Swingin' A's » Prospects

A’s Prospect Watch: Seeing Green

Joseph Lopez — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 05:58:45 +0000

With the A’s missing the playoffs this year for the fifth-consecutive season, many fans are wondering what to expect from the green-and-gold in the foreseeable future. Is their any hope for better days in Oakland?

Well, as noted before on this site, the A’s have a few talented hitters waiting to make an impact on the big-league level. Oakland’s pitching staff over the past few seasons has been a bright spot for an organization that hasn’t had a winning season since 2006, but the team’s offense has been the exact opposite of good.

It’s been terrible.

General manager Billy Beane, who was portrayed by A-Lister Brad Pitt in the film Moneyball, has seen his critics grow in population over the past few years.

With the larger market teams implementing the same techniques utilized by Oakland in the early 2000′s, the A’s are once again at the opposite end of the baseball spectrum, struggling to find an even playing field with the higher-up’s in baseball. As a result, Beane’s efforts to put a winning team together have fell short.

In recent drafts, the A’s have made a real effort in drafting talented young hitters. In this year’s draft, the A’s chose pitcher Sonny Grey, but overall, the A’s have tried to address some of their glaring problems on offense. … [visit site to read more]

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Grant Green Is Working His Way Up

Joseph Lopez — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:23:42 +0000

Grant Green is producing in Double A Midland...(Photo Credit:TheGoldenSombrero.com)

Drafted as the Oakland Athletics’ first round pick during the 2009 draft, SS Grant Green is seen as a part of Oakland’s future infield. Over the past few seasons, the Athletics have attempted to rebuild the franchise and Billy Beane’s youth movement was on full display during Thursday’s Mark Ellis to Colorado trade.

With the Ellis deal, the A’s demonstrated that they’re getting ready for the future. Handing the job to rookie Jemile Weeks is an indication that the A’s know they have pieces down in the minors getting ready to help out the big league team.

Weeks provided a spark on offense the moment he was called up last month after Ellis landed on the DL. Weeks, younger brother of Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks, has hit .309/.349/.469 with six RBIs in 21 games this year for the A’s. Ellis may have been a better defender, but Oakland is confident in Weeks’ ability to help out offensively. … [visit site to read more]

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A’s Minor League Update

Joseph Lopez — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:20:57 +0000

Will prospects like Michael Taylor and Chris Carter get their names called up to the big leagues soon? (Photo Credit: Chris Lockard)

With Jemile Weeks providing a spark on offense for the Athletics, Oakland’s recent youth movement seems to be in high gear. The A’s activated Mark Ellis on Wednesday, but the veteran infielder will likely fill in as back-up infielder, an indication that Oakland sees Weeks as part of their future.

So, with Weeks stepping up and hanging tough in the big leagues, many fans are wondering how some of the other prospects in Oakland’s farm-system are faring this season.

A Quick Update on…

SS Grant Green (Double-A Midland): Green, one of Oakland’s top prospects, is currently in Double-A Midland with the Rockhounds. The A’s future shortstop is currently batting .293/.344/.407 with four home runs and 35 this season in the minors. Over his last 10 games, Green is hitting .333/.383/.548 with two homers and seven RBI. Many fans in Oakland are really excited about this kid from USC, and it’s only a matter of time when Green finds himself in the big-leagues. … [visit site to read more]

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