I'm working on rumors here; stay tuned to AN for the day for further developments, but it looks like our very own Ziggy has been called up to the A's!!!!
From Baseball Prospectus :
After the 2006 season, I wrote a feature on A’s prospect Brad Ziegler, and how the organization had decided to convert him into a sidearmer. Year one of that experiment was overall quite the success, as Ziegler has a 1.14 ERA at Double-A Midland in 15 games before moving up to Triple-A Sacramento, where he had a 2.96 mark in 35 games, while compiling the usual outstanding groundball ratio that goes with the style. This year, he’s been even better as the River Cats closer, going 2-0 with eight saves and a 0.37 ERA in 19 games; allowing only 15 hits in 24.1 innings while walking four and striking out 20. His groundball ratio is nearly 3-to-1 and right-handers have nearly no shot against him, batting just .118/.135/.137. Now a quick note in the interest of full disclosure – Brad is a friend of mine. We talk quite a bit during the season over IM and text messages, and we made sure to have dinner together when I was in Arizona for spring training. He’s a good guy, a 28-year-old who was drafted in the 20th round five years ago, cut during the 2004 spring training, and now re-created as a different kind of beast. I woke up this morning to a text message from Brad – he got the call and is flying today to meet him with the A’s in Texas for a series with the Rangers. And whether you know Brad or not, it’s a pretty great story.
More to come!
0 recs | 84 comments
Wooo!
Amend your signs:
mikeA - May 30, 2008
amend that
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
Where's Ziggy when you need him, he coulda told it to us himself...
then again, he probably doesn’t have net access on the plane.
Zonis - May 30, 2008
The plane
from Sacto to Oakland?
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
The A's are in Arlington aren't they?
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Oops
my bad
still living in the past
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
Only the best for Ziggy, man!
Kyli - May 30, 2008
Because that is what press releases are for....
Cant comment officially until it is announced.
OaktownPower - May 30, 2008
woo ziggy!
xbhaskarx - May 30, 2008
I hope to see a "Getting Ziggy with it" one line diary saying
I just got called up to the big team, so watch me!!
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
I want him to do a Blez Q&A from the mound in-game
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
We're going to see the first comebacker
hit a blogger during a game!
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
Not on the 40-man is he?
Someone else will need to be DFA’d
train80 - May 30, 2008
D. Braden
I heard he pitches well in Sacramento.
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
You know, I know Braden is kind of a popular whipping boy around here
but he actually has pitched pretty well this season when you look further than his ERA. His FIP (fielding independent pitching) is 2.62.
Used properly (i.e. predominantly against lefthanders), he’s a valuable piece to a bullpen.
PaulThomas - May 30, 2008
Can't see Braden getting DFA'd
He at least has some value, as evidenced by the fact that he’s bounced up and down this year. Plus as a lefty he’d be almost certain to get claimed.
train80 - May 30, 2008
This is a good point.
I don’t want him to ever be a starting pitcher again, but making him a LOOGY would be fine.
jeepers - May 30, 2008
He's also useful as a long man
He might not have been good yesterday, but giving up a couple runs in 2 2/3 in a lost game is valuable. Somebody has to fill those innings, ideally a guy making the league minimum.
thejd44 - May 30, 2008
Eating innings
It would be interesting to see Frank Thomas pitch.
jeepers - May 30, 2008
Hatteberg for reliever!
Kyli - May 30, 2008
Scott Hatteberg, pitchin' machine
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
i've been saying that for weeks
braden is useful, concentrate your anger on jeff gray, people!
xbhaskarx - May 30, 2008
Congrats to Ziggy!
Oughta make it a little tougher to get in touch with him for a bit, but this is a little more important. ;-)
Flashfire - May 30, 2008
maybe he could use a blackberry...
...and blog from the mound.
little A - May 30, 2008
Hopefully this news is true. All the best Brad.
OldhamA - May 30, 2008
Wow, AN really has arrived.
Blez asks Billy about Brad’s chances to conclude the last interview…a coincidence that he’s being called up? I think not. Billy wants to make AN happy.
