Notes From The Nat

From Sports Illustrated: 

What are all of Oakland’s dollar-conscious disciples to think of theA’s this year? What’s anyone to think? The franchise that made themodern blueprint for winning on a budget has spent the winter tradingaway what few marquee players it had and stocking up on unproven,untested, largely unknown kids. That is nobody’s formula for success.

In fact, if we didn’t know any better, we’d swear that the A’s are … are … rebuilding.

"We weren’t afraid of the word," says David Forst,the team’s assistant general manager. "There’s a negative connotationto it when it’s used by fans, who think they’re going to be watching ateam without any entertainment value. But if you look at it and what itleads to, it’s really exciting.

A likely story. But could it be that this rebuilding process, like just about everything the A’s do, will be less about what everyone else does, and more about thinking outside the box?

The new course of action was charted last October, shortly after theA’s had concluded their worst season since 1998. Beane sat down withForst and others and conducted a top-to-bottom organizational review,Oakland’s first in years. A new strength coach was brought in toexamine why players were having such a huge problem with injuries. TheA’s also hired five new area scouts, adding to a staff that had becomeone of the smallest in the league, and re-sectioned the country to getbetter coverage. They increased their scouting budget in Latin Americaand elsewhere internationally, and have earmarked more money forsigning bonuses.

In case you missed it: "earmarked more money for signing bonuses."

One of the big beefs with the A’s and their drafting philosophy has long been that they don’t pick the guy they want most with their early draft picks - they pick who they can easily afford.

Personally, I’m okay with that. The difference between a $3m 1st rounder and a $1.5m first rounder can often be nothing more than 1-2mph on a fastball, or one less injury in a senior year, or a school that’s in the national spotlight. I see nothing wrong with picks like Swisher, Blanton, Suzuki, Powell, Buck, Robnett, etc etc. For the most part, they do the job well.

But then there’s the Tim Lincecum’s [left] that, once in a while, pop up, destroy the local UBC Thunderbirds for a year or two, and make you think, "hmm… an extra mill in the draft signing budget would be a nice thing about now, so he could be wearing our colours and not steamrolling them…"

More scouts. More bonus money. No more ‘injury-prone’ gambles.

Looks like the C’s don’t just get new jerseys and logo this season… we’re also going to get a new level of talent on the playing field.

There’s been a lot of stuff written, and said, (and whined) about Oakland’s recent trades of former Vancouver Canadian Nick Swisher, and former ‘afterthought’ of the Mark Mulder trade, Dan Haren.

Some thinkers are liking the deal, understanding that the worst that will come of it is one player as good as Swisher coming through in the next season or so, while the upside could mean THREE Swishers dropping into the roster by 2009. Others think it stinks, and that it’s just a continuation of the Oakland habit of trading away stars for kids, being cheapskates, and looking towards a future that will never come.

One noted blog pundit, on Elephants in Oakland, thinks Oakland boss Billy Beane "has made so many bad moves that his ‘positive’ moves are really just scabs on the A’s organization wounds he himself inflicted," reasoning that  the two trades "are a stinging rebuke of Billy Beane’s management of the OaklandAthletics Baseball Club, and if you will - the populist Moneyballtheory."

Swisher was one of several first round draft picks for the A’s in 2002.While Lewis spent much of the book explaining (not very well) varyingstatistical analysis methods the A’s purportedly eschewed - NickSwisher was the player the scouting crowd and stat heads could ‘agree’on. The definable stats and the indefinable intangibles and the toolsin-betweens were all there with Nick Swisher.

What Swisherbecame for the A’s was a loudmouth, publicity-whore and/or the face ofthe A’s franchise. Swisher was not a disappointment if you read columnsby Susan Slusser and Mychael Urban. If you look at the projectionsbased on stats and the hopes based on talent and ability - Swisher hadfailed, to date, to live up to the expectations of both the stat headand scouting communities. Swisher’s ability and talent havedeteriorated into ‘old player skills’; power, walks, low average, lackof speed. In 2007 Jack Cust clearly showed that those old player skillsare not worthy of a 1st round draft choice - they could be had,twice-over, (the A’s had Cust in Sacramento for 2005) at the minorleague level.

