Results tagged ‘ Sean Doolittle ’
A’s, River Cats’ & RockHounds’ Roster Projections
Will Hiro still be smiling in Sacramento?
We’re now less than a week away from opening day, and Jemile Weeks has been optioned to Sacramento, Adam Rosales has been placed on the disabled list, and Hiro Nakajima has been struggling and is now dealing with a strained hamstring. And thanks to these recent developments, it looks like the A’s opening day roster may now be rounding into shape – and along with it, the Sacramento River Cats’ and Midland RockHounds’ rosters too. Of course, plenty can still change and nothing is etched in stone. There haven’t been any official announcements from the team yet and there probably won’t be until about 24 hours before opening day, but below are our projected opening day rosters for the A’s and their Triple-A and Double-A affiliates based on what we think we know at this point…
PROJECTED 2013 OAKLAND A’S ROSTER
Derek Norris
–CATCHERS–
–INFIELDERS–
Brandon Moss 1B
Nate Freiman 1B
Eric Sogard 2B
Jed Lowrie SS
–OUTFIELDERS–
Coco Crisp OF
Josh Reddick OF
Chris Young OF
Seth Smith OF
Brett Anderson
–STARTING PITCHERS–
Brett Anderson LHP
Jarrod Parker RHP
Tommy Milone LHP
A.J. Griffin RHP
Dan Straily RHP
–RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Grant Balfour RHP
Ryan Cook RHP
Pat Neshek RHP
Chris Resop RHP
–LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Sean Doolittle LHP
Jerry Blevins LHP
Travis Blackley LHP
(Bartolo Colon – SUSPENDED)
(Fernando Rodriguez – DL)
(Adam Rosales – DL)
PROJECTED 2013 SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS ROSTER
Michael Choice
–HITTERS–
Jemile Weeks 2B
Andy Parrino SS-3B-OF
Grant Green 2B-3B-OF
Josh Horton 3B-SS-2B
Scott Moore 1B-3B-DH
Shane Peterson OF-1B
Conner Crumbliss OF-2B
Sonny Gray
–STARTING PITCHERS–
Sonny Gray RHP
Andrew Werner LHP
Jesse Chavez RHP
Bruce Billings RHP
Travis Banwart RHP
–RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Evan Scribner RHP
Mike Ekstrom RHP
James Simmons RHP
Arnold Leon RHP
–LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Hideki Okajima LHP
Jordan Norberto LHP
Pedro Figueroa LHP
Justin Thomas LHP
PROJECTED 2013 MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS ROSTER
Miles Head
–HITTERS–
Anthony Aliotti 1B-DH
Tommy Mendonca 3B-DH
Miles Head 3B-1B
Jefry Marte 3B-1B
Darwin Perez 2B-SS
Tyler Ladendorf 2B-SS-OF
D’Arby Myers OF
Sean Murphy
–STARTING PITCHERS–
Carlos Hernandez LHP
Murphy Smith RHP
Josh Bowman RHP
Sean Murphy RHP
Jacob Brown LHP
–RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Brian Gordon RHP
Carlos Fisher RHP
Kyler Newby RHP
Darren Byrd RHP
Paul Smyth RHP
Nate Long RHP
Sergio Perez RHP
–LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Frank Gailey LHP
***UPDATE: In something of a surprise, the A’s have designated LHP Travis Blackley for assignment. This opens a spot in the A’s bullpen for either Evan Scribner, Pedro Figueroa, Mike Ekstrom or Hideki Okajima. Their spot in the River Cats bullpen will be filled by RHP Danny Otero, who was claimed off waivers.
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 Swap Spare Parts For Second Shortstop!
Jed Lowrie: From worst to first?
As we pointed out in our analysis of the John Jaso trade just recently, the A’s are clearly in “WIN NOW” mode. And the team made another “WIN NOW” move on Monday, dealing part-time first baseman Chris Carter, minor league pitcher Brad Peacock and minor league catcher Max Stassi to the Houston Astros for infielder Jed Lowrie and right-handed reliever Fernando Rodriguez.
Lowrie is a 28-year-old former 1st-round draft pick out of Stanford. The switch-hitter hit a career-high 16 home runs in 340 at-bats with the Astros last season. He’s played primarily at shortstop in his 5-year major league career but has also spent time at third, second and first, and his versatility provides the A’s with added depth at every infield position.
Rodriguez is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever who has some control issues but who also managed to strike out an average of 10 batters per 9 innings last year. The 28-year-old has a tendency to give up the long ball and posted an ERA of 5.37 in 70 1/3 innings with the Astros last season. Rodriguez will likely have to battle with Pat Neshek and Chris Resop for a spot on the right side of the A’s bullpen.
To acquire the pair, the A’s parted with three players who’ve all spent far more time in the minors than the majors: Max Stassi, the most highly rated catching prospect in the system who has been praised for his abilities behind the plate but who has also been hampered by injuries and has yet to progress beyond A ball; Brad Peacock, who was slated to be one of the top starters at Sacramento this season but who had his ups and downs last year and ended up posting a 6.01 ERA with the River Cats; and Chris Carter, who was supposed to be the right-handed half of the A’s first base platoon this year. Carter, the only one of the three who was expected to start the year on the major league roster, had formerly been a top prospect but, despite his strong power numbers in the second half last year, his September struggles strengthened the A’s doubts about his potential for long-term success.
Fernando Rodriguez: International Man Of Mystery
About coming to A’s, the Stanford alum Lowrie was quoted as saying, “I’m excited to come to a team that won one of the better divisions in baseball last year. I’m excited to have an opportunity to come back and play baseball in the Bay Area.” He graciously neglected to mention the fact that he’s also undoubtedly excited not to be playing for the Astros, who will likely be bringing up the rear in their new division this year.
With Lowrie’s addition, the A’s infield situation suddenly becomes a bit murkier. Lowrie has played short, second, third and first. Scott Sizemore has played second and third. Hiro Nakajima can play short, and possibly even second. And then there’s also Jemile Weeks, who can play second, and Josh Donaldson, who can play third.