The downside of this is that presumably, someone else is going on the DL (I’m looking at Ryan Sweeney).
jeepers - May 30, 2008
that would also explain how Beane is making room on the 40-man
He’s trading Harden to the Vatican for the Sistine Chapel.
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
I hear Mikey threw a mean splitter
Big hitter, the Lama
madmongoose - May 30, 2008
Contrary to everyone else's thoughts...
I actually have a bad feeling about this. If all 4 of these guys really are being called up, I feel like the only explanation for this is that there will be at least 1 or 2 players who will go on the DL who we are not expecting to do so. I hope I’m wrong , but just have a bad feeling that we’ll see a Harden or Duke go down…afterall Harden has started what 3 games since coming off the DL ..thats about where he caps out at.
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
i love your name....
do you really burn up worms…
little A - May 30, 2008
I'm a contact hitter
And yes most of the time I beat it into the ground. Double play candidate for sure
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
harden or duke
if you’re picking a SP, wouldn’t eveland be more likely?
he feels a pop in his arm, gets hit by a ball yesterday and gets torched…
xbhaskarx - May 30, 2008
It could be Eveland
But if he was DL bound, don’t you think he would have been hurting enough after those comebackers to take himself out of the game?..Either way I think we’ll get a surprise today and I don’t think it will be a nice one.
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
let me clarify, i don't think harden, duke, or eveland are going on the DL today.
xbhaskarx - May 30, 2008
But we are down 3 pitchers from the pen, so Ziggy and Calero make sense. Buck and Cargon
are a different issue. RS, might be hurt more than thought initially.
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Rick Hurd - Today's Paper
“But not all the news on the injury front was bad for the A’s on Thursday. X-rays on Ryan Sweeney’s left foot came back negative, and the outfielder is day-to-day. Sweeney fouled a ball of his foot Wednesday.”
This makes me think (fingers crossed) that Sweeny really is day to day.
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
The next thing Rick Hurd gets right will be the 1st.
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Ok Lets Try Steve Kroner, Chronicle
“The A’s did get some good news regarding outfielder Ryan Sweeney, who fouled a ball off his left foot and had to leave Wednesday night’s game against Toronto. X-rays on Sweeney’s foot were negative and he remains on the active roster”
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
Looks like both of them were wrong
I’ll go ahead and eat my own foot now
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
Let this be a lesson to all prospects
Post diaries on AN, and when you are even speculated to come up to the big club, it will be a very big deal.
oaklandSMASH - May 30, 2008
imagine if Todd Linden's mom had gotten called up!
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
I love Zig
ChadGod - May 30, 2008
It looks like I'm going to have a bunch of late nights up
watching games on mlbtv.com, waiting to see Ziggy’s major league debut!
Congratulations Brad!
Nick - May 30, 2008
Drumbeat
Susan Slusser just confirmed on the Drumbeat that all 4 will be called up.
Coffee13eans - May 30, 2008
wow
wow
xbhaskarx - May 30, 2008
Awsome...
Should be great to watch!
Syphon - May 30, 2008
Exciting news!
Bummed about Ryan, though.
franks a lot - May 30, 2008
I'm sad about losing Devine to the DL
Coffee13eans - May 30, 2008
I'm sad and worried
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
Yep forearm almost always leads to elbow
train80 - May 30, 2008
Devine DL was the surprise I was worried about
GusanoQuemador - May 30, 2008
I know
I hope Brad makes the adjustment to the majors well but with Devine, Casilla, and Brown out. The bullpen worries me with Embree, and Foulke as our setup men to Street
Coffee13eans - May 30, 2008
Yeah. :-(
When those three fellas make it back, it’s going to be like a whole new ‘pen again. But Embree’s the only one in that pen I trust to hold a tight game right now (..okay, and Street, but I still have lingering terror).
Ziggy’s gotta make a quick adjustment. Moreso than any of the other callups. Otherwise, there’s gonna be trouble.