Now, he makes a good point that the A’s got Cust for nothing, and ended up with someone as good, if not better, than first round draft pick Swisher when they did so. That, to me, would seem to indicate that there’s value in the A’s tendency to steer clear of big money draft picks, and find replacement parts on the market when the need arises.

But Mr EiO goes on to harp on the Octavio Dotel [seen right] and Arthur Rhodes trades (which nobody will deny sucked), decry Oakland’s scouts and draft team as being incompetent, and points out the obvious - that Eric Chavez is a giant hole of suck, in trying to demonstrate that Billy Beane is a very average GM.

In my opinion, he not only cherry picks his data, but he also misses some very important points.

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KEOUGH FINDING FORM IN INSTRUCTS:
Oakland A’s Instructionals are underway, which means the best of the class of 2007 (and beyond) are in a field in Arizona being told to shift their feet and raise their elbows.

Scout.com has an interview with Oakland Farm Director Keith Lieppman, in which he says Shane Keough is showing some strong improvement in his first few days of camp.

Keith Lieppman: It?s hard to pinpointsomeone specifically because they don?t keep a whole lot of stats. Wekeep some records of it, but nothing to specific. In terms of someindividual performances, Shane Keoughis having a pretty good Instructional League. He is starting to makebetter contact and looks to be using his speed tool a little bit betterin terms of stealing bases. He is kind of getting some of the roughedges off.

OC: With Keough, do you think his struggles this season were a result of coming back from his back injury last season?

KP: No, I think with him it was just that he hadn?t played verymuch baseball in high school. He?s just somebody who hasn?t had thatmuch experience out there on the field. I think it is just a matter ofgetting the repetitions and being out there. The talent is there. Ijust think he?s just a little bit behind because he got a little bit ofan opportunity at the JC level, but prior to that, he hadn?t playedmuch.

Lieppman went on to name early 2007 C’s first baseman Sean Doolittle as someone who is mashing, and will likely move through the system fast, while 2006-7 C’s outfielder Matt Sulentic is also having a good time of things and will likely not only get back to Kane County next year, but will "definitely" stay in the outfield.

HEAVY HITTERS HURT:
Uptown Corey Brown’s injury has stopped him from getting to Instructionals, and now Amblin’ Danny Hamblin, the other half of Vancouver’s 2007 power duo, has had to pull out after injuring a groin. Also ailing is Josh Horton; The Hornet having injured his hand to the point where he can’t wear a glove, although he’s still able to swing a bat and is doing just that.

Meanwhile, Craig Italiano, who was drilled in the head with a line drive this season, seems like he’s fit and ready for action, having pitched a couple of simulated outings. You always wonder, when a kid takes a shot like that, whether he’ll be gun shy in future, so it’s good to hear about his progress.

In other injury-related news, 2004 NWL MVP and Vancouver Canadians center fielder, Javier Herrera, has been cleared to play Venezuelan Winter Ball with Caracas after two seasons riddled with injury (and suspension).

More suspicious people than I might look at Herrera’s steroid suspension two years back, and his subsequent inability to stay healthy since, and think the two might be related…

Lieppman also makes note that chronically injured 2004 C’s catcher (and 1st round draftee) Landon Powell is likely to have further troubles with his knees in the future, saying, "the chance of reoccurrence is probably great", and, even more interestingly, that the likelihood of a move to another position is not strong. "His catching skills make him what he is," says Lieppman, adding, "He?s aswitch-hitter with power and the whole thing, but with his greatreceiving skills and his throwing, there are really no other places forhim right now."

So you’ve got a guy with bad knees, who will have more knee problems, but isn’t worth shifting to another spot, so they’re going to keep him in the one place that is hardest on a guy’s knees and just see if he can luck it out? Wow - I’m not sure I’d want to be buying Landon Powell futures right now.

That said, Powell can mash. I know nobody likes to spend too much time on a DH-only guy in the minors (a la Jack Cust), since that’s the spot you’d normally put your washed up veterans, but surely it would make more sense to have Powell lose some weight and then actively push him towards first base - or even (I can’t believe I’m saying this) - third? He certainly has the throwing arm for it, and though he’d be a defensive liability, he’d be a defensive liability who could poke 30 dingers for you, from either side of the plate.

