Results tagged ‘ Jonny Gomes ’
A’s Major & Minor League Off-Season Transactions – Dec. 18 Update: A’s Find A Hiro To Play SS
Hiro: Better than Godzilla?
Well, the biggest story to break for A’s fans in the weeks before the holidays was the news that A’s free agent shortstop Stephen Drew had agreed to a $9.5 million/1-year deal with the Red Sox, followed quickly by the news that Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima had agreed to a $6.5 million/2-year deal (plus incentives and a $5.5 million 1-year option) with the A’s. The 30-year-old right-handed hitter has a career .310/.381/.474 slash line plus 104 home runs and 97 stolen bases over the last 6 seasons in Japan. His signing seems to settle the A’s starting shortstop question and makes arbitration-eligible Adam Rosales the likely backup at the position.
A’s free agent pitcher Brandon McCarthy also decided to leave the team for a $15.5 million/2-year deal with Arizona. It doesn’t look like the A’s are planning on signing a major league pitcher to replace McCarthy, but will instead count on a full season of availability from major-league ready RHP Dan Straily to make up for McCarthy’s loss.
On the minor league front, since our last update, the A’s traded RHP Graham Godfrey to the Red Sox as the player to be named in the deal to acquire RHP Sandy Rosario, who was later designated for assignment by the A’s and re-claimed by the Red Sox who then designated him for assignment again. So the A’s basically gave Godfrey to the Red Sox for the privilege of having Rosario on the roster for a few days. Minor league outfielder Jermaine Mitchell, who cleared waivers and elected free agency, ended up signing a minor league deal with the Phillies.
The most significant minor league addition the A’s made since our last update was the acquisition of 27-year-old minor league free agent catcher/first baseman Steven Hill, who’s played in 10 major league games for the Cardinals and spent most of last season at Triple-A Memphis, where he had a .266/.326/.488 slash line. The right-handed hitter figures to share the catching duties at Sacramento in 2013 with fellow minor league free agent signee Luke Montz.
You’ll find all new transactions since our last update noted below with italics and an asterisk. Any players who’ve recently been taking up space on the 40-man roster are listed below under Major League transactions, while all other players are listed under Minor League transactions. For all the minor league players, I’ve listed their primary positions as well as the level they spent the most time at in 2012. Just click on any player’s name to see their Baseball-Reference stats page…
MAJOR LEAGUE CHANGES
-Jonny Gomes OF / +Chris Young OF
-Pennington/Drew SS / +Hiroyuki Nakajima SS *
-Brandon Hicks IF / +Andy Parrino IF
-Brandon McCarthy RHP / +NONE *
-Jim Miller RHP / +Chris Resop RHP
-Tyson Ross RHP / +Andrew Werner LHP
Hiroyuki Nakajima
+ MAJOR LEAGUE ADDITIONS
Chris Young OF (traded from AZ)
Hiroyuki Nakajima SS (signed from Japan) *
Andy Parrino IF (traded from SD)
Chris Resop RHP (traded from PITT)
Andrew Werner LHP (traded from SD)
- MAJOR LEAGUE SUBTRACTIONS
Jonny Gomes OF (FA signed with BOS)
Stephen Drew SS (FA signed with BOS) *
Cliff Pennington SS (traded to AZ)
Brandon Hicks IF (traded to NYM)
Brandon McCarthy RHP (FA signed with AZ) *
Jim Miller RHP (claimed by NYY)
Tyson Ross RHP (traded to SD)
Steven Hill
+ MINOR LEAGUE ADDITIONS
Scott Moore 3B-1B AAA (minor league FA)
Luke Montz C-1B AAA (minor league FA)
Steven Hill C-1B AAA (minor league Rule 5 draftee) *
Tom Mendonca 3B AA (minor league rule 5 draftee) *
Darwin Perez SS-2B AA (minor league FA)
D’Arby Myers OF AA (minor league FA) *
Garrett Olson LHP AAA (minor league FA)
Justin Thomas LHP AAA (minor league FA)