Being a switch-hitter, of course, only increases Lowrie’s versatility. But his left/right splits are somewhat curious. For his career, he has an OPS that’s .154 points better against lefties. But last year, he had an OPS that was .196 points better against righties. Lowrie claims that his previous struggles as a left-handed hitter were primarily related to lingering injuries, and his minor league splits do lend some credence to that claim. But it would be nice to see his splits even out a bit given the fact that he’s likely to be seeing plenty of action against both righties and lefties for the A’s this season.
But how exactly will the A’s use Lowrie this year? Well, they’ve certainly got plenty of options. But in a conference call with reporters, A’s general manager Billy Beane said that he and manager Bob Melvin had discussed their options and that they view Japanese import Hiro Nakajima as their shortstop. Beane also mentioned that he could see Lowrie as a nice right-handed complement to Brandon Moss at first base, much like Chris Carter had been.
Chris Carter: The object of the Astros’ affections
If we take Beane’s comments to heart, that then raises the question of where Lowrie would play against right-handers. The most obvious answer would be at second base, where there’s already a great deal of uncertainty, and where the top two current candidates, Scott Sizemore and Jemile Weeks, have both performed better against lefties than righties in recent times – Sizemore, who seems to be the favored candidate, even more so, which could make him a perfect platoon partner with Lowrie at second base.
Lowrie could also be available to back up both Nakajima at shortstop and Donaldson at third base if either struggles or just needs some time off. Of course, if Nakajima, whose defensive ability at shortstop is still a big question mark, spends much of the spring butchering balls at short, Lowrie could always take over the spot full-time and push Nakajima into duty at second. But wherever he plays, as long as he’s healthy – and that’s been something of an issue in the past – it looks like Lowrie will be in the lineup. So he should end up getting into a lot more games for the A’s than Chris Carter would have this year, which ought to make him a productive addition to the major league roster.
One of the biggest winners in this trade could turn out to be the A’s former first baseman Daric Barton, who now stands a decent chance of making the roster as the only true first baseman on the squad. Moss and Lowrie only have a combined 68 major league games at first base between them, and teams often like to have a little defensive certainty on the roster. Before this trade, Barton’s chances of landing a roster spot rested on something happening to either Moss or Carter – and now something has most definitely happened to Carter. Of course, it’s possible that Barton still doesn’t make the roster, but it’s certainly a whole lot more likely that he does now.
Brad Peacock: Now standing tall for the last-place Astros
On the other side of the coin, one of the biggest losers in this deal could be infielder Adam Rosales. With his guaranteed contract and major league experience, Rosales was the favorite to land the utility infielder role. But now – with Lowrie, Nakajima, Donaldson and either Weeks or Sizemore likely to make the roster – the A’s will have at least two available options at each infield position, making another spare infielder somewhat redundant. Both Weeks and Sizemore could both be losers in this deal too since whoever wins a roster spot will undoubtedly have his at-bats at second base reduced by Lowrie’s arrival. The deal doesn’t do anything to help Eric Sogard’s and Grant Green’s prospects either as it just pushes both of them further down the infield depth chart.
As far as position players on the major league roster go, this deal might just boil down to Lowrie and Barton replacing Carter and Rosales on the A’s 2013 roster. As far as the pitching end of things goes, Beane clearly likes Rodriguez, referring to him as “a real big arm” and saying that he was a key to getting the deal done. But the hard-throwing righty will have to compete for a roster spot with fellow right-handers Pat Neshek and Chris Resop in an already crowded A’s bullpen that’s also likely to include right-handers Grant Balfour and Ryan Cook along with left-handers Sean Doolittle, Jerry Blevins and Travis Blackley – with guys like Jordan Norberto, Pedro Figueroa, Evan Scribner, Arnold Leon and James Simmons waiting in the wings.
Max Stassi: Taking the ‘tools of ignorance’ to Houston
Another beneficiary of the deal could be former 1st-round draft pick Sonny Gray, who will no longer have to compete for attention with fellow prospect Brad Peacock at Sacramento this season. If he pitches well at Triple-A this year, the odds of Gray getting the opportunity to see some time in Oakland before the season’s through have just greatly increased with Peacock out of the equation.
Vying for time with Gray in the River Cats rotation this year will be last year’s phenom Dan Straily, new acquisition Andrew Werner, veteran lefty Garrett Olson, and long-time minor leaguers Jesse Chavez, Bruce Billings and Travis Banwart. It’s my guess that Straily will end up in the major league rotation before long, like most 6th starters do, due to injury, and Banwart will start the season in the Sacramento bullpen, leaving the River Cats with a rotation of Gray, Werner, Olson, Chavez and Billings.
But this deal clearly wasn’t about the minor league roster; it was all about the major league roster – increasing the A’s infield depth and versatility and having a solid backup plan in place just in case Nakajima doesn’t pan out at short, Donaldson regresses at third, or nothing else works out at second. It’s clearly a “WIN NOW” move, just like it was with the Jaso deal. Peacock, Cole and Treinen represent a lot of young arms to give up – not to mention Carter and Stassi – in the two deals. But the A’s focus is clearly on winning now while the window of contention is open. And Beane admitted as much in his conference call with reporters, saying “Given where the club finished last year and where we see it having a chance to compete this year, we wanted to do everything we could to help ourselves right now.”
And for the A’s, the future is clearly NOW!
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 Farm in Top 10 MLB Blogs in 2012!
Josh Reddick gave A’s Farm a taste of things to come in spring training!
Well, the results are in – and in our first year out of the box, A’s Farm was ranked in the Top 10 MLB blogs for 2012! At our peak late in the season, we were averaging almost 5,000 hits per week and almost 20,000 hits per month. And we want to be sure to thank all you devoted A’s fans who are obviously committed to learning as much as possible about the organization from top to bottom.
