I miss my first A's game of the season (where I wasn't live, had TV or radio) and look what happens. Swisher seemingly cracks a bone. Barry Zito gets a win. Billy Beane is making slight overtures at possibly signing AN favorite and one of my personal favorites Mark Kotsay to a long-term deal.
Guess I can't skip a game anymore or I miss a lot.
The Swisher injury, let's hope it isn't serious, could possibly open up a roster spot. Vacaville native Jermaine Clark could get that roster spot, which in a lot of ways is good because he brings speed, he brings versatility (Clark can literally play any position short of medical trainer) and he brings an infectious enthusiasm for the game. I'd also like to think that Matt Watson would merit serious consideration when you factor in that he is hitting .298 and is leading the River Cats in total bases. This on top of the fact that he's proven himself for a while now. But the versatility of Clark could outweigh anything else. Macha loves players who give him options.
On the positive side, Bobby Kielty does seem to be warming as well. Could we see an outfielder of Byrnes, Kotsay and Kielty for a while?
Maybe you can tell me.
0 recs | 83 comments
It's Byrnes, Kotsay & Kielty...
you hit the nail on the head, Blez.FoolshGame22 - May 1, 2005
Blez!!!
You should have swung by my house on the way and borrowed my little XM portable radio to take to the Dodgers game. It gets the A's anytime, anywhere.Next time, okay? We can't have you without the A's. :)
baseballgirl - May 1, 2005
your right
hatteberg seems to be heading downhill. I could very well be wrong, but if thomas, kielty and byrnes are all doing well when swish heals, he could take the starting job away from hatteberg. When we do trade byrnes(could be offseason), DJ could come up, and swish would return to the outfield.SwishMix - May 1, 2005
Can Clark hit?
Checkswing HR - May 1, 2005
no
SwishMix - May 1, 2005
A real answer
His OPS this ST was .851. Last year in AAA he posted a .808. He had stagnated in AAA - that was his 4th season there and the first were he posted a decent OPS. He hit in all of the lower levels, though. Despite his lackluster AAA performances, he did receive call-ups in 3 of his 4 years in AAA, indicating that other teams must have thought he at least some usefulness. He has not hit at all in his 78 MLB ABs.At 28 years old he should not be considered a prospect. He does have excellent control of the strike zone, though, walking 63 times compared to 54 strikeouts last year and posting a career 9:10 bb:k ratio, which is a good indicator that the skills he showed in AAA should carry over to the bigs fairly well. He clearly won't hit for power, but should be able to hit for a decent average (.260-.275) and draw enough walks to make his OBP solid (.330-.345). He also has the tools to be a defensive replacement/pinch runner late in the game. At this point he looks like a not nearly as good version of Chuck Thomas - he'll make for a solid #5 outfielder, but his skills seem a bit redundant.
devo - May 2, 2005
Unless and until Byrnes begins to hit RHP, there's
...there's no way he should be in there every day.And, that's because Thomas' 2 for 27 against RHP is so superior? I mean it is, but... okay, wait, you're right, the players write the lineup. Let the AAA guy play against righties... makes sense to me.
FoolshGame22 - May 1, 2005
Problem
How is Byrnes going to start to hit righties, unless he gets a chance to bat against righties?OaklandSi - May 2, 2005
His OPS vs. righties was .741 in '04,
which is league average, and probably better than average compared to other RH batters' stats vs. RHPs and LH batters' stats vs. LHPs.Checkswing HR - May 2, 2005
League average was .766
25 points is fairly significantly below average.devo - May 2, 2005
While Thinking Good Thought for Swisher...
I was just wondering about the A's "horrible attendance" so I thought I'd see how they stacked up for Sunday's day games. Naturally, they're right in the middle of the pack - as we know but would be news for the "reality-challenged" folks at Faux Sports.Here are the home teams, attendance (in thousands), and giveaways for each park. One thing struck me... why is Dryer's Ice Cream (an Oakland-based company, isn't it?) doing a promotion in Arlington? Excuse me in advance, but wouldn't "Dryer's Park" be a tasty name for our new baseball-only park?
