| Brian Reynolds. 24th March, 2010 - 12:02 pm
 Click here to return to the general 2010 MLB Season Preview.
The Oakland A?s (75-87) finished 22 games behind the division winning Los Angeles Angels in 2009, which put them in the AL West cellar. General Manager Billy Beane, however, has always done excellent work with this small market club ? leading them to the postseason five times in the past decade. In 2009, the A?s were pleasantly surprised by closer Andrew Bailey who was named Rookie of the Year while accumulating 26 saves with a 1.84 ERA.? Catcher Kurt Suzuki was another bright spot for the A?s.? He played in 147 games with a serviceable OPS of .731.
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At last year?s trade deadline, Oakland sent Matt Holliday to St. Louis for prospect Brett Wallace, whom they later flipped to Toronto for Michael Taylor.
2009 Opsera Finish: 20th
What Happened In The Winter
Oakland?s biggest offseason acquisition has been one of the bigger names in baseball and on the injury list over the past decade in Ben Sheets.? Sheets was the main man in Milwaukee for eight years before missing all of 2009 with elbow surgery.? Beane signed the former ace to a one-year, $10 million dollar contract.
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Kevin Kouzmanoff is another new face in A?s camp.? He came to Oakland in a trade for Scott Hairston in hopes to boost Oakland?s offense. ?The Athletics also acquired infielder Adam Rosales from the Cincinnati Reds.
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Billy Beane signed Coco Crisp to a one-year, $5.25 million contract to become the team?s everyday center fielder as well as veteran Gabe Gross to a one-year, $750,000 contract.? The A's also grabbed utility man Jake Fox from the Cubs in a trade.
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Oakland let disappointing shortstop Bobby Crosby find a new team in the Pittsburgh Pirates.? They also traded Dana Eveland to Toronto for cash considerations.? Adam Kennedy is now a member of the Washington Nationals and Nomar Garciaparra has retired.
A's Offensive Preview
The offense has been a major question mark for Oakland over the past couple of years and will once again be a big issue in 2010, but they do have some good pieces to build around.
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Rajai Davis is a very nice player at the top of the order.? He brings a lot of speed and he hits for average.? If he can maintain or even raise his OBP in 2010 (.360 in 2009), he will cause problems for pitchers and generate runs.
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Coco Crisp is a big key for Oakland.? If he can hit his OBP back up above .340, manager Bob Geren will have a pair of very nice table setters which should allow the A?s to improve on their ninth place finish in the AL in runs scored.? Manufacturing runs will be important because Oakland does not hit the ball out of the park with any consistency, finishing dead last in 2009 in home runs.
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Suzuki is not your ideal No. 3 hitter, but he is still solid and should continue to get better.? He hit 15 home runs in 2009, which is something to build off of for a catcher.
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Jack Cust will most likely bat cleanup for the club and he does bring some power, but also strikes out a fair amount.? In 2009, Cust's OPS dropped from .912 in 2008 to .851 in 2008 all the way down to .773. His walk rate decreased and so did his OBP from .375 to .356.
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Newly acquired Kouzmanoff will probably follow Cust and he can bring some pop as well.
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The rest of the lineup is an interesting mix.? Ryan Sweeney and Mark Ellis are projected to start and bat behind Kouzmanoff, while youngsters Daric Barton and Cliff Pennington will round out the nine.
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Barton has been a nice prospect in the A?s organization ever since they drafted him in the first round in 2003 and many think he is ready to make the most out of his opportunity.? In 160 at bats a year ago, Barton hit for a promising OPS of .784 with three home runs.? He will be a player who may trend upwards for Oakland.
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Cliff Pennington will take over for Bobby Crosby as the team?s starting shortstop.? Oakland likes to play their young guys and Pennington is another example.? Pennington did play in 60 games in 2009 and contributed a .342 OBP and a little pop (three homers, 11 doubles and three triples in 208 at bats).? He is another one of those players that will be key for Oakland?s success if they can find production from his bat.
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Eric Chavez is still with the organization and Oakland will likely use him in a utility role as his career has been decimated by injuries.
A's Pitching Preview
Oakland has put together a nice pitching staff and it?s something fans can start getting legitimately excited about.? If Sheets can somehow return to his old form, the A?s will put themselves in a position to win a lot ballgames.
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Justin Duchscherer will likely be the A?s No. 2 man in the rotation.? Like Sheets, he missed all of 2009 due to injuries so it?s important to see if the shoulder/back/depression issues are a thing of the past.? Duchscherer may not blow hitters away with his fastball, but he has a tremendous cutter and a great change-up as well.? His style complements Sheets very nicely.
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Oakland?s 3-4-5 will feature lefty Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson, and either Trevor Cahill or Vin Mazzaro.? Braden was the team?s opening day starter in 2009 and posted an ERA under four while compiling an 8-9 record? not too shabby from your No. 3 or 4 guy.
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Anderson has an explosive arm who many fantasy owners are falling in love with.? He went 11-11 with the club last year with a 4.06 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 175.1 innings.? In just his second year with the big club, Anderson could be poised for a big season.
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Oakland?s pen also has several very talented pieces.? Bailey will look to rebuild on his impressive rookie season and although he has experienced some tightness in the shoulder this Spring, he says he should be ready to go on Opening Day.
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Michael Weurtz was absolutely fantastic in Oakland?s pen last year posting a 2.95 ERA, 0.953 WHIP in 78.2 innings pitched.? He notched 23 holds in the set-up role.
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Brad Ziegler is another talent in this pen.? He has a wacky pitching rotation, but his results are tough to argue with.? In 133 career innings pitched, Ziegler has only given up four home runs.? In 2009, he had a 3.07 ERA and appeared in 69 games.
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Craig Breslow is a lefty that Geren has confidence in as well.? Breslow went 8-7 with a 3.36 ERA in 2009, while pitching in 60 games ? the most of his six-year career.
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Joey Devine (RHP) and Gio Gonzalez (LHP) gives Oakland added depth out of a very good bullpen.
What Are Their 2010 Chances?
In an AL West where the Mariners and Rangers have significantly improved and the Angels remain a very good ballclub, it will be tough for Oakland to make a serious run at the division crown.? However, never underestimate the mind of Billy Beane as has proven himself capable of building playoff teams out of surprising parts.? They definitely have pieces that shouldn?t be overlooked and if the team gels properly, they will need to be taken seriously.
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The A?s also have the aforementioned Michael Taylor waiting in the wings, who is a very special prospect and could see everyday playing time earlier than one might think.
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If Oakland?s hitting can produce more than expected, and Sheets and Duchscherer prove to be healthy and as effective as they were in 2008, Oakland is a definite darkhorse in the AL West.
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Personally, I don?t see it happening and have them finishing fourth in the AL West for a second consecutive year.
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-- Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM.? He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at BReynolds404.
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