Kyli - May 30, 2008
franks a lot - May 30, 2008
Dinner-Do is a bit of a surprise
considering Braden is probably unavailable for a few days and got shelled yesterday.
I guess Emil plays left and Cust DHs for the time being
closetasfan - May 30, 2008
where's Zonis?
Buck RF
Crosby SS
Cust DH
Chavez 3B
Ellis 2B
Brown LF
Barton 1B
Gonzalez CF
Suzuki C
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
Is Eric Chavez really going to hit well enough to be placed in cleanup spot?
Coffee13eans - May 30, 2008
Wait and See.
Syphon - May 30, 2008
The real question:
is anyone on this team going to hit well enough to be placed in the cleanup spot?
Kyli - May 30, 2008
Wait and See.
Gaijin_Suketto - May 30, 2008
Holy shit, man.
This situation being reality absolutely boggles my mind.
Devine going to the DL concerns me a lot, I love Ziggy, but he’d better watch out—it seems like there’s a curse on being one of the best in the ‘pen. I feel like that’s going to be a visible hurt for the team in late innings.
Poor Sweeneys. :-( It seems like Jack Cust is going to get out of the OF, at least. Oye.
Kyli - May 30, 2008
so
who got DFAed?
closetasfan - May 30, 2008
Melillo and DiNardo, according to Slusser
OaklandSi - May 30, 2008
Melillo, Wow, who does Gray have pictures of ?
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
ask Larry Davis
OaklandSi - May 30, 2008
DinnerDo
will surely get claimed. That is a surprise to me
closetasfan - May 30, 2008
Wow.
I didn’t expect Melillo.
Kyli - May 30, 2008
That was my question, noone has yet been removed from the 40 man, for Ziggy and
Calero
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Michael Massaro has now been added to the Rivercats roster.
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
I'd just read on Yahoo! sports A's page
that Devine had an MRI during the Toronto series…he was unavailable for the Toronto series because of pain in the forearm.
OaklandSi - May 30, 2008
Crap.
At least 2 more weeks of Emil.
Get well soon, RSweeney.
BWH - May 30, 2008
lol
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
Emil may not be great, but he is by far not the main reason the offense is struggling. That
is the only thing I can’t understand.
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Chavy and CarGon up within
1 days of each other?!? Im not sure I can handle this!
Syphon - May 30, 2008
Alright, can we confirm the "extra year" date for TBuck?
Is today the 1st day we can call him up without losing that extra year of club control? I think I’ve seen both the 30th and the 31st as dates—does it depend on whether the Basic Agreement counts inclusively or exclusively?
Nick - May 30, 2008
Melillo/DiNardo is pretty surprising
mikeA - May 30, 2008
DiNardo is not particularly surprising
Melillo baffles me. He’s actually been playing well this season.
PaulThomas - May 30, 2008
I'm going back to my 'Billy Beane drinking binge wacky adventure' theory.q
Which may explain where Gray got pictures from.
Oh yes. It’s aaaall coming together…
Kyli - May 30, 2008
Maybe that means they are planning..
on bringing Ellis back.
Syphon - May 30, 2008
Now we know why Pennington is up in AAA.
theblackpearl - May 30, 2008
Boy would I love for Pennington
to amount to something. But I think Horton is out future SS. Hes playing well and if he progresses at a normal rate he would be a nice SS.
Syphon - May 30, 2008
Eh
.742 OPS and he’s 26. Still beats Jeff Gray by quite a bit.
mikeA - May 30, 2008
Hoping he won't get claimed?
Maybe they are hoping that with the flurry of moves today that a fairly middle-of-the-road prospect like Melillo has a good chance of sliding through waivers. As someone who has never really appeared on a top prospect list or spent a significant amount of time in the majors he might not be on the radar for most GM’s. I would think one of the benefits of announcing a bunch of moves at once like this is the increased chance of burrying a name in the transaction sheet.
OkayJay81 - May 30, 2008
the Chewbacca roster defense?
monkeyball - May 30, 2008
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