Anyway... the A's were #8 out of 15 games in attendance with just an `average' promotion today. Hello... anybody have Chris Rose's phone number?
Yankees - 54K - A-Rod Bats
Dodgers - 46K - Autograph Day
Rangers - 49K - Free Six-Flags Tix & $1 Dryer's Ice Cream
Astros - 38K - Post-Game Concert
Phillies - 37K - Philly Phanatic Dolls
Padres - 35K - Action Figure Bikes
Braves - 34K - 1993 Division Champ. Pennants (!)
Athletics - 31K - Little League Day / Mugs
Orioles - 31K - Little League Day
Twins - 31K - "Collectors' Medallion Album"
Nationals - 27K - (mlb.com lists no promotions for DC - pretty lame for 'their club')
Brewers - 23K - Baseball Card Sets
Pirates - 22K - Teddy Bears
White Sox - 21K - Jerseys
Indians - 18K - Museum Exhibits (!)
More from Dryer's website: nine departments (Products, Foundation Requests, US Sales/Distribution, Investor Inquiry, Vendor Inquiry, Reporter Inquiry, and Speaking Engagements) are all listed with Dryer's College Ave, Oakland address. International Sales is based in San Ramon and Food Service Sales is based in Union City. Here's an East Bay company we need to get involved with `the cause!'
NomAd - May 1, 2005
Isn't Dryer a subsidiary of Nestle USA?
secret ASian man - May 1, 2005
Think so...
Dryer's is listed as a 'private company' in industry trade websites, but a CoCoTimes article says they "merged" with Nestle a couple years ago. Whatever, they're still fairly independent and definately have an Oakland/East Bay heritage. Maybe we could invite someone from the companty to AN:2 day to demonstrate what a great PR move it would be for them to get involved with the team and its fans! (Wouldn't hurt if they brought some samples, too! haha)NomAd - May 1, 2005
Dreyer's
Myself, I prefer Breyer's anyday!davebenfremont - May 2, 2005
one of
my friends is the son of a dryers exec. i might be able to talk to him if we thought up a request.SwishMix - May 1, 2005
that's been my point exactly
while we all wish that the A's could consistently sell out -- or at least have consistenty high attendance -- they are far from the worse team in that regard.OaklandSi - May 2, 2005
And every team above us,
except the Dodgers and the Yankees, has a new stadium built in the last 10 years, too.The Dodgers and Yankees represent enigmas, though, since they play in historical parks, had two of the better promotions, and play in the 2 most populous metropolitan areas in the country.
devo - May 2, 2005
its not very enigmatic
when you immediately provide three plausible explanations ;-)green star oakland - May 2, 2005
yes, good point ...
devo - May 2, 2005
what happened to the bobby kielty sucks club?
they haven't been heard from in a few days now...xbhaskarx - May 1, 2005
small sample size
the last few days, I mean. ;-)FoolshGame22 - May 1, 2005
what about the whole season so far?
you seemed to think it was a decent sample size just two weeks into the season when kielty was hitting .000.well, is the whole season now somehow become a small sample size, now that it's a month and not two weeks?
despite hitting .000 for so long, kielty not only has a higher average than byrnes, but he has as many walks and double the RBIs that byrnes has, even though byrnes has about 20 more at bats.
my point, once again, is that you shouldn't play with statistics if you don't understand them. you only end up embarrassing yourself...
xbhaskarx - May 1, 2005
yeah, I'm just one of those stat yokels...