Hit the link below for more news. 

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Old timers may remember a guy by the name of Norton who once occupied the outfield at Nat Bailey Stadium, back in the day when the Mounties called it home.

Norton spent a decade in the minors - your prototypical AAAA player - grinding away, looking for a sniff of Major League ball.

Take it away, Tom Hawthorn of the Globe and Mail:

In 1968, the Sporting News featured him in a profile as he tore up the Southern League with his hitting for the Birmingham (Ala.) Barons. In the fourth inning of one game, he hit a homer, came up again later in the inning, smacking a grand slam… "Norton has been on the verge of being a top player for several years now," his manager said at the time. "And in the last month it looks as if he’s broken through and made it."

If only. The next season he was playing for the Iowa Oaks in Des Moines when he was told to report to the airport in the morning. Rick Monday had broken his wrist. The Athletics needed an outfielder to meet the team in Baltimore.

Nine seasons of hard work, of kicking around the bush leagues, was about to be rewarded.

He was about to board a flight when paged. The A’s were calling up someone else. That was the closest he got.

Ouch. Still, Norton’s moved on; he coached Team Canada for a while, helped set up the National Baseball Insitute in BC, and now he’s not only a scout for the Seattle Mariners, covering Canada and Europe, but he seems to be someone they trust greatly - since he recommended they take Canadian pitcher Phillippe Aumont in the draft this year, and they did so with their first pick.

And if you’re wondering why the Seattle-affiliated Everett Aquasox had a pair of Dutchmen in their team this year, that’s down to Norton too. He also found them an Italian.

Nice to see hometown guys making their way, even after their playing days are done.

And nice to see the Canadian sporting press drinking from the baseball pool a little beyond the Blue Jays.

As the MLB First-Year player draft signing deadline passed last night, all first-round picks managed to sign with their major league teams.  That included 1st overall pick David Price, who signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Josh Vitters, brother of former Vancouver Canadian Christian, who signed on the dotted line with the Chicago Cubs after being the #3 overall pick this year.

Why am I talking about Vitters?  Because we might see him next week at Nat Bailey Stadium.  The Boise Hawks, affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, are in town Monday the 20th through Friday the 24th and if Len and Bob, broadcasters of the Cubs on WGN, are correct (and they talked with Vitters last night on the telecast, so they should be) Vitters will be suiting up with the Hawks this week, or next week.

If you haven’t realized yet, this would be awesome.  Right now, Boise is preparing for a three-game weekend set in Spokane, before heading farther west to Vancouver.  Usually it’d be easier for him, or a top pick, to make his pro debut at home, but I doubt that’ll happen in Vitters’ case, because Boise starts their 11-game road trip tomorrow against the Indians.

Considering Vitters signed last night, I doubt he’ll play tomorrow, but will he make his debut in Spokane, Vancouver, Yakima or Boise?  Or could he be moved up a level or two, which you’d expect from someone of his abilities.  According to the scouting report, this 17-year-old can hit for power, and can’t run to save his life.

If Vitters even makes an appearance in Vancouver next week, it’d be a scene worthy of attention from all of the local media, even more so if he makes his debut in what should be, a long career.

EDIT: Here’s a lesson why you shouldn’t believe everything you see on TV.  Reported on chicagocubs.com, Vitters will head south to Arizona to play for the Cubs AZL team in Mesa.  It does not state that for sure he’ll play in the AZL, but it seems as thought it is all but a done deal.

This was, as far as Oakland’s minor league system is concerned, a hellish draft year. Prices went up, the A’s took a few chances on less-signable picks and high schoolers, and then failed to pony up the cash required to sign them to a deal in numbers that far exceeded previous years.

Rick Hurd from InsideBayArea.com led in to the deadline thusly: 

At first pitch, the A’sstill had not signed pitchers Daniel Schlereth [seen left] and Eric Berger oroutfielder Gary Brown, their eighth-, ninth-, and 12th-round picks inthe June draft. The team had until 9 p.m. to sign them or the threewould re-enter the draft pool next season.