We also want to thank MLB Trade Rumors for repeatedly featuring A’s Farm as one of their top blog picks of the week, Baseball Reference for regularly featuring us in their player news section, and A’s Nation who asked us to provide a weekly minor league update during the season for the hordes of A’s fans who get their A’s news from the biggest and best A’s blog on the web.
In 2012, A’s Farm profiled the A’s new players and top prospects, offered progress reports on the team’s top draft picks, named the A’s organizational all-stars, and featured interviews with GM Billy Beane, along with players like Josh Reddick, Derek Norris and Sean Doolittle, and front office personnel like assistant GM David Forst, scouting director Eric Kubota and director of player personnel Billy Owens. And in one of our most popular pieces of the year, A’s Farm profiled A’s super-scout and Moneyball bad guy Grady Fuson. All that in addition to our daily updates on all the A’s minor league affiliates – the Sacramento River Cats, Midland RockHounds, Stockton Ports, Burlington Bees, Vermont Lake Monsters and the Arizona League A’s.
Stay tuned for much more right here in 2013, and be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @AthleticsFarm to keep up to date on all the A’s minor league teams and top prospects down on the farm!
Is the A’s Roster Set? And the River Cats Roster Too?
Will Hiro have A’s fans smiling too?
On Monday, we unofficially learned that shortstop Stephen Drew had agreed to a deal with the Red Sox and would not be returning to the A’s, and we also unofficially learned that the A’s would be filling the hole at shortstop by signing Japanese import Hiroyuki Nakajima. It was announced on Tuesday, after our last A’s Off-Season Transactions Update, not only that the Nakajima signing was official but also that, to clear room on the roster for their new shortstop, the A’s had traded outfielder Collin Cowgill to the Mets for Double-A third baseman Jefry Marte.
With the A’s new shortstop in the fold, it looks like their work is essentially done for the off-season and that the major league roster, barring any unforeseen (yet inevitable) injuries, is pretty much set. But it also seems that the Triple-A roster at Sacramento may be pretty much set at this point too. This really shows a remarkable level of certainty for an organization that’s typically had any number of question marks remaining at this time of year.
Below you’ll find a complete listing of the anticipated A’s and River Cats opening day rosters, barring any unexpected deals or injuries, as of this point in time almost 3 ½ months before opening day. Any changes should be minor, especially where the major league roster is concerned. I’d expect any changes to most likely come from potential moves involving some of the minor league pitchers or infielders. Following the roster lists below, we’ll go around the horn and discuss where things stand at every position for both the A’s and the River Cats…
Brandon Moss
2013 OAKLAND A’S
–CATCHERS–
–INFIELDERS–
Brandon Moss 1B
Chris Carter 1B
Jemile Weeks 2B
Adam Rosales IF
Yoenis Cespedes
–OUTFIELDERS–
Josh Reddick OF
Coco Crisp OF
Seth Smith OF
Chris Young OF
–STARTING PITCHERS–
Brett Anderson LHP
Jarrod Parker RHP
Tom Milone LHP
A.J. Griffin RHP
Dan Straily RHP
Grant Balfour
–RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Grant Balfour RHP
Ryan Cook RHP
Pat Neshek RHP
Chris Resop RHP
–LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Sean Doolittle LHP
Jerry Blevins LHP
Travis Blackley LHP
–SUSPENDED FOR 5 GAMES–
2013 SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS
Michael Choice
–HITTERS–
Daric Barton IF
Andy Parrino IF
Eric Sogard IF
Scott Moore IF-OF
Grant Green IF-OF
–STARTING PITCHERS–
Brad Peacock RHP
Sonny Gray RHP
Andrew Werner LHP
(+2 of the following 4 in the rotation with 1 in the bullpen & 1 traded or released)
Garrett Olson LHP
Jesse Chavez RHP
Bruce Billings RHP
Travis Banwart RHP
James Simmons
–RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Evan Scribner RHP
Arnold Leon RHP
James Simmons RHP
Mike Ekstrom RHP
–LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS–
Jordan Norberto LHP
Pedro Figueroa LHP
Justin Thomas LHP
2013 OAKLAND A’S
Derek Norris: Catcher of the future or lumberjack in training?
As far as the 2013 A’s go, catcher and first base are two positions that are pretty clearly set. Right-handed hitter Derek Norris and left-handed hitter George Kottaras will make up the A’s catching tandem. This likely won’t be a strict platoon though, as the A’s view Norris as their catcher of the future. I’d expect Norris to get between 350-400 at-bats, with Kottaras getting somewhere between 200-250 at-bats – of course, performance on the field could have a big effect on playing time behind the plate. The first base platoon of Brandon Moss and Chris Carter will remain in place in 2013. This should be a pretty strict left/right platoon, unless Moss regresses and Carter starts coming on strong, in which case the big right-hander could end up stealing some at-bats from Moss.
Second base may represent the biggest question mark on the A’s roster. Jemile Weeks and Scott Sizemore both stand a decent chance of claiming the starting job, while prospect Grant Green appears to be a long shot. It’s my feeling that, as long as he can show in the spring that he’s ready to put it together, the edge will go to former #1 draft pick Weeks. But if Weeks looks like he hasn’t learned anything, then Sizemore should be ready to step in – though we do have to remember that he is coming back from an injury that sidelined him for a solid year and will be competing at a position that he hasn’t played much over the past two years. Whichever one of these guys doesn’t claim the major league job will probably end up at Sacramento with Green. At this point, my guess is that Weeks opens the season with the A’s, while Sizemore ends up at Sacramento waiting for a chance to come back and take over in the event that Weeks or Donaldson struggles – but that could very easily change based on what happens in the spring.
Your 2013 starting shortstop will be Hiro Nakajima, with Adam Rosales likely serving as his backup – as well as the backup at second at third. If Nakajima proves to be more of a “zero” than a “Hiro,” then Rosales will step in and start getting more at-bats at short. Josh Donaldson will be the starting third baseman unless and until he proves that his second-half surge last season was just a fluke. If that happens, then Sizemore is the most likely candidate to step in at third.