You city folks sure do have us'n bambozzled by all your fancified cypherin'. Maybe a poor ol' stat yokel like myself should just point you to last season's full sample size. Does that help ya out at all?FoolshGame22 - May 2, 2005
bamboozled, even
;-)FoolshGame22 - May 2, 2005
last season's full sample size
isn't what you were using in order to make your point in these two diaries:http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2005/4/14/34632/6489
http://www.athleticsnation.com/story/2005/4/29/44548/2278
xbhaskarx - May 2, 2005
no sir... you are correct...
Though the "Scutaro" diary was tongue-in-cheek, with respect to him being the best hitter on the team, as to the issue of Byrnes vs. Kielty, they merely reflected my opinion that Byrnes is the better hitter. And, that opinion is supported by the largest sample size we have, now, isn't it? Last year plus all of this year? Or is that sample size not large enough for you?FoolshGame22 - May 2, 2005
NOT Byrnes, Please!
I'm sick of his pop ups, I would rather play Thomas.Ktulu - May 2, 2005
The thing about Byrnes...
Is that he needs some patience at the plate.It hurts to see him swing at the first thing he gets, that's where those pop-ups are coming from...
PATIENCE YOUNG PADAWAN!
ahh duhh - May 2, 2005
our corner outfielders
For now, Kielty in right and Byrnes and Thomas platooning in left seems like the obvious choice. In the longer term, I would expect Beane to start looking actively for a corner outfielder in a trade if Swisher's injury is enough to keep him out for several weeks, and perhaps even if it isn't.All the arguing about who should see more playing time based on this year's stats is just dancing around the fact that ALL of them have put up numbers that are simply horrible for a corner outfielder. And the most optimistic projection for any of them would be something like .290 AVG/.360 OBP/.470 SLG, which is decent, but not great for the position. As the weaker teams drop out of contention, someone who rates to do better could become available at a reasonable price.
andeux - May 2, 2005
Like Aubrey Huff
He'd look good in Green and Gold. Spin a 3 way, where we get Huff/Baez for Byrnes/Jairo Garcia (?) and then trade Baez to someone who needs a closer. Keep Doc Oc for the stretch run...noava22 - May 2, 2005
Not Baez
In Peter Gammon's most recent column on ESPN.com he said that the DRays are asking for a "Scott Kazmir fortune" for Baez, which strikes me as a bit funny considering Baez is a decent but not great reliever. I don't think Beane is going to want to part with the talent the Rays are looking for to get yet another reliever for an already solid bullpen. Don't forget we'll be getting Chadford back in the next few months.JLeverenz - May 2, 2005
Jason Dubois
The A's could probably talk to the Cubs about Jason Dubois. He's not a 'moneyball' type of guy, but he's got a good glove, a decent arm, and a bunch of power.The Cubs desperately need some bullpen help and aren't really using Dubois to his potential. Before the season started, there were rumors about Dotel possibly coming to Chicago...
The framework for a possible deal is certainly there.
thecubdo - May 2, 2005
Jason Dubois
Oops, in case you aren't familiar with Dubois, he is a Rookie Left Fielder making the minimum with a potential (I think) to hit .280/.360/.500thecubdo - May 2, 2005
A few thoughts...
We'll have to wait and see on Swisher. I'll be depressed if he's out for a while, though. Our corner outfielders are a disaster, even if Kielty has been hitting well recently and Byrnes made a great catch on Saturday. Losing Swisher, who started Saturday's game-winning rally with a walk, doesn't help.I guess Byrnes keeps his job if Swisher is out, although I would still like to see Thomas get more of a look against right-handers. I haven't given up on him yet, and think he needs more playing time. Byrnes is going through one of those awful stretches where he does nothing but hit weak popouts. Right now, we don't have any good options.