The A’s indeed failed to get them to sign, and also neglected 17th round high schooler Stephen Hunt, 21st round righty pitcher Stephen Porlier, 26th round high school catching phenom Toby Streich, 29th round Kentucky outfielder Colin Cowgill, and all but three of their picks in rounds 34 through 50.

Oakland will be happy they signed their top 9 picks, for sure, but there were a lot of mid-to-late round fliers taken this time around, and the vast majority of those didn’t come off.

Of course, it could have been worse: The Astros not only didn’t have any picks in the first two rounds, but also insanely failed to sign their picks from the 3rd and 4th rounds. The Angels weren’t far off that low mark, with no picks in the first two rounds and no signature on their contract offer for 3rd rounder Matt Harvey.

Andrew Brackman, the 1st rounder who went to the New York Yankees, is awaiting Tommy John surgery and has never pitched more than 78 innings in a season. So of course the Yankees gave him $4.55m to sign a four year Major League contract, even though he won’t likely throw a ball until the 2009 season or so.

Overall, despite the Commissioner’s Office insisting that teams reduce their slot money offers, those offers increased by about 10%. Orioles 1st rounder Matt Weiters got $6m to sign, while 4th rounder Brad Suttle broke the round record by getting $1.3 million from the Yanks, 5th rounder Jake Arrieta did likewise swiping $1.1 million from the Orioles, and 6th rounder Jack McGeary took the Nationals for a record $1.8 million. Yankees 10th rounder Carmen Angelini got $1 million, just shy of a record.

It wasn’t all the draftees and agents way, however. Scott Boras client Wynn Pelzer, 9th rounder taken by the Padres, was happily sitting out his offer while he showed his skills in the Cape Cod League this summer. That is, until he was smacked in the left kneecap by a liner, obliterating said knee cap and sidelining him for the forseeable future. Thus, the only record Pelzer broke was the wheelchair speed record in signing for whatever he could get - in this case, $190k - on the chance that he might never play the game competitively again.

All of which has to make the guys who sign as 28th rounders for $2500 more than a little jaded at the business they’ve found themselves in.

As the MLB First-Year Player Draft signing deadline approaches, it remains on most MLB fans minds if their  club will sign some more of their 2007 draft-picks, or if they’ll let go of the players, who will probably have chosen to continue playing college and university ball.  Lee Land was a late signee, arriving with the C’s for their last road trip in Tri-City.  Will anyone else follow in Land’s foot-steps?  Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see.

In the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds, Oakland drafted three left-handed pitchers.  The 7th round pick Lance Sewell signed on with the big club, and is now in Vancouver’s bullpen.  The other two, Daniel Schlereth and Eric Berger were, last time I heard, not planning on becoming two of Oakland’s new prospects, but that’s why it’s not over until it’s over.  OF speed-star Gary Brown was a 12th round snag, and the 18-year-old will probably elect to go the college route before signing a contract.

29th round pick Colin Cowgill (top) is enjoying success in the Cape Cod League, and should go back for his senior year of college, before being an even higher pick in the 2008 draft.  Stephen Porlier, who was drafted in the 21st round of this years’ draft is in the Cape Cold League as well, and will likely return to Oklahoma next year. 

Catcher Tobias Streich was never expected to be signed by the A’s, after the high-schooler was drafted in the 26th round.  Streich was a projected 5th round choice, and now has college to look forward to, before starting his professional career.

Oakland has 21 draftees left to sign, and don’t expect more than a few to sign before tomorrow night’s deadline.

Our spies in the NFTN Underground Intelligence Network tell us that, as we suggested he would a few weeks back, 7th round draft pick, Lance Sewell, has signed his deal with Oakland. In addition, he’s not only been assigned to Vancouver, but he’s on the ground and ready to play.

Sewell arrived a few days ago and will be stretching out his arm for a few days more in order to get ready to throw later in the week.

No word yet on whether any cuts or promotions will follow to clear a spot on the roster.

