Okay, I tried, people. I tried to write a comprehensive, in-depth look at what to watch for at Spring Training. And do you know what I came up with? An article written in complete question format. So I tried again. And you know what I came up with? Yeah, more questions.
I took that as a sign. So here you are; fifty questions about Spring Training and the 2008 season, which we will see answered one by one over the course of the year.
Bonus fun idea: Print this list and take it to Spring Training with you, complete with your ‘I heart baseballgirl T-shirt’.
Bonus fun idea #2: Let’s see your answers in the comments below!
Bonus fun idea #3: Add more questions to the list.
How do you think the 40 man roster will change before Opening Day?
Will Sweeney make the 40-man?
Will Sweeney DH?
Will Cust DH?
Will they let Cust play the field?
Will they let Sweeney play the field?
Are there any more options at DH?
Do you expect any Spring Training surprises, a la Travis Buck of last year?
Who will be the next Marco Scutaro, of the timely hits and awesome chant?
What will the lineup look like?
Will we recognize any of the players’ numbers?
Who are we most excited about getting to know?
Will Travis Buck keep his hair long, or will he cut it NYY style?
Who will be rocking the high socks?
Pitching
Will Santiago Casilla make it back to the U.S.?
Will Rich Harden stay healthy through Spring Training?
Through April?
Through the All-Star Break?
Through the end of the year?
What’s the over/under on Harden IP?
Will Blanton step up to the challenge of being promoted in the rotation?
Will Blanton pitch to his exact numbers last year?
Will Duchscherer remember how to be a starting pitcher?
Will we miss Duchscherer’s presence in the bullpen more than we enjoy his performance as a starter?
Can Duchscherer stay healthy through all of this?
How long will Gaudin be a starting pitcher?
Which will be higher; Gaudin’s IP, or runs allowed?
Are we really looking at Lenny DiNardo in the starting rotation?
Who else do we want to see start?
Did Calero make a good decision when he chose to rehab his arm instead of opting for surgery?
How has that decision worked out for A’s players in the past?
Will Foulke be a welcome addition to the A’s ‘pen?
Will Street be the closer he was during his first year at this level?
Will Embree give Street any competition?
Will Street ever get a closer song that doesn’t put half the crowd to sleep?
Will Street let us pick his closer song?
Outfield
Who IS playing outfield for the Oakland A’s this year?
Outfielders from the 40-man roster:
Emil Brown
Travis Buck
Chris Denorfia
Jeff Fiorentino
Carlos Gonzalez
Javier Herrera
Richie Robnett
Ryan Sweeney
Is it bad if Travis Buck looks like an A’s veteran in this list?
Is it really bad if I could barely recognize this as an A’s lineup?
Can any of these players play shortstop?
Infield
Can Bobby Crosby prove 75% of this site wrong and emerge as a serviceable shortstop now that (presumably) his injuries are behind him?
Will the A’s management have the temerity to replace him if he doesn’t?
Is Chavez finally healthy, and if finally healthy, finally good?
Will we see Barton at first base?
Who else will we see at first base?
Will Hannahan understudy for the infield?
Will Donnie Murphy understudy for the infield?
Will both of them make the big league club?
In April, can Suzuki quadruple the number of homeruns that Jason Kendall hit in his entire Athletics’ career?
(optional, may be for a limited audience)
Most importantly, is Chavez still the hottest ballplayer on the field, or will he finally be replaced?