Mike Ekstrom RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Kyler Newby RHP AA (minor league FA)
Yeiper Castillo RHP A (minor league FA) *
Jermaine Mitchell
- MINOR LEAGUE SUBTRACTIONS
Kila Ka’aihue 1B AAA (minor league FA signed with AZ)
Jermaine Mitchell OF AAA (minor league FA signed with PHI) *
Blake Lalli C AAA (minor league FA signed with MIL)
Jason Jaramillo C AAA (minor league FA)
Wes Timmons IF AAA (minor league FA)
Matt Rizzotti 1B AA (minor league FA)
Leonardo Gil 3B AA (minor league FA)
A.J. Kirby-Jones 1B A (traded to SD)
Yordy Cabrera SS A (traded to MIA)
Michael Gilmartin SS-2B A (minor league Rule 5 draftee by CIN) *
Eliezer Mesa OF A (minor league Rule 5 draftee by DET) *
Graham Godfrey RHP AAA (traded to BOS) *
Rich Thompson RHP AAA (minor league FA signed with TOR) *
Jeremy Accardo RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Merkin Valdez RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Justin Souza RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Fabio Castro LHP AA (minor league FA)
Beau Jones LHP AA (minor league FA)
Matt McSwain RHP AA (minor league FA)
Jonathan Ortiz RHP AA (minor league FA)
Jose Guzman RHP AA (minor league FA)
Zach Thornton RHP A (traded to PITT)
Adam Rosales
RETURNING FREE AGENTS/ARB ELIGIBLES/OPTIONS
Daric Barton 1B (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Adam Rosales IF (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Pat Neshek RHP (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Bartolo Colon RHP (Free Agent Re-Signed)
Grant Balfour RHP (Option Renewed)
RETURNING ARB ELIGIBLES
Seth Smith OF (Arb Eligible)
Brandon Moss 1B (Arb Eligible)
George Kottaras C (Arb Eligible)
Jerry Blevins LHP (Arb Eligible)
Chris Resop RHP (Arb Eligible)
UNSIGNED MLB FREE AGENTS
Brandon Inge 3B (MLB Free Agent)
Dallas Braden LHP (MLB Free Agent)
Joey Devine RHP (MLB Free Agent)
COMING & GOING
Sandy Rosario RHP (traded from BOS – designated for assignment)
Be sure to like A’s Farm’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm to keep up with all the news down on the farm!
A’s Major & Minor League Off-Season Transactions – Dec. 1 Update
Jonny Gomes: All dressed up, with somewhere to go.
With a flurry of activity on Friday just ahead of Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline and with the Winter Meetings starting on Monday in Nashville, it seems like a good time to recap all the A’s major and minor league transactions from the end of the season through the non-tender deadline of November 30th. The most significant changes to affect the major league roster so far this off-season have been Jonny Gomes signing with Boston, the Chris Young/Cliff Pennington trade with Arizona, as well as the Tyson Ross trade with San Diego. These deals, along with a few other minor moves, have basically resulted in Chris Young replacing Jonny Gomes in the lineup and Chris Resop replacing Jim Miller in the bullpen, with Andy Parrino replacing Brandon Hicks and Andrew Werner replacing Tyson Ross as guys who’ll probably end up spending most of their time at Sacramento while filling in in Oakland as needed.
The biggest remaining question mark for the A’s is who will replace Cliff Pennington and Stephen Drew as the team’s starting shortstop in 2013. The two combined to start 129 games at shortstop for the A’s in 2012. Right now, with Pennington having been traded to Arizona and Drew a free agent, the position’s a bit of a black hole. But the assumption is that the A’s will either make a deal for a shortstop (possibly at the Winter Meetings), sign one on the free agent market (Marco Scutaro, Ronny Cedeno, Cesar Izturis, Jason Bartlett, Alex Gonzalez), or possibly even re-sign Drew if the market for him doesn’t end up getting too hot.
