cool is that? Right staff or not, please let them put things together soon and start producing in the big leagues. *pretty please*