Fantasy 40/40: 2010 Cactus League Breakdown: Oakland Athletics
My second post from the Cactus League will be about the Oakland Athletics and their 2010 fantasy outlook. Let me start by saying that I am a big Billy Beane fan. Sidenote: Weird how baseball G.M.’s have become somewhat pseudo-celebrities that go by just one name like Aladdin or Seal: Billy, Theo, Cashman, Omar… Anyway, I am a huge fan of Billy Beane. I have read his book, Moneyball, and wish he would takeover my favorite squad’s front office, we need it. From his Moneyball fame, a lot of fans understand his constraints and limitations. Yet, year in and year out, it seems Oakland fields a winning team that competes for the AL West every few years. Beane assembles the team with young pieces and adds assets along the way, Ben Sheets as an example, moving them mid-season if Oakland is not in a playoff chase. He maximizes his return by strategically moving these assets for younger prospects, newer toys, when the time to strike is right. Hudson. Mulder. Street. Holliday. History says so. Today, we will breakdown the Oakland Athletics and their 2010 player projections and outlook.
PLAYERS THAT WILL BE DRAFTED:
HITTERS
1. Rajai Davis – OF – He is currently in the TOP 100 HITTERS overall because of his ability to steal bases, proving he could do it last year. Coco Crisp has also come aboard and has taken a slice of the playing-time wheel. Davis played well last year and I think he’ll continue to see a chunk of AB’s. His speed is always a good thing in Rotisserie leagues and he might be able to steal 50 and score 60 RUNS.
2. Coco Crisp – OF - Kind of in the same boat Davis is in. Not much value except his speed and potential to steal 30. His AB’s will be dependent on the other OF’s and how well they perform.
3. Kurt Suzuki – C – Suzuki was the focus of a previous player profile Fantasy 40/40 did, you can find it here. He is a young catcher that is advancing as a major league backstop and should produce similar numbers to his ‘09 year.
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff – 3B - Traded in the off-season from San Diego, he has come in to hopefully provide stability to a position that has been in disarray due to the highly injury-prone Eric Chavez. KOOZ has shown good power as a hitter and he is entering his prime years. He is a player who can hit 20-25 HR with 80 RBI’s – he moves into a spacious park in Oakland, but no different to what he has seen in cavernous Petco. Could be used as a CI option in mixed leagues. He may surprise some, probably not.
5. Jack Cust – OF - A high OBP guy with a high strikeout total, Cust is a Billy Beane guy. He gets on-base at a high percentage and provides the lineup with power, 25-28HR. He will share time in LF as well as DH and might be one of those guys Beane ships off at the trade deadline. The A’s have a couple of young guys on the cusp to make the jump so letting Cust go won’t hurt anyone. In leagues that penalize for K, you may want to stay away. For those that reward OBP, he’s not a bad pick.
6. Cliff Pennington – SS – Young SS took over after Cabrera left for Minny and Crosby shut down. He may offer double digit SB and somewhere between 50-70 RUNS. Nothing fancy. Nothing special. Better served for AL only leagues.
7. Ryan Sweeney – OF - Not much fantasy value here. He’s a fourth outfielder that plays great defense – not what we need in the fantasy world.
8. Mark Ellis – 2B - I really don’t like Ellis and think he is in his decline. Pass on draft day. There are better 2B options. AL only option.
PITCHERS
1. Andrew Bailey – C – Rookie of the Year had a stellar first year with the A’s recording 26 saves and 91 K in 83.1 IP. He might lose some saves to Ziegler or Devine sometime this year, but Bailey is a solid young talent who can help any fantasy rotation. Take him later in drafts after guys like Soria, Cordero, Bell and Fuentes.
2. Ben Sheets – SP - Another one of those half-year rentals, Sheets signed a 1-year/$10 Million deal this off-season. Hopes are that he can anchor a young staff and mentor some of these guys on being a professional pitcher and what it takes to make it. If they’re in contention, Billy probably holds onto him and receives picks from compensation when he signs elsewhere as a type-A (hopefully) free agent. If they’re jumping ship post-All-Star break, Sheets gets moved to a contender for young pieces to fortify the farm system continuing the motif.
3. Brett Anderson – SP - Potential stud in the making. Anderson debuted as a 21-year-old and showed people he belonged. The lethal lefty throws gas, has good control and leads the pack of young throwers the A’s possess. Look for Anderson to progress nicely this year. Love him in long-term keeper leagues.
SLEEPERS
Jake Fox – OF - Obtained from the Cubs this off-season, Fox will play the corner outfield, corner infield and DH spots this year for the A’s. He might be able to flash some of that power he showed in Chicago and with some regular playing time, Fox may be a nice steal with one of your last picks, perhaps a waiver pick up in shallow leagues.
BUSTS
Ben Sheets – SP - It’s not that I don’t like Sheets. I think he’s a great pitcher. When healthy. We haven’t seen Big Ben in a couple years so it’s hard to trust his delicate right arm. He may win 20. He may pitch 20 innings. For the money you’ll spend, I prefer to go after more reliable targets. However, its guys like this that fantasy owners gambled on that won leagues last year (Carpenter, Greinke) so if he falls into the later rounds or only costs a buck or two, roll the dice on this former TEAM USA member. (Great hockey game huh?)
PROSPECTS
Chris Carter – 1B - They moved Brett Wallace because they were set at 1B for the future. Chris Carter is the 1B future. He is going to play 1B for the A’s for years to come, the question is when does his reign begin? Look for Carter to make his debut sometime this fall, maybe sooner. Probably sooner.
Michael Taylor – OF – Traded in the Roy Halladay deal and then for Brett Wallace, Taylor is a highly touted OF prospect acquired from the Phillies. Taylor has potential for a .300 AVG and 25-30HR – look for Taylor to make a debut this season because of the lack of punch the current outfield produces.
