Billy Beane is a mastermind we all know, yet an unlikely off season has people questioning his strategy, “Yeah they have a new offense but their pitching is a question mark.” So does Beane have an answer to those skeptics? Cue Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson.
We all know the A’s pitching depth in the minor leagues is stacked, full of prospects but when and how will the A’s promote burgeoning stars, Cahill and Anderson? The A’s will need the two pitchers (at some point) in the rotation in order to win this year.
The two top prospects will continue to show their stuff this spring but how will their first taste of the Major Leagues come about? Is there a wrong way to promote a young pitcher? The A’s will need replacements at some time this year due to injury of course (it seems inevitable with their injury history) but who will get the first call and why?
Those are alto of questions to answer in one post so I’ll tackle one or two and let the rest of you take the rest.
In a perfect scenario, the two prospects would emerge onto the big-league scene together successfully, but that’s unlikely. So I’ll say that of the two, Trevor Cahill gets the first nod, and soon after the season starts. Here’s where the trickery comes in. The promotion won’t be injury related. The A’s will need everything they can get out of many of their pitchers in order to compete this year because the current rotation will not sustain the length of a 162 game season. It wont be consistent enough to withstand the adversity of major league hitting so the A’s must constantly rotate the rotation, switching things up, up and down from Sacramento they go…(River Cats) well you now the rest. I’ll continue.
With Cahill’s stuff, he could come up quick and dominate. The league will not know what hit them and it will take a while to get used to Cahill’s stuff, and in the meantime, the A’s could bring up Brett Anderson.
More trickery, Love it!
Yet another unseen stud, further confusing the league’s hitters. If Oakland can effectively alternate pitchers, the A’s could put something spectacular together, at least until the league acquaints itself. Do they have a chance without these pitchers? I don’t know. Oakland has many other prospects as ready as-or more primed-than Anderson and Cahill but these two will ultimately be the “wild card” of the season, with game-changing stuff.
Leave me any intriguing or “regular” ideas to the success of the 2009 Oakland A’s. Leave the boring stuff at the door.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Thats a little much…Why dont you see Eveland, Gallagher, or Braden being able to pitch a whole year, along with Edgar and Gio Gonzalez, and Josh Outman, with whatever Duke we get?
Because the thing you are forgetting, is if the A’s are contending this year or not, they are rebuilding. That is the number one task. Bringing up part of MAC (Mazzaro, Cahill, Anderson) would completely ruin their gameplan, and personally, they have so much talent, I would never want to rush them. Mazzaro doesn’t get as much credit as the other two, but from what I’ve seen he is just as good.
On another note, what do you think about Rajai Davis starting in CF? The guy has been mashing in ARZ, and he would give us a TRUE leadoff hitter. If he can hit, I would love the lineup like this:
Davis (CF)
Cabrera (SS)
Holliday (LF)
Giambi (DH)
Chavez (3B)
Nomar (1B)
Sweeney (RF)
Suzuki (C)
Ellis (2B)
March 7th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Davis obviously would be great if he hit for average on a consistent basis but that has yet to be seen during the regular season. I know he is tearing it up now, and who knows, he could end up getting regular at bats. In response to the rotation, I do see Eveland faring well this season, but I can’t from an objective standpoint have much faith in the rest aside from Duchscherer(health permitting).
To use the rebuilding term with Cahill and Anderson I think is now an overstatement. They will both be in the A’s rotation by seasons end.
March 7th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Yea, i guess Cahill and Anderson should be ready soon, I really just don’t want to rush them and possibly hurt their future. Gio, Mazzaro, Cahill, Anderson, and Simmons will win a world series in a couple years!
But do you agree with Nomar at first and Giambi DH or do you think it would be better Giambi at first and cust DH. I really think a healthy nomar should be in the lineup somewhere…
March 7th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Well I personally would rather Giambi defending first rather than Cust in the outfield, he just look awful.
I think we may see Nomar and Giambi splitting time at first and DH if Barton can’t get it together. I like the idea of having a healthy Nomar getting at bats everyday too but I don’t think the A’s want to use him in such a way unless they have to.