Of course, the team has already picked up closer Grant Balfour’s option, re-signed free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon, and re-signed arbitration eligible players Pat Neshek, Adam Rosales and Daric Barton. For those about to panic, don’t worry, Barton’s contract is not guaranteed, so he can be cut anytime and the A’s won’t owe him another dime. As of Friday night, there was no official word as to whether or not the team had offered contracts to their five remaining arbitration eligible players – outfielder Seth Smith, first baseman Brandon Moss, catcher George Kottaras, left-hander Jerry Blevins and recently-acquired right-hander Chris Resop – but the assumption is that no news is good news and the fact that we didn’t hear anything probably means that the A’s made offers to all these players and thus will retain the rights to them all.
Brandon McCarthy: To leave or not to leave, that is the question.
Of the team’s five remaining major league free agents, two – third baseman Brandon Inge and right-hander Joey Devine – can be expected to move on, while the jury is still out on the remaining three. As mentioned, shortstop Stephen Drew could return if he doesn’t find too many other tempting offers out there. There seems to be some mutual interest in a return engagement for Brandon McCarthy, but other teams are said to be sniffing around the right-hander as well. Oft-injured left-hander Dallas Braden is also on the market, and it’s possible that the northern California boy could sign an incentive-laden deal to stick around the old neighborhood.
As for the A’s minor league transactions, the most significant loss has probably been the signing of minor league free agent first baseman Kila Ka’aihue by Arizona. The most significant minor league addition by the A’s so far has probably been the signing of third baseman/first baseman Scott Moore who signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. The left-handed hitter made it into 72 games with the Astros in 2012, playing mainly at third base and first base, but he also got in some time at second base and in the outfield. The A’s are likely to make many more minor league signings as the off-season unfolds, though re-signing any of their own remaining minor league free agents is probably unlikely.
Any players who’ve recently been taking up space on the 40-man roster are listed below under Major League transactions, while all other players are listed under Minor League transactions. For all the minor league players, I’ve listed their primary positions as well as the level they spent the most time at in 2012. Just click on any player’s name to see their Baseball-Reference stats page…
Cliff Pennington
MAJOR LEAGUE CHANGES
-Jonny Gomes OF / +Chris Young OF
-Cliff Pennington SS / +TBD SS
-Brandon Hicks IF / +Andy Parrino IF
-Jim Miller RHP / +Chris Resop RHP
-Tyson Ross RHP / +Andrew Werner LHP
Chris Young
+ MAJOR LEAGUE ADDITIONS
Chris Young OF (traded from AZ)
Andy Parrino IF (traded from SD)
Chris Resop RHP (traded from PITT)
Andrew Werner LHP (traded from SD)
- MAJOR LEAGUE SUBTRACTIONS
Jonny Gomes
Jonny Gomes OF (FA signed with BOS)
Cliff Pennington SS (traded to AZ)
Brandon Hicks IF (traded to NYM)
Jim Miller RHP (claimed by NYY)
Tyson Ross RHP (traded to SD)
+ MINOR LEAGUE ADDITIONS
Scott Moore
Scott Moore 3B-1B AAA (minor league FA)
Luke Montz C-1B AAA (minor league FA)
Darwin Perez SS-2B AA (minor league FA)
Garrett Olson LHP AAA (minor league FA)
Justin Thomas LHP AAA (minor league FA)
Mike Ekstrom RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Kyler Newby RHP AA (minor league FA)
- MINOR LEAGUE SUBTRACTIONS
Kila Ka’aihue
Kila Ka’aihue 1B AAA (minor league FA signed with AZ)
Jermaine Mitchell OF AAA (minor league FA)
Wes Timmons IF AAA (minor league FA)
Jason Jaramillo C AAA (minor league FA)
Blake Lalli C AAA (minor league FA signed with MIL)
Matt Rizzotti 1B AA (minor league FA)
Leonardo Gil 3B AA (minor league FA)