I'd be quite excited if we signed Kotsay. Aside from his stellar play, he's picked up the baton as team leader. Beane's comments are a good sign.
bear88 - May 2, 2005
No mention
of rising star Bocachica? Yeah, I know he's not our top minor-league outfielder, but still, his spring was pretty impressive.atomopawn - May 2, 2005
he's also recovering from a broken hand
OaklandSi - May 2, 2005
Bocachica
Bocachica isn't a rising star. He's 30. He's been in the Big Leagues on and off for 5 years. In just over 400 ABs he's put up a career .654 OPS. He's a failed top prospect turned journeyman. Just because he has a cool name does not mean he's a legitimate prospect.OaktownTribesman - May 2, 2005
Geez
Just because he has a cool name does not mean he's a legitimate prospect.There has to be something funny to say in the response to that, but I just can't think of it. Where is Nico when you need him?
devo - May 2, 2005
prospects
"Just because he has a cool name does not mean he's a legitimate prospect."we just want our very own lastings milledge, if it can't be bocachica, we'll have to settle for jairo...
xbhaskarx - May 2, 2005
Signing Kotsay long term?
man, i dont know...back injuries are chronic. He missed most of a season with one and although he has been relatively healthy...suggy - May 2, 2005
and
it was his knee mostly not his back.Satchmo22 - May 2, 2005
a's outfield:
booby K in right, kots in CF, platoon watson/byrnes in left. there is absolutely no way byrnes merits more playing time than platooning-he's play has been horrid.clark is not what this team needs right now. whats needed is some offense and while watson isn't the complete answer, he will hit better than clark could ever dream of hitting.
bigelephant - May 2, 2005
Ginter???
He is dying on the bench. Why not throw him out there into left field. He can't do any worse then what we have now.About the Dubois post... I would love to see him come to the A's. He has power 31 homeruns at Iowa last year and consistently hits, when Dusty plays him. Remember, Dusty doesn't play rookies so Jason has no hope of playing time. My trade would be Ellis and Rincon for Dubois and Wuertz.
Andy907 - May 2, 2005
BOCACHICA?
What happened to Hiram? Checked Baseball America and I don't see any stats for him at Sac or Midland. Also searched on ESPN and didn't see any news relating to him other than his reassignment at the start of April. Anybody know? I seem to remember a great spring from him in the outfield.safejeff - May 2, 2005
for more information
check out the commments five spaces above your ownxbhaskarx - May 2, 2005
Whoops
Thanks. How did I miss that?safejeff - May 2, 2005
Comments ....
Thomas should get the lion's share of starts in left against righties .... Byrnes can't get a ball out of the infield vs. righthanders, and his defense might cost the team 3-4 runs a week. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, the catch in foul territory was awesome -- but for every one of those, he butchers 4 in left field.) His defense is atrocious, plain and simple. We all know this.Kielty will continue to get better ... I think the 2-hit games he's had recently are an indication of what he's capable of regularly.
How can you not love the idea of signing Kotsay long-term?? This guy brings it every day. By far, our best player. Offensively and defensively.
No-brainer. Keep this guy as long as you can. (Haven't heard a sniff about his back in over a season and a half.)
My boy Chavez looks as if he's decided to earn some $$$$ -- still a long way to go, but headed in the right direction it seems. Maybe he's decided that Kotsay can be the guy he leans on ala Giambi and Tejada.
Vacafan - May 2, 2005
About Kotsay
Do you think we would be hearing about BB's desire to keep Kotsay long-term if Schott was still the owner?kaweahkaweah - May 2, 2005
We do not need clark' s versatility
We have enough IF and OF presently which has me leaning toward Watson.Both about the same caliber ML player but Watson seems like a guy who come up get hot and lead us out of this slump. Just a gut felling no right/wrong answer between those 2.
novaoakland - May 2, 2005
Fleeting fame for AN'er on Saturday
I was watching the game on TV Saturday when there was a quick crowd shot, on the 3rd base side I think, and an AN'er with a heather tee and black A's visor was shown along with his friend who had a "blank blank SUCKS" t-shirt. I couldn't make out the writing even after replaying it several times.Who was this mystery AN'er?