Josh Reddick: The undisputed champion of the ‘Bernie Lean’ dance competition
In the outfield, the A’s have five players (Cespedes, Reddick, Crisp, Smith and Young) to fill the three outfield spots as well as the designated hitter spot in the lineup. Those four positions should offer up about 2400 at-bats, which would mean there’s close to 500 at-bats to go around for each of them – that’s if they’re all healthy. Of course, they won’t all be healthy. I’d guess that at just about any point in the season, one of them will be dinged up enough to, if not warrant a stint on the DL, at least warrant a little time out of the lineup. So I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about who plays where and when. I suspect it’ll work itself out one way or another and we’ll end up seeing plenty of all of them in the starting lineup.
As for the starting rotation, it’s important to remember that Bartolo Colon will be suspended for the first five games of the season and the A’s will play the first seven games of the season without a day off. That means that, barring injury, Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily will open the season as the A’s starting five. Of course, there’s a reasonable chance that one of those pitchers could have some nagging injury to start the season. In that case, Colon could be ready to step into the rotation after the first week. If, miracle of miracles, all five starting pitchers are fully healthy and functioning to start the season, then Colon could always kill time in the bullpen until one of them is sidelined with a balky elbow, shoulder, rib cage or back.
The A’s bullpen will be a crowded place though. Aside from Colon, there will be nine or ten legitimate contenders for the seven bullpen spots. On the right-handed side of things, Grant Balfour will be the closer and Ryan Cook will be the primary right-handed set-up man, while Pat Neshek will surely have a spot after signing a guaranteed contract, and Chris Resop is bound to get a spot after the A’s made a concerted effort to acquire him from the Pirates. That would push Evan Scribner to Sacramento.
On the left-handed side of things, Sean Doolittle and Jerry Blevins appear to be assured spots after their consistent performances throughout 2012, and Travis Blackley seems to be locked in as the long-man in the ‘pen. That would push Jordan Norberto and Pedro Figueroa to Sacramento. Of course, the odds that one of those seven relievers starts the season with some kind of injury is fairly high, which would open the door to one of those spots.
Daric Barton: Don’t worry, A’s fans – only in case of emergency!
2013 SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS
If we make the preceding assumptions about the major league roster, and take into account the fact that the Triple-A roster rarely includes more than 12 hitters and rarely has any fewer than 13 pitchers, then the River Cats roster starts to fall pretty clearly into place.
The A’s acquired two experienced minor league catchers – 29-year-old Luke Montz and 27-year-old Steven Hill – who should share the catching duties at Sacramento this year. Meanwhile, veteran Daric Barton will be standing in at first base, waiting for his chance should anything happen with Moss or Carter.
If Jemile Weeks doesn’t make the roster in Oakland, then he’ll surely be the starting second baseman at Sacramento. But if Scott Sizemore is the one to get sent down, as I suspect, then I’d expect him to get the majority of the starts at second base in Sacramento, preparing himself in case Weeks again struggles. Andy Parrino, who was acquired from San Diego in the Tyson Ross trade, is bound to be Sacramento’s primary starting shortstop this year. I’d expect to see the versatile Eric Sogard getting most of his starts at third base this year, while also picking up a few other starts around the infield. When Sogard’s not starting at third, then fading prospect Stephen Parker is likely to get some starts at the hot corner as well.
Grant Green: Still looking for a home
Scott Moore, who has been the A’s most promising minor league free agent signing this off-season, can play third base, as well as first base, second base and the outfield, but will probably end up seeing a lot of at-bats as the designated hitter for the River Cats. Sacramento’s starting outfield should be made up of on-base machine Shane Peterson in left, top prospect Michael Choice in center and former top prospect Michael Taylor in right. That just leaves our old friend Grant Green, whom the organization could make the River Cats’ regular second baseman, but I’m guessing that, when it’s all said and done, they’ll end up utilizing his versatility and giving him starts all over the field – preparing him for his most likely future role with the A’s as a versatile utility man.
There are three pitchers who, as long as they’re healthy, are sure to make Sacramento’s starting rotation – top prospects Brad Peacock and Sonny Gray, along with left-hander Andrew Werner, who was acquired from San Diego in the Tyson Ross deal. The rest of the River Cats’ rotation will be filled out by two of the following four hurlers – right-handers Jesse Chavez, Bruce Billings and Travis Banwart, as well as major league veteran and minor league free agent signee Garrett Olson. Of the two who don’t make the rotation, one will likely end up as the long-man in the River Cats’ bullpen with the other either DL’d, traded or released.
Sacramento’s 2013 bullpen ought to boast an impressive array of arms who could be ready to step in and help at the major league level at a moment’s notice. If all the major league bullpen arms are healthy, then the River Cats’ ‘pen should include names like Evan Scribner, Arnold Leon, James Simmons and minor league free agent signee Mike Ekstrom from the right side and Jordan Norberto, Pedro Figueroa and minor league free agent signee Justin Thomas from the left side.
On the whole, it looks like a River Cats roster that ought to be more than ready to defend its division title and, hopefully, so should the 2013 A’s!
* * *
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!
Getting To Know: Sean Doolittle – The A’s Late-Blooming Lefty
Sean Doolittle – hey, where’d you guys hide my bat? (photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Probably the most surprising addition to the A’s roster this season has been left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle. Why? Well, because last year at this time, he wasn’t even a pitcher! Doolittle was a 1st-round draft pick for the A’s back in 2007 out of the University of Virginia. Though he competed as both a first baseman and a pitcher in college, he was projected to be a power-hitting first baseman for the A’s. But after less than 1,000 at-bats in the A’s minor league system, a string of serious injuries ended up keeping him off the field for most of 2009, all of 2010, and the vast majority of 2011.
