2008 Oakland Athletics Outlook
2007: (76-86), 3rd place
Manager: Bob Geren (2nd season)
Key Additions -
OF Carlos Gonzales
P Gio Gonzales
DH Mike Sweeney
P Dana Eveland
OF Emil Brown
P Brett Anderson
P Joey Devine
Key Losses -
P Dan Haren (to ARI)
1B/OF Nick Swisher (to CWS)
OF Mark Kotsay (to ATL)
IF Marco Scutaro (to TOR)
DH Mike Piazza
Projected Starting Lineup -
C - Kurt Suzuki
1B - Daric Barton
2B - Mark Ellis
SS - Bobby Crosby
3B - Eric Chavez
LF - Travis Buck
CF - Chris Denorfia
RF - Jack Cust
DH - Mike Sweeney
Projected Rotation -
1 - Joe Blanton (R)
2 - Rich Harden (R)
3 - Justin Duchscherer (R)
4 - Chad Gaudin (R)
5 - Dana Eveland (L)
CL: Huston Street (R)
SU: Alan Embree (L), Santiago Casilla (R)
2008 Outlook:
The Oakland A’s and general manager Billy Beane had a very busy and interesting winter. Beane went back to his Moneyball roots and traded players at their highest value in return for a bundle of promising prospects, much like he did with Mark Mudler and Tim Hudson. Only time will tell if dealing ace Dan Haren, big-bopper Nick Swisher, and gamer Mark Kotsay was the right move; however, simply judging from the past, trust Billy and his sabermetric approach to constructing a team.
In terms of the 2008 season, Oakland fans may get a glimpse of promising prospects Dana Eveland, Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzales, Gio Gonzales, Fausto De Los Santos, and Joey Devine that were all acquired this offseason. However, in terms of 2008 success, the A’s will struggle on the field.
For offensive production, the A’s will rely on Jack Cust, Mike Sweeney, and Daric Barton to drive in most of the runs. Cust led the team last year with 26 homers and posted an impresssive .912 OPS after his promotion from the minors. Barton, a top prospect in the organization, hit .347 with four homers in September, and the A’s are hoping the aging Sweeney can stay healthy and hit 20-25 homers as well.
A key to the A’s offense will be the health of Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez. Once considered cornerstones of the organization, the duo making up the left side of the infield have been marred by injuries the past two seasons. A bright spot of the offense could be Mark Ellis. The second baseman hit .276 with 19 homers and 76 runs batted in, and also posted a quality OPS (.777) for a second-baseman. However, if the youngsters like Travis Buck, Cust, and Barton struggle, expect the offense to struggle as well, unless Chavez can return to form (highly unlikely based on his history of injuries) and Crosby can have that breakout season.
In terms of pitching, the A’s do boast some quality arms. Rich Harden can be as dominant as any starter in the game, but has only been healthy for one full season (in evidence: he logged just 25.2 innings last year). Joe Blanton is also a proven starter, but is also rumored to be on the trading block. Blanton has 42 wins over the past three seasons and has averaged 200+ innings per season over that span making him a true workhorse on the mound.
Justin Duchscherer makes a move into the rotation after pitching in the pen the past four seasons. Chad Gaudin and Dana Eveland round out the rotation, but also look for Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzales to make some cameo appearances as the season progresses.
Relievers Alan Embree, Keith Fulke, Kiko Calero, and Santiago Casilla will try to bridge the gap between the starters and closer Huston Street, who is also coming of an injury-riddled 2007 season, but has posted 78 career saves and a career WHIP of 1.02. Even though the A’s might not win that many games, Street is a dominant closer when healthy and one can reasonably expect around 30 saves from him.
Overall, the 2008 Oakland Athletics will be looking to rebuild and progress towards the better days. This team could be exciting to watch based on all the young, promising prospects, but the A’s will need a lot of strange things to happen to compete in the AL West. Expect the A’s to finish in last place this season, but fans should look forward to the future.
Fantasy Impact:
In terms of fantasy studs, the Oakland A’s do not boast any on the current roster. However, for those in keeper leagues, the A’s do have some potential future studs.
Barton was a top prospect and has shown tremendous power in the minors, and posted 1.067 OPS in September. Keep an eye on this prospect. Also, Cust has the power to hit 35+ homers and drive in 100+ runs. In only 395 at-bats last season, Cust hit .256 AVG/26 HR/82 RBI /.912 OPS. He could produce Nick Swisher type numbers this season if he stays healthy and plays a full season.
Chavez is on the decline at third base and would be a risky pick, as well as Bobby Crosby. In terms of the second base position, Ellis posted quality numbers last season with 84 R/.276 AVG/19 HR /76 RBI /.777 OPS. He could be a steal in the late rounds.
One of the riskiest picks in any fantasy draft will be Harden. He has frontline fantasy-ace stuff but can never stay healthy. He is an extreme “buyer beware” case, but if he slips to the late rounds, it may be wise to pick him based on what could possibly happen.
Street should be selected in the middle tier of closers, but he is also on the trading block. Perhaps Oakland’s best fantasy starter is Blanton. Blanton had 14 W/140 K/3.95 ERA and posted a respectable 1.22 WHIP. Even though Blanton does not dominate on the mound, he is indeed a consistent fantasy starter.
2008 projection: (70-92), 4th place
Team MVP: Joe Blanton
Also, check out our AL West preview with links to our team outlooks for each of Oakland’s division foes.
Derek Rang
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