Results tagged ‘ Josh Outman ’
Monday, April 30th: Hounds Score 11 in 1st to Win, Cats Held to 2 in Loss
A’s Farmhand Of The Day
Midland RockHounds third baseman Josh Horton (Home Run / Double / 3 RBIs)
TRIPLE-A PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5
Sacramento River Cats 2
(LP – Castro 1-2 / 4.00)
Farmhand Of The Game:
First Baseman Brandon Moss
(Home Run / RBI)
Worth Noting: The Sky Sox scored 3 runs in the 1st inning off starter Fabio Castro to doom the River Cats on Monday. Castro settled down and allowed only 1 run over the next 6 innings, but it was too late. Brandon Moss, playing first base, did his part, hitting a solo homer – his team-leading 5th – in the 2nd inning, and outfielder Jermaine Mitchell and catcher Derek Norris both contributed doubles in the River Cats cause. Meanwhile, former Athletics left-hander Josh Outman tossed a scoreless inning in relief for the Sky Sox.
DOUBLE-A TEXAS LEAGUE
San Antonio Missions 2
Midland RockHounds 12
(WP – Haviland 1-1 / 5.68)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Third Baseman Josh Horton
(Home Run / Double / 3 RBIs)
Worth Noting: The RockHounds put an astonishing 11 runs on the board in the 1st inning against the Missions. Third baseman Josh Horton and outfielder Shane Peterson each homered and drove in 3 runs. Second baseman Conner Crumbliss had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, and drove in 2 runs, starter Shawn Haviland allowed 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings for the win, and right-hander Murphy Smith tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief for the save.
CLASS-A MIDWEST LEAGUE
Burlington Bees 0
Lake County Captains 0
CANCELED
Tuesday’s Games:
Colorado Springs @ Sacramento – 7:05pm PT
(Chatwood vs. TBD)
Corpus Christi @ Midland – 6:30pm CT
(Buchanan vs. Daley)
Stockton @ San Jose – 7:00pm PT
(Krol vs. Snodgrass)
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!
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!
A’s Rotation Roundup: Colon In, Who’s Out?
Bartolo Colon: Just squint your eyes and the pinstripes will go away (Photo by Robert Sabo/NY Daily News)
Well, the A’s have finally stolen one away from the Yankees! The team has reportedly come to terms with veteran starting pitcher Bartolo Colon on a one-year deal worth $2 million, pending a physical. The 38-year-old Colon got off to a great start for the Yanks in 2011, turning in a 3.20 ERA in the first half. He finished the year with a 4.00 ERA and demonstrated great control throughout the season, walking only 40 batters in 164 1/3 innings. Colon also has a career ERA of 2.14 in the spacious Coliseum.
The portly Dominican Republican will surely provide a veteran presence on an inexperienced A’s staff that, for the most part, has barely started shaving. The old graybeard of the A’s starters, Brandon McCarthy at 28, is a full ten years younger than Colon.
The former AL Cy Young winner also comes relatively cheap, at a reported salary below the major league average. And with the A’s not likely to be in contention for anything in 2012 other than the league’s lowest attendance trophy, once the July trading deadline rolls around, the experienced veteran is likely to be flipped to a desperate contender for another hot young prospect to toss onto the A’s rebuild bonfire.
Even more importantly though, Colon’s addition will allow the A’s to let their recently acquired prized pitching prospects to take a little time to develop at Triple-A and will further delay their arbitration/free agency clocks. These young pitchers will surely be the core of any future A’s contending teams, and there’s absolutely no reason to rush them before the team is ready to contend just to fill up roster spots.
That said, I’d like to see the A’s start the season without any of their new young pitching acquisitions in the major league rotation. I’d prefer to see Jarrod Parker, Brad Peacock and Tom Milone all getting their Triple-A innings in at Sacramento for the first half of the season, until either they force their way onto the big league roster or trades or injuries open up slots for them in the summer.
If the season were to begin today, assuming Dallas Braden wasn’t ready to go, I’d like to see a major league rotation consisting of Brandon McCarthy, Guillermo Moscoso, Bartolo Colon, Josh Outman and Graham Godfrey – with Braden squeezing out Godfrey as soon as he was ready. That would likely leave a rotation at Sacramento consisting of Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, Jarrod Parker, Tyson Ross and Travis Banwart.
I think most observers expect to see McCarthy, Moscoso,Colon and Outman given the first shot to start the season in the A’s rotation. But who would you like to see open the season as the A’s fifth starter if, as we expect, Braden isn’t ready to go? You can check out all the contenders’ minor league stats at the links below…
Graham Godfrey
Tom Milone
Brad Peacock
Jarrod Parker
Tyson Ross