When it looked like Doolittle’s injuries would keep him from ever having the chance to be a productive hitter again, the decision was made to try his hand at pitching late last year. After getting his feet wet at Stockton, Midland and Sacramento earlier this year – and meeting with impressive results every step of the way – the 25-year-old was called up by the A’s in early-June. And he’s quickly proven himself to be a reliable lefty in the A’s bullpen, posting a 2.08 ERA and striking out 26 batters in his first 13 games with the A’s. When we visited Oakland shortly before the All-Star break, we had the chance to talk with Doolittle about his amazing success on the mound, and what’s behind it all…
AF: A year ago, you probably would have had a hard time imagining that you’d be standing on the pitcher’s mound here at the Oakland Coliseum a year later. Where was your head at this time last year?
SD: It was pretty immensely out of it to be honest with you. I was wondering if I was ever going to play again period. I was in the middle of missing my third season. I really had no idea what direction my career was headed. I was just trying to stay busy and kind of throwing myself into rehab trying to get healthy. But it was pretty much one of the last things I was thinking of to be honest.
AF: When was the decision finally made for you to start pitching?
SD: It was like the last week of August. I think I threw the last game of the rookie ball season down there (in Arizona). I’d just had some bad news from the doctor, and it looked like I was going to need extensive time off or another surgery on my wrist. So I kind of asked, and it took a week for them to bounce it off the powers that be and have them go through the chain of command. And they had a scout come in and watch me throw and, by the last week of August, I was a pitcher.
AF: So you were the first one to bring up the idea then.
SD: Yeah.
AF: Well, that was a good idea! Having pitched in college, I guess it wasn’t something that was completely new to you anyway.
SD: Yeah, that’s why they were open to me making the switch. I had the background. It wasn’t totally foreign. It was something I had done. And it came back pretty quick.
AF: Well, you started out in A-ball at Stockton this year. When did you think – hey I think this thing might work out?
SD: It was probably last year in the Instructional League. The first time out, I hit 97 mph several times and the location was there. I was commanding the fastball. I was throwing strikes with that kind of velocity. And in the Instructional League very early on, I was like – I really think there’s something here. I could maybe do something with this. But I never thought it would happen this fast.
AF: So what has the key been to your quick success pitching?
SD: I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out to be totally honest with you.
AF: So if we figure it out, we should let you know.
SD: Yeah, absolutely. You might have to ask somebody else. I’m still not sure what I’m doing.
AF: Well, what are you mainly throwing now?
SD: Fastball, slider, changeup – a lot of fastball/slider combos to lefties. But the fastball’s been the key for me – the velocity and the way that I’ve been able to command it has really helped me have success. It’s kind of been my go-to pitch.
AF: So is there anything in particular you’re working on right now?
SD: Just trying to develop my off-speed stuff as much as we can. It’s still a work in progress. It’s to the point that I feel like I can compete with it for sure, but it’s not to where I want it to be and where I think it could be. But pitchers talk about how it takes them years to refine their breaking stuff and get the feel for their changeup. So we’re working on it everyday as much as we can, without throwing too much – there’s a fine line there.
AF: Coming up here to Oakland, is there anything that’s been particularly different with the big league game for you?
SD: There’s just less room for error. The strike zone is smaller, and the hitters battle a lot more. And if you catch the outer third of the plate, you’re going to be in trouble. In the lower levels, maybe they foul it off. If you make a mistake, more times than not, you’re going to pay for it. So that’s what I’m finding out.
AF: So basically, just don’t make mistakes!
SD: Yeah!
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!
Saturday, June 2nd: Robinson Homers in Ports Win as Cats, Hounds & Bees Fall
A’s Farmhand Of The Day
Stockton Ports outfielder Dusty Robinson (Home Run / 2 RBIs)
TRIPLE-A PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Sacramento River Cats 3
Tacoma Rainiers 6
(LP – Peacock 6-3 / 4.81)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Third Baseman Stephen Parker
(Home Run / 2 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Third baseman Stephen Parker hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to account for 2 of the River Cats’ 3 runs, outfielder Michael Taylor went 3 for 3, and Manny Ramirez left the game after singling in his first at bat. Starter Brad Peacock had some real control issues on Saturday, walking 5 batters and giving up 2 runs, 1 earned, and throwing 82 pitches before being lifted after 3 innings of work, but left-hander Sean Doolittle was sharp, striking out 4 of the 6 batters he faced in 2 innings of scoreless relief.
DOUBLE-A TEXAS LEAGUE
Tulsa Drillers 6
Midland RockHounds 2
(LP – Gray 1-4 / 4.19)
Farmhand Of The Game:
First Baseman Anthony Aliotti
(Home Run / 1 RBI)
Worth Noting: First baseman Anthony Aliotti, serving as the designated hitter for the day, had 2 of Midland’s 4 hits and put the RockHounds on the board with his 4th home run in the 6th inning. Outfielder Michael Choice tripled and scored the Hounds’ other run. Starter Sonny Gray took his 4th loss after after throwing 73 pitches in just 4 innings and allowing 2 runs.
ADVANCED-A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
San Jose Giants 3
Stockton Ports 5
(WP – Treinen 5-4 / 4.41)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Outfielder Dusty Robinson
(Home Run / 2 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Outfielder Dusty Robinson homered and drove in 2 runs for the Ports on Saturday, and starter Blake Treinen allowed 3 runs and struck out 4 over 6 innings to earn his 5th win for Stockton.
CLASS-A MIDWEST LEAGUE
Burlington Bees 1
Quad Cities River Bandits 2
(LP – Macias 2-5 / 5.77)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Raul Alcantara
(6 IP / 0 ER / 6 K)
Worth Noting: Starter Raul Alcantara rebounded from his last disastrous outing by throwing 6 shutout innings on Saturday, but right-hander Jose Macias allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, over 3 innings to take the loss.
Sunday’s Games:
Sacramento @ Tacoma – 1:35pm PT
(Griffin vs. Carraway)
Tulsa @ Midland – 6:00pm CT
(Houston vs. Daley)
San Jose @ Stockton – 2:05pm PT
(Schumer vs. Murphy)
Burlington @ Quad Cities – 5:00pm CT
(Cole vs. Cornelius)
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!