A.J. Kirby-Jones 1B A (traded to SD)
Yordy Cabrera SS A (traded to MIA)
Yordy Cabrera
Jeremy Accardo RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Rich Thompson RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Merkin Valdez RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Justin Souza RHP AAA (minor league FA)
Fabio Castro LHP AA (minor league FA)
Beau Jones LHP AA (minor league FA)
Matt McSwain RHP AA (minor league FA)
Jonathan Ortiz RHP AA (minor league FA)
Jose Guzman RHP AA (minor league FA)
Zach Thornton RHP A (traded to PITT)
Grant Balfour
RETURNING FREE AGENTS/ARB ELIGIBLES/OPTIONS
Daric Barton 1B (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Adam Rosales IF (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Pat Neshek RHP (Arb Eligible Re-Signed)
Bartolo Colon RHP (Free Agent Re-Signed)
Grant Balfour RHP (Option Renewed)
Seth Smith
LIKELY RETURNING ARB ELIGIBLES
Seth Smith OF (Arb Eligible)
Brandon Moss 1B (Arb Eligible)
George Kottaras C (Arb Eligible)
Jerry Blevins LHP (Arb Eligible)
Chris Resop RHP (Arb Eligible)
UNSIGNED MLB FREE AGENTS
Stephen Drew
Stephen Drew SS (MLB Free Agent)
Brandon Inge 3B (MLB Free Agent)
Brandon McCarthy RHP (MLB Free Agent)
Dallas Braden LHP (MLB Free Agent)
Joey Devine RHP (MLB Free Agent)
COMING & GOING
Sandy Rosario RHP (traded from BOS – designated for assignment)
Be sure to like A’s Farm’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm to keep up with all the news down on the farm!
A’s Sign Cespedes, Manny to Follow: Bad News for Taylor, Carter & Cowgill
Yoenis Cespedes: As Chico Escuela might say, "Baseball been berry berry good to him!"
The A’s shocked the baseball world on Monday when news broke that the team had signed Cuban free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The team reportedly inked the 26-year-old to a 4-year, $36 million contract that will keep him with the A’s through the 2015 season. The right-handed slugger set a single-season home run record in Cuba last year, clubbing 33 homers in 354 at bats to go along with an impressive .333/.424/.667 slash line.
The prized prospect is considered a 5-tool player, but how his talents will translate once he’s transplanted into the major leagues is anyone’s guess. But we should find out soon enough as Cespedes, who played center field in Cuba, is expected to open the season in either center or right field for the A’s. The slugger could be counted on to be the cleanup hitter that general manager Billy Beane recently said he was looking for, with recently acquired outfielder Seth Smith slotting in the #3 spot right behind outfielder Coco Crisp and second baseman Jemile Weeks, who’s expected to bat leadoff.
Cespedes’ power is clear (hitting 1 home run every 10.7 at bats in Cuba last year), and he also possesses some speed, but his plate discipline and ability to hit for average are likely to be the biggest question marks. Experts seem to be expecting something like a .250-.260 batting average from him with somewhere between 20-30 home runs per season. With those sorts of numbers, he could have a career that profiles something like Vernon Wells or, for old school A’s fans, perhaps George Hendrick.
After the Cespedes signing, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the A’s are still interested in signing Manny Ramirez. And the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reports that the A’s are likely to sign Manny and give him a shot once his 50-day suspension is over in mid-May.
Manny says: "Let Yoenis be Yoenis!"
Beyond the obvious reasons, the Cespedes signing, along with the continued talk about Manny, is also interesting for what it says about how the A’s view other players on their roster. While the team seems willing to put plenty of faith in their young pitching prospects’ ability to step up and perform in the majors this season, they clearly seem reluctant to want to put much faith in most of their young hitting prospects at this point.