McFood - May 2, 2005
Kotsay and the Outfielders
Sounds like a good name for a rock band, no? (with appropriate credit given to Dave Barry for the reference)- I love the idea of keeping Kotsay to patrol centerfield for a few more years. When was the last time we had a centerfielder with his defensive ability?
- I think putting Kielty in the outfield permanently and having a platoon of Byrnes and Thomas sounds like a fine idea. Byrnes with his .311/.362/.542 against lefties over the last 3+ years and Thomas with .289/.364/.436 against righties would make a solid combination.
- As far as who to call up, I think Dan Johnson is good idea to see what he can do at first base with some consistent AB's while giving Hatteberg a rest. He (Johnson) doesn't have anything left to prove in AAA.
JonathonJLeverenz - May 2, 2005
Before we annoint Kielty
as an every day starter, doesn't he have to prove as much as Byrnes that he can hit RH pitching? The OF is still very much open beyond CF.boilerdan - May 2, 2005
He's got 4 hits on the season
versus RH pitching!boilerdan - May 2, 2005
Kotsay, Swisher, and the outfield
I have to definitely agree that signing Kotsay to a long term deal would be great for the A's and the fans. He is the leader we need long term in the outfield. He could definitely be a positive mentor for Swisher (who I hope has a long future with the A's), as he has already seemed to have taken him under his wing.Between Harden, Crosby, and now Kotsay's possible deal, I sure am liking the new owner!
I am hoping that Swisher's injury will only keep him out, at the most, a couple of weeks. He is young, and full of so much energy that I don't think he will be able to handle sitting on the bench for long. I hope his body heals as fast as he wants it too! I love watching him play!
In the meantime, I would like to see Charles Thomas get some more playing time. I know this guy can play, but I would like to see it happen in Oakland. And Byrnes! What's not to love (except this rash of popups lately), he gives it his all, and I would never want to see him in anything but Green and Gold.
Swisherfor05ROY - May 2, 2005
Chucky T
Yeah, I remember him making some highlight reel catches many imes last summer.secret ASian man - May 2, 2005
It's 2-buck chuck!
Get it right ;)baseballgirl - May 2, 2005
thanks for the two buck chuck reminder
I need to pickup some of that good cheap wine at Trader Joe's after work.pickinmachine - May 2, 2005
Love to see the Ratto watch go down!
It'd be sweet to see it in single digits at the all-star break!JJ - May 2, 2005
That would mean being at worst
51-36, a .587 winning percentage - or 38-24 from here on out, a .613 winning percentage. Not impossible, but no likely, either.I say that we cross the 10 game threshold on our April 18-20 roadie while visiting Los Angeles de Los Angeles in Anaheim. Put me down for the 60 win mark somewhere around August 3-5 in Minnesota or Kansas City. It would be awesome if we could get hot in July and pull into 60 on the 30th or 31st, at home against Detroit. I't be awesome to get some fun signs out for the games.
devo - May 2, 2005
that's a fantasy
I say about August 10 or so.geogrman - May 2, 2005
august 10, that's very specific
how long before there is a "predict when ratto watch reaches 0" diary?someone start it up!
xbhaskarx - May 2, 2005
August 13th
Blez has pulled some strings to make it coincide with AN-IIgreen star oakland - May 2, 2005
Next time Blez leaves us alone
we should throw a party. We could totally get away with it.ArakSOT - May 2, 2005
Hee!
baseballgirl - May 2, 2005
Hey young man...
don't think I can't read what you're saying.;-)
Tyler Bleszinski - May 2, 2005
OK, Pops!
You are sounding quite the "Dad" now! Guess you are getting good practice with Maya!LongTimeFan - May 2, 2005
Dead Last In Slugging
I like Jermaine Clark, but we need bop way more than we need speed right now.I'd rather see Ginter in LF, Kielty in right. Or bring up Watson.
We desperately need power. We can't count on winning games with balls that ricochet off the bag or get lost in the sun. All those beautiful early pitching performances by Blanton, Haren and Zito that were wasted without offense will be a continuing theme this year without some homeruns.