Tuesday, May 29th: Cole Gets 1st Win for Bees as Griffin’s Pitching & Hicks’ Homer Help Cats Win and Murphy’s Arm & Oberacker’s Cycle Push Ports to Victory
A’s Farmhand Of The Day
Stockton Ports pitcher Sean Murphy (8 IP / 1 ER / 8 K / Win)
TRIPLE-A PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Fresno Grizzlies 2
Sacramento River Cats 4
(WP – Scribner 2-0 / 3.64)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Second Baseman Brandon Hicks
(Home Run / 2 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Infielder Brandon Hicks blasted a walk-off 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the River Cats the win on Tuesday night. Anthony Recker collected 3 hits in his first game back at Sacramento, and Yoenis Cespedes went 2 for 4 in his second rehab game with the River Cats. Starter A.J. Griffin had his best outing to date for Sacramento, allowing no earned runs and striking out 5 over 5 1/3 innings of work. Left-hander Sean Doolittle, who was just promoted from Midland, struck out 4 of the 7 batters he faced in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
ADVANCED-A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
Stockton Ports 9
High Desert Mavericks 1
(WP – Murphy 1-1 / 0.61)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Sean Murphy
(8 IP / 1 ER / 8 K / Win)
Worth Noting: Starter Sean Murphy had his second straight impressive outing since his promotion from Burlington, giving up just 1 run while allowing no walks and striking out 8 over 8 innings to earn the win on Tuesday. Outfielder Chad Oberacker was the offensive star of the game, hitting for the cycle and driving in 4 runs. Outfielder Josh Whitaker collected 3 hits, and first baseman A.J. Kirby-Jones put the Ports on the board with a 2-run homer in the top of the 1st inning.
CLASS-A MIDWEST LEAGUE
Clinton LumberKings 2
Burlington Bees 7
(WP – Cole 1-0 / 4.91)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher A.J. Cole
(6 IP / 1 ER / 7 K / Win)
Worth Noting: It may have taken more than a month and a half, but top prospect A.J. Cole finally notched his first win of the season on Tuesday night in Burlington. The right-hander allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, and struck out 7 over 6 innings to earn his 1st win since joining the A’s in the off-season deal for Gio Gonzalez. Reliever Max Perlman earned his 2nd save with 3 innings of scoreless relief. Second baseman Chih Fang Pan doubled and drove in 3 runs, outfielder Aaron Shipman had 2 doubles and drove in a run, and outfielder Royce Consigli collected a double and a triple in the Bees’ win.
Wednesday’s Games:
Fresno @ Sacramento – 12:05pm PT
(Sanford vs. TBD)
NW Arkansas @ Midland – 6:30pm CT
(TBD vs. Straily)
Stockton @ Inland Empire – 7:05pm PT
(TBD vs. Russell)
Peoria @ Burlington – 6:30pm CT
(Wells vs. Frankoff)
Saturday, May 26th: Billings & Inge Lead Cats to Victory as Ports & Bees Win, Hounds Fall
A’s Farmhand Of The Day
Sacramento River Cats pitcher Bruce Billings (8 IP / 0 ER / 8 K / Win)
TRIPLE-A PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Reno Aces 0
Sacramento River Cats 10
(WP – Billings 4-1 / 2.63)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Bruce Billings
(8 IP / 0 ER / 8 K / Win)
Worth Noting: Starter Bruce Billings had another impressive outing, allowing no walks and striking out 8 over 8 shutout innings to earn his 4th win. Third baseman Brandon Inge was clearly the offensive star of the game, going 5 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs and driving in 7 runs. Catcher Derek Norris hit his 7th home run, and Manny Ramirez went 1 for 5 and is now 6 for 25 in his 7 games with the River Cats.
DOUBLE-A TEXAS LEAGUE
Midland RockHounds 2
Tulsa Drillers 7
(LP – Smith 3-2 / 2.98)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Outfielder Jeremy Barfield
(2 for 3 / Home Run / 2 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Outfielder Jeremy Barfield collected 2 of the RockHounds 3 hits, including his 5th home run, and drove in both of the team’s runs on Saturday. Starter Murphy Smith allowed 7 runs, 4 earned, over 6 innings to take the loss, and left-hander Sean Doolittle struck out 2 in 1 inning of scoreless relief.
ADVANCED-A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
Visalia Rawhide 2
Stockton Ports 3
(WP – Thornton 3-0 / 5.79)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Third Baseman Miles Head
(3 for 4 / Home Run / Triple / RBI)
Worth Noting: Third baseman Miles Head continued to wield the big stick for Stocktonon Saturday, blasting a game-winning walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Ports the victory. Outfielder Dusty Robinson doubled and drove in a run in the effort, and starter Ian Krol turned in a solid outing, allowing 2 runs and striking out 6 over 6 innings of work, but right-hander Zach Thorton picked up the win with 1 inning of scoreless relief.
CLASS-A MIDWEST LEAGUE
Clinton LumberKings 6
Burlington Bees 8
(WP – Urlaub 3-2 / 3.60)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Outfielder Bobby Crocker
(2 for 4 / Home Run / 2 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Outfielder Bobby Crocker drove in the game-winning run for the Bees with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning on Saturday. Infielders Wade Kirkland and B.A. Vollmuth both collected 2 hits and drove in 2 runs in the win. Starter Drew Granier allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, over 5 2/3 innings, but left-hander Jeff Urlaub earned the win with 1 1/3 innnings of scoreless relief.