Rather than giving a clear shot to young hitting prospects like Michael Taylor, Chris Carter, Brandon Allen or Collin Cowgill, the A’s have instead brought in Cespedes, Seth Smith and Jonny Gomes, re-signed Coco Crisp, and seem poised to bring in Manny Ramirez as well, virtually locking out the young hitters from any real opportunities on the major league roster.
At this point, barring a trade, the A’s will open the season with five outfielders on the major league roster – Cespedes, Crisp, Reddick, Smith and Gomes (with Smith and Gomes likely getting most of their at bats in the designated hitter spot – at least until Manny Ramirez’s potential arrival).
Assuming Suzuki, Sizemore, Pennington and Weeks will be joined on the roster by a backup catcher (Powell, Recker or Donaldson) and a utility infielder (Rosales or Sogard), that leaves two open spots on the offensive roster. And considering various comments by A’s management in recent weeks and at FanFest, it seems that Daric Barton and Brandon Allen would be favored for those last two spots.
Michael Taylor: Out in the cold, on the banks of the Sacramento river? (photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
That leaves a glut of ten potential outfielders and first basemen available for the Triple-A Rivercats roster, including Chris Carter, Kila Ka’aihue, Michael Taylor, Collin Cowgill, Grant Green, Brandon Moss, Jason Pridie, Jeff Fiorentino, Cedric Hunter and Jermaine Mitchell. Since the A’s have rarely carried more than six outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter types on the Sacramento roster at any given time, something will have to give.
Mitchell isn’t likely to be fully healthy at the start of the season, and Hunter is still young enough that he could be sent back down to Double-A. That leaves two left still to be trimmed. Spring injuries could take care of one or both of those spots, as could potential trades. But of the ten names listed above, you’d expect the A’s to give priority for Triple-A outfield at bats to Cowgill, Taylor and Green, and priority for first base and designated hitter at bats to Carter and Ka’aihue.
So it seems like minor league free agent signees Brandon Moss, Jason Pridie and Jeff Fiorentino, all of whom signed on with the A’s when the only experienced major league outfielder on the roster was Ryan Sweeney, might end up regretting their decision since they could very well wind up out in the cold. And it’s safe to assume that Cuba’s loss is bound to leave Taylor, Carter and Cowgill on the outside looking in as well.
Cubs claim Adrian Cardenas off waivers from A’s
Adrian Cardenas: You're going to be needing a jacket in Chicago
The Chicago Cubs claimed infielder Adrian Cardenas off waivers from the A’s today. The team had designated Cardenas for assignment 10 days ago after signing free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes.
Cardenas was originally acquired from the Phillies, along with pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matt Spencer, in the Joe Blanton trade. The 24-year-old hit well in Triple-A last season, posting a .314/.374/.418 slash line at Sacramento. Cardenas never got a major league at bat with the A’s though, and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweeted today that, “He’s a really bad infielder.”
Cardenas started out as a second baseman and shortstop, but the A’s eventually shifted him to third base, and then to left field last season. And the team obviously had a hard time finding a position they felt was right for him.
The loss of Cardenas opens up the second base position at Triple-A Sacramento this year for Wes Timmons, who will be teaming up with the loser of the A’s utility infielder battle – Eric Sogard or Adam Rosales – at shortstop, with Stephen Parker at third, and most likely Kila Ka’aihue at first, to form the 2012 Rivercats infield.
Adam Rosales (photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Eric Sogard (photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
A’s Designate Adrian Cardenas For Assignment
Adrian Cardenas: Where's old clubhouse barber Rajai Davis when ya need him?
In order to make room for newly-signed free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes on the roster, the A’s have designated prospect Adrian Cardenas for assignment. The A’s now have ten days to either trade or release Cardenas– unless he clears waivers, in which case the A’s can then send him to the minors.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser tweeted that the A’s are hoping that Cardenas clears waivers so that they can hold on to him by assigning him to Sacramento, just as they recently did with Landon Powell.