Low slugging = low runs.
I'm glad Kielty's starting to hit.
I still wish I'd been in on the brain trust meetings which indicated the A's should pour their money into Chavvy instead of Miggy.
DavidS - May 2, 2005
Slugging
It will go up when our sluggers (eg Chavez and Durazo) start hitting and they have showed some signs of coming out of it.Larry E - May 2, 2005
Revisiting DuBois
Ginter for DuBois? Cubs need Middle Infield help (they have Neifi Perez manning the IF last I heard).Zonis - May 2, 2005
What good would that do?
Ginter can't play short, can he? And Neifi is ripping it up right now. I know he's not a long term solution, but they're fine for now. I'd like DuBois, for sure, but I'd rather see us try to land Ryan Howard...noava22 - May 2, 2005
OR Aubrey Huff
noava22 - May 2, 2005
Haha...for Ginter??
Right.OaktownPower - May 2, 2005
Swisher on 15-day, Clark called up
From A's press release: "The Oakland A's today placed outfielder Nick Swisher on the 15-day disabled list with a right acromio-clavicular (AC) joint sprain. To take his spot on the roster the A's have selected infielder/outfielder Jermaine Clark from Triple-A Sacramento. To clear a spot for Clark on the 40-man roster, the A's have transferred right-handed pitcher Chad Bradford to the 60-day disabled list." http://www.sportsfeatures.com/PressPoint/show.php?id=21798eastbay - May 2, 2005
Durazo
Durazo has been playing well for the last few games. His bat is coming around. Anyone want to give him some credit.Larry E - May 2, 2005
Yes, he has been picking things up
Give him his props. Chavie, too, may be starting to wake up.kaweahkaweah - May 2, 2005
Hatte
I love Hatte, but this bit from Baseball Analysts was depressing:****
Scott Hatteberg: 1B, 35, OAK, .267/.320/.344. Hatteberg's stats are down across the board. The Pickin' Machine is walking at half his normal rate and hitting home runs at the lowest pace of his career. The fact that he is seeing fewer pitches per plate appearance than ever makes me think pitchers are going after him and exploiting his inability to hit.
DavidS - May 2, 2005
Hatte will be lucky to hit 8 HRs this year ...
.... though I believe he will lead the league in '4-3's. He wears out a path to the opposing secondbaseman !!Always love him for the HR to win game 20 in a row in 2002, but currently, Hatte's best spot on a team is LH-bat off the bench. Maybe some NL team will want to take on his bat and salary in a 2nd-half push for a playoff spot.
HerbWashington - May 2, 2005
And he's our cleanup hitter right now!
Tells you how bad our hitting has been!kaweahkaweah - May 2, 2005
DJ
What is he doing in AAA?Larry E - May 2, 2005
Sucking
hitting under .220noava22 - May 2, 2005
WHAM!
I was leaning over the RF railing about 10 feet from Swisher when he hit that wall and it wasn't pretty. Kotsay came over to help and Nick was out of it. At first I thought it was a little funny because it was the opposite of the commercial, but then he wasn't getting up. Scary moment, I'm happy to hear that he's only on the 15 day list but I think it may be a little longer.I'm on the Kietly wagon till he runs it into a wall.
JMC @ Athletics Nation - May 2, 2005
byrnes defense
You guys bitchin about byrnsie's D need to think back when Grieve was holding down that spot. Imagine the "catch" the other day with Grieve instead. At least Byrnes can get to balls, admittedly after taking a horrible read, but he can still get to balls, and entertain and amuse us all the same.elephantman - May 2, 2005
Sign Kotsay.
The guy's a leader and a terrific player. As much as I like him, Byrnsie's just not an everyday player - more a platoon/4th OF. Chavy and Ruby seem to be heating up. The pitching has generally great. I'm optimistic. Go A's.kent1 - May 2, 2005
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