Sunday’s Games:
Reno @ Sacramento – 6:05pm PT
(Enright vs. Peacock)
Midland @ Tulsa – 7:05pm CT
(Gray vs. Cabrera)
Stockton @ High Desert – 4:05pm PT
(TBD vs. TBD)
Clinton @ Burlington – 2:00pm CT
(Shankin vs. Powers)
Thursday, May 17th: Cats Plate 16 as Hounds & Bees Win and Ports Take 2nd Straight
A’s Farmhand Of The Day
Sacramento River Cats first baseman Chris Carter (2 Home Runs / 6 RBIs)
TRIPLE-A PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Sacramento River Cats 16
Albuquerque Isotopes 5
(WP – Peacock 5-1 / 4.17)
Farmhand Of The Game:
First Baseman Chris Carter
(2 Home Runs / 6 RBIs)
Worth Noting: The River Cats erupted for 16 runs against Albuquerque on Thursday night. The barrage was led by first baseman Chris Carter, serving as the designated hitter for the night, who had 3 hits, including 2 homers, and drove in 6 runs. Infielder Brandon Hicks had 4 hits, including a triple and a homer, and drove in 5 runs. Catcher Derek Norris had 3 hits and drove in 4, while outfielder Grant Green had 3 hits and crossed the plate 4 times. Starter Brad Peacock allowed 5 runs and struck out 6 over 6 innings to earn his 5th win. The River Cats lineup will be getting an interesting addition when Manny Ramirez joins the team this Saturday inAlbuquerque.
DOUBLE-A TEXAS LEAGUE
Frisco RoughRiders 3
Midland RockHounds 8
(WP – Daley 5-2 / 4.69)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Catcher Ryan Ortiz
(Home Run / 3 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Catcher Ryan Ortiz homered and drove in 3 runs, shortstop Dusty Coleman drove in 2, and outfielder and leadoff hitter Conner Crumbliss contributed 3 hits and collected his 10th stolen base. Starter Gary Daley allowed 3 runs over 5 innings to earn his 5th win, while left-hander Sean Doolittle struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings of relief.
ADVANCED-A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
Stockton Ports 13
Modesto Nuts 1
(WP – Treinen 3-4 / 4.14)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Pitcher Blake Treinen
(6 IP / 1 ER / 5 K / Win)
Worth Noting: After losing 16 straight, the Ports won their 2nd in a row on Thursday night. After a few shaky outings, right-hander Blake Treinen got back on track with one of his best starts of the season, allowing just 1 run and striking out 5 over 6 innings of work to earn his 3rd win. Catcher Beau Taylor, serving as the designated hitter for the night, had 2 hits, including a triple, and drove in 5 runs, infielder Miles Head collected 4 hits and drove in 2, and outfielder Myrio Richard had 4 hits as well, including 3 doubles, and scored 4 times.
CLASS-A MIDWEST LEAGUE
Burlington Bees 8
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3
(WP – Alcantara 3-4 / 4.42)
Farmhand Of The Game:
Infielder Wade Kirkland
(Home Run / Double / 5 RBIs)
Worth Noting: Infielder Wade Kirkland and outfielder Dusty Robinson both homered and doubled on Thursday, with Kirkland driving in 5 runs and Robinson driving in 2. Infielders B.A. Vollmuth and Ryan Pineda contributed 2 hits apiece, and starter Raul Alcantara allowed 3 runs and struck out 4 over 6 innings to earn his 3rd win.
Friday’s Games:
Sacramento @ Albuquerque – 6:05pm PT
(Godfrey vs. TBD)
Corpus Christi @ Midland – 7:00pm CT
(Cosart vs. Straily)
Stockton @ Modesto – 7:05pm PT
(Cole vs. Gomez)
Burlington @ Wisconsin – 6:35pm CT
(Murphy vs. Gagnon)
Exclusive: A’s Assistant GM David Forst Gives the Lowdown on Off-Season Acquisitions and A’s Top Prospects – Part 2
A’s Assistant General Manager David Forst
Yesterday, we brought you Part 1 of A’s Farm’s exclusive interview with A’s assistant general manager David Forst, where he gave us the lowdown on Jarrod Parker, Ryan Cook, Tommy Milone, Brad Peacock and more. In Part 2, we’ll cover Josh Reddick, Miles Head, Michael Choice, Sonny Gray and more top A’s prospects. So let’s get back to the action – we rejoin our game, already in progress…
AF: Well, the final big off-season trade was the one with the Red Sox for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney. The main guy you got back in that deal was Josh Reddick. And I imagine you’ve got to be feeling pretty good about him at this point.
DF: Yeah, very good. I don’t think we knew ourselves that Josh would be capable of stepping right into the middle of the lineup and hitting the way he has and obviously hitting in the 3-hole for us pretty much all season. He’s really been our most consistent guy. We knew he was a good hitter, and we knew he was going to be an above average right fielder, but he has exceeded even our own expectations. So we’re very happy with Josh at this point, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t continue to hit in the middle of the lineup here.
Josh Reddick
AF: It seems like he’s making a lot of fans in Oakland real quick.
DF: Yeah, he is a fan favorite as well. He’s got a little bit of personality to him, which never hurts.
AF: Well it’s my theory that A’s fans are always fond of long-haired outfielders (Eric Byrnes, Nick Swisher, even briefly, Travis Buck).
DF: Well, I’ll have to see how many of those we can corner.
AF: The other hitter in that deal was infielder Miles Head, who’s been putting up great numbers at Stockton this year. You’ve got to be pretty pleased with him as well.
Miles Head
DF: Yeah, he’s been outstanding. He just turned 21 a week ago. To come into his first exposure at High-A and put up those kind of numbers has been outstanding. And playing third base for the most part, a position that he hasn’t played in a while, and he’s been pretty good over there too. He’s been the best guy on that Stockton team to date and one of our most consistent hitters in all the minor leagues. Miles has done a great job.
AF: Do you see him spending a full season at Class-A, or might he get bumped up if he keeps hitting like he has?
DF: I think we’re open to having him move. We’re talking about just a 100 plus at bats right now. And you’d like to see a guy do it for probably at least twice that long. Our history in terms of moving guys up from the California League to Double-A has been to make them do it for at least a full half-season and then see where they are because it is a huge jump. People talk about the jump from Triple-A to the big leagues obviously being the toughest. But to go from A-Ball to Double-A is a significant jump and you’re really facing a different level of pitcher there, so you want to make sure guys are ready before you make that decision.