Cardenas was considered a top infield prospect when he was acquired by the A’s, along with pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matt Spencer, from Philadelphia in exchange for Joe Blanton. The Miami native has a career minor league slash line of .303/.368/.413 and hit .314/.374/.418 in his first full season at AAA last year. But the A’s have had a hard time finding a position they feel is right for Cardenas.
In his first three seasons in the minors,Cardenas served exclusively as a middle infielder, playing all his games at second base and shortstop. In 2009, the A’s started getting him in a few games at third base. Then in the 2010 season, the A’s played him exclusively at second and third and eliminated shortstop from his repertoire altogether. Last season though, the A’s chose to have Cardenas start the majority of his games in left field, with most of the rest of his starts coming at third. Clearly, the A’s have been a bit uncertain about what exactly to do with Mr. Cardenas, whose defensive abilities Baseball America has referred to as “fringy.”
Cardenas is a solid contact hitter who hits for a good average but doesn’t draw an above-average number of walks and hasn’t hit more than five home runs in any of his last four seasons. Combined with his lack of defensive prowess, it’s obvious that the A’s brass have come to view him as a bit of a one-dimensional player. On the other hand, his ability to consistently put the bat on the ball and play a number of different positions (even if he doesn’t impress at any of them), could make him a suitable utility player in the future. And considering that he only turned 24 just a few months ago, one can assume he’s still got a few years of potential improvement ahead of him.
If he remains with the organization, then Cardenas should be the leading second base candidate for the Rivercats in 2012. If he ends up being traded or claimed on waivers though, then Wes Timmons probably steps into that role, with Eric Sogard or Adam Rosales (whichever one doesn’t make the major league roster) likely ending up at shortstop for Sacramento. Some had been hoping that Cardenas would be in the mix for the A’s utility infielder role this season, but now it looks like Cardenas fans will be lucky if he’s still in the organization come opening day of 2012!
Could A’s Grab Gomes, Dump Allen, And Turn Oakland Into Manny-land?
Jonny Gomes: Could his 707 swag be giving Dallas Braden's 209 swag a run for its money?
As we speculated in the last edition of this blog, the A’s have reportedly come to terms with Petaluma-born outfielder Jonny Gomes on a one-year deal worth approximately $1.1 million. Since the deal comes hot on the heels of the Seth Smith trade and both players have strong lefty/righty platoon splits, popular speculation has it that the right-handed hitting Gomes will primarily serve as a left field platoon partner for the left-handed hitting Smith, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gomes picking up some at bats in the designated hitter slot as well.
The signing of Gomes follows rumors that the A’s have been actively shopping first baseman Brandon Allen. So it could be safe to assume that a Brandon Allen trade could soon be the next shoe to drop and that Gomes will essentially end up taking over Allen’s roster spot. That would likely leave Chris Carter as the A’s leading designated hitter candidate – that is, unless the other recent rumor is true!
Enrique Rosas of ESPN Deportes has been reporting that the A’s are very interested in signing Manny Ramirez as a designated hitter. That would spell trouble for Chris Carter, and likely land him back at Sacramento. The only hitch with Manny is that he would likely have to serve a 50-game suspension for drug violations before he could play for the A’s.
In addition to the Smith and Gomes deals, trading Allen and signing Manny could really serve to shake up the A’s outfield/first base/designated hitter picture. Right now, if Allen is indeed dealt, it looks like the A’s would plan on starting the season with Daric Barton at first, Carter as the primary designated hitter and back up first baseman, and five outfielders on the roster – Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Jonny Gomes and Collin Cowgill.