UPDATE FROM JEREMY: Two Canadians were sent down to Arizona to make room for Sewell and Josh Horton.  OF Angel Sierra and IF Carlos Arrieche were the two demoted Canadians, and both made their return to the AZL Monday morning.  Sierra was 0-3 with a walk and two strike outs, while Arrieche was batting .500 after a 2-4 game, where he doubled and drove in a run, batting #7 for the Athletics.

Late post-game report will be up around noon, along with info on the new C’s head honcho, but for now, enjoy the fact that we’ve got a second rounder headed to The Nat.

According to the San Luis Obispo Tribune:

Cal Poly standout hitter Grant Desme agreed to undisclosed contract terms with the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

Desme, the 2007 Big West Conference regular season Triple Crown winner, said he will officially sign his contract when he joins the A?s shortseason Class-A affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians.

?It?s exciting,? Desme said about agreeing to contract terms, ?but it is going to be more exciting once I know I can play. At least I?m out there being able to hand out with the team.?

Desme will join the C’s for their upcoming roadtrip against the Spokane Indians, but a broken wrist he sustained with two weeks left in the college season is still healing, so he won’t be playing a part in the on-field proceedings.

Reportedly, Desme will start as a DH when he’s fit to swing a bat, then move to the outfield over time, which means there’s going to have to be some moves in the system or we’re going to have as many outfielders as pitchers.

* Thank you, Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney. I don’t know if you’ll ever make a profit on your investment in our minor league ballclub, but thanks for trying. You guys have assembled a great crew, you’ve put real thought into what you wanted to create for the fans, you’ve put your money where your mouth is, and you helped not only save one of the prettiest ballparks in baseball, but make it prettier, more enjoyable, and a better sporting experience. The Peter Angelos’ of this world could take a few pointers from you guys.

* Thank you, Vancouver sporting press. It helps that there’s a media department in place now that is being given the resources to do their job well, and that it’s run by a guy who is entrenched in this city’s sports journalism world, but the response from The Sun, The Province, and even 24 Hours, has been incredible. And lo and behold, with a little ink in the daily papers, the team suddenly sells out, with a 300% increase on last season’s opening day audience. Incredible.

* Thank you Fred Hermann. Sure, he didn’t exactly plow big bucks into the team over the last five years, but Fred never had the luxury of a long term lease, and he lived and died on every pitch thrown for and against his C’s. If not for his foresight (and willingness to shift his hometown ballteam up north to Van City), there wouldn’t be a team here today.

* Enough with the thank you’s - let’s get to the bitching. (more…)

Every kid wants to be a pro-ballplayer, right? At least, every kid who gets drafted in the first 20 rounds wants to be… don’t they?

Apparently not, as Seattle’s 17th round draft pick for this year, Ryan Rodriguez, has not only refused to sign with the Mariners, but has also decided that maybe playing baseball for a living isn’t what he’d like to do with his life.

Unfortunately for Aquasox fans (and fortunately for C’s fans), he waited until after being drafted to come to this conclusion.

From the Reno Gazette-Journal: 

Rodriguez, who holds the Nevada Division I record for wins (32), strikeouts (331) and innings pitched (3982/3), has decided to hang up his glove and finish school instead.

"I didn’t have the desire right now to go out and do it," Rodriguez said. "It’s an everyday thing and there are certain factors that led me to that decision."

The news surprised the Mariners who were expecting to draft a guy in that position who could be with the organization for awhile.

Man, that’s harsh. I mean, why not at least sign on, play half a season and THEN decide whether or not you want to play ball for a living? Why go into the draft, eat up a team’s draft pick, and then bail?
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A 42nd round draft pick is usually not big news, but the kid who hasbeen picking up the most press in the post-draft days for the Oaklandsystem has been a kid who went #1266. Why? Because he might not be allowed to play.

No,he’s not waiting for medical clearance, and he can’t wait to sign hiscontract. He’s very much eligible and willing to turn out for anOakland minor league team this season, but before he can do so, he hasto get permission from the Pentagon.

What follows is a real heartstring-puller of a story, that ball fans will all hope has a happy ending to follow.

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