Raul Alcantara
AF: The final guy in that deal was pitcher Raul Alcantara, who’s just 19 years old. And he’s been a little inconsistent at Burlington so far.
DF: Yeah, Raul will pitch all year at 19, so age is very much on his side. But like you said, he’s been kind of inconsistent. He had a very good start two starts ago where he threw 6 shutout innings and then came out the other day and walked 7 guys in 4 1/3 innings. So it’s a pretty typical trend line for a young kid first time in full-season ball. We weren’t even going to send him out to a full-season team after spring training, but he had a good camp and our guys liked the progress he was making. He really is very much in the development stage, working on both his secondary pitches and fastball command – the basic fundamentals you need a young pitcher to work on. And while he’s there, he’s holding his own, which is what you sort of hope for out of a 19-year-old.
Michael Choice
AF: Okay, now getting beyond the off-season deals, there are some other guys in the system who people are always interested in finding out more about. And the guy who’s always at the top of that list is former first-round draft pick Michael Choice, who’s been playing at Midland and just hit his second homer of the year the other day. (He’s since hit his third).
DF: I don’t totally know what to make of the power numbers right now, other than to say that we’re not at all concerned about him. I think one thing you know for sure with Michael is that he’s going to hit for power. So I would imagine that we’re going to see a spurt here at some point where he puts together 5 or 6 home runs in a week and brings those numbers right back up. The nice thing is he’s maintained the average in Double-A that he put together in A-Ball last year. He’s walking, his on-base has been right around .350 all year, and he’s out there everyday and healthy. So I think there are a lot of good indicators when it comes to Michael, and we have no doubt the power numbers will catch up.
Sonny Gray
AF: I’ve noticed he has been getting on base at a pretty regular clip anyway, which is always good to see. Another guy at Midland who everyone’s had their eye on who’s also been a little spotty so far is last year’s first-round draft pick Sonny Gray.
DF: Yeah, I think we all had high expectations because of where Sonny was drafted and frankly how well he came out of the gate last year with his 20 innings in Double-A, which no one really expected him to do. So when you look and his ERA’s in the mid-fours and he’s not quite striking out a batter an inning, we obviously all had high expectations. But again, in Sonny’s first year out, he’s holding his own in Double-A and his stuff has been very good every time out. (Director of player development) Keith Lieppman was in there recently and was raving about his breaking ball as a major league out pitch. And I think it’s just a matter of time before Sonny figures it out and his command gets better and he starts putting up some dominating starts at that level.
Sean Doolittle
AF: Another guy at Midland who’s a really interesting story is Sean Doolittle, who started out great at Stockton and was bumped up to Midland and so far has looked really good there too.
DF: Yeah, Sean has the potential to be a great story. Obviously, everybody knows what a great prospect he was as a position player. Unfortunately, his body just didn’t allow him to do it. But he’s now put together, between Stockton and Midland, I think 14 innings where he’s struck out 28 guys or something, and he’s touching 95-97 mph just about every time out. Obviously with a guy like that, you know his fastball’s going to play and it’s just a matter of working on his changeup and breaking ball. And that’s something we’ve stressed with Sean – not to just throw fastballs by guys but make sure he’s working on that other stuff. But as long as he continues to have success like that, then he’s going to move up the chain.
Ian Krol
AF: Besides A.J. Cole, there are a few other highly-regarded pitchers who’ve also been struggling at Stockton so far this year – guys like Ian Krol and Blake Hassebrock. I think they’ve both had some injury issues too. I know Krol’s on his way back, but is Hassebrock likely to be out for a while?
DF: He’s got an oblique issue that’s been bothering him, so he’s not quite back to throwing yet. He’s been out almost two full weeks now I believe. But yeah, Blake struggled a little bit before he went on the DL. We’re not going to see him pitch I would guess for another few weeks. And Ian just got back from his own DL stint. He pulled a groin a couple of outings ago and missed about two weeks, but he threw three innings the other night and seems to be back on track. That whole Stockton rotation right now is struggling. And it’s a tough place for pitchers. There are a lot of ballparks there where the ball flies, and you’ve got some older hitters spread out throughout the league. So it’s going to take some time for these guys to adjust. But their stuff is good and, for the most part, their arms are healthy. But Blake Treinen and T.J. Walz are doing a nice job. You’ve got a good group. I think it’s just going to take a while for them to put it together.
Drew Granier
AF: Yeah, Walz has really been the best starter so far at Stockton. And then down at Burlington, Sean Murphy and Drew Granier have both looked really good. I don’t know if their performances have been a bit of a pleasant surprise for you.
DF: Yeah, they’ve definitely opened up some eyes with their performance there and are in the conversation to move up at some point. Both guys have done well. Burlington’s right around .500, with not a lot of offensive performance to date. So it’s clearly been the pitching staff’s that’s carried them, and those guys you mentioned have been as good as anyone.
AF: I think they were both 32nd and 33rd round draft picks.
DF: Yeah, exactly, and they went out and had decent summers last year. But you really can’t evaluate these guys until they get into full-season ball. And they’ve both been very good.
Dusty Robinson
AF: The one guy who’s really been driving the offense at Burlington so far this year is outfielder Dusty Robinson, who’s been looking like a real power prospect.
DF: Yeah, his slugging numbers have been good from day one. He’s a guy we really did like out of the draft last year. He didn’t go in a premium position, but J.T. Stotts, our area scout, was very vocal about wanting this guy and feeling like his swing was going to play at the next level. And Dusty’s put up excellent numbers in what is typically a tough hitting environment, between the cold weather there in April and May and some tough parks to hit in. But he has been their most consistent offensive performer.
AF: Is there anyone I didn’t bring up who’s prominent on your radar screen and particularly worth mentioning from your point of view?
DF: Nope, you were pretty thorough. I think you’ve covered just about everyone who’s doing all right so far.
AF: Well, hopefully everyone who’s on your radar screen is on A’s Farm’s radar screen!
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!