That would put Kila Ka’aihue at first base in Sacramento, and five outfielders in the four outfield and designated hitter spots – Grant Green, Michael Taylor, Brandon Moss, Jason Pridie and Jeff Fiorentino. And if the A’s did end up adding Manny, then that might land Chris Carter back in the first base/designated hitter mix at Sacramento as well. Till the next time, stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Oakland A’s roster roulette…
Brandon Allen
Chris Carter
Manny Ramirez
A’s Deal Moscoso & Outman to Rockies for Outfielder Seth Smith: The Door’s Wide Open for A’s Young Pitching Prospects
Instead of the Rocky Mountains, Seth Smith will now be casting his eyes on scenic Mt. Davis (Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP)
A day after reports emerged that the A’s had agreed to sign free agent pitcher Bartolo Colon, we learned that the team has completed a deal to send pitchers Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman to the Colorado Rockies in return for outfielder Seth Smith.
With a career OPS of .833, Smith immediately becomes the best hitter on an A’s team severely lacking in punch. His 2011 OBP of .348 and SLG of .483 outpaced all A’s regulars in both categories last season. And the 29-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder can be expected to play left-field and hit in the 3-4 slot in the 2012 A’s lineup.
Smith’s career home/away splits have been noted by many, but in 2011, he had an .848 OPS at Coors Field compared to an .814 OPS on the road. The main difference in Smith’s performance at home and on the road over his career has primarily been in his home run hitting proficiency, hitting 1 home run every 20 at bats at Coors Field compared to 1 home run every 34 at bats everywhere else – and it’d certainly be no surprise to see Smith’s overall home run production decline playing half his games at the pitcher-friendly Coliseum compared to the hitter-friendly Coors Field. He’s also been a better first half player over his career, hitting 26 points higher in the first half.
By far the most significant split though comes in Smith’s performance against right-handed and left-handed pitching. He has a career OPS a whopping 293 points higher against right-handers than against left-handers. Here again, the biggest difference can be found in his power potential, hitting 1 home run every 23 at bats against right-handed pitchers compared to 1 home run every 53 at bats against left-handed pitchers.
Jonny Gomes: Roundin' third...could he be headed for home? (Photo by Evan Habeeb/US Presswire)
Whatever else the A’s brass may say publicly on the subject, it’d be safe to assume that Smith might be watching a lot of left-handed starters from the safety of the A’s dugout in 2012. And multiple sources have already been reporting that the A’s are still in the market for a right-handed hitting free agent outfielder – someone like Cody Ross or Petaluma’s own Jonny Gomes – presumably to serve as a possible platoon partner for Smith as well as a fourth outfielder and a potential designated hitter. As far as the rest of the outfield picture goes, Coco Crisp is expected to man center with new acquisition Josh Reddick roaming the field in right.
The greater impact of this deal though may be on the A’s pitching plans. After it was announced that the A’s had reached a deal with Colon, the assumption was that the A’s were planning to take their time with their talented young pitching prospects. But with the news of this deal, it now looks like the A’s are ready to swing the major league doors open wide to their eager horde of young pitchers.
With Moscoso and Outman now out of the picture, and Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden not expected to be ready to start the season, the only A’s starters with more than 100 innings of major league experience under their belts are Brandon McCarthy and Bartolo Colon (who has a lot more under his belt than that!). Behind that duo are five pitchers who, combined, have less than 150 innings of major league experience: Tyson Ross with 75 1/3, Graham Godfrey with 25, Tom Milone with 26, Brad Peacock with 12, and Jarrod Parker with 5 2/3.
Ross, the most experienced of the bunch, has struggled mightily while trying to return from his latest injury, posting an ERA of 7.61 at Triple-A Sacramento and an ERA of 5.94 in the Arizona Fall League. With that in mind, the best bet might be to give Godfrey, Milone and Peacock the first shots at cracking the rotation. That would give Ross a little more time to piece things back together and Parker, the youngest and probably most talented of the batch, a little more time to develop at Sacramento. The Rivercats’ could then open the season with a starting rotation featuring Tyson Ross, Jarrod Parker, Travis Banwart, Carlos Hernandez and Edgar Gonzalez.
Whatever happens, it looks to be a very interesting spring in the desert this year. Bob Melvin won’t even know the players without a scorecard!
