March 11, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) walks to the plate from the on-deck circle during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

On Saturday, the A’s finally got to see what their $36 million man could do. Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes made his Cactus League debut on Saturday and put on quite a show, going 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI single, and a home run. The A’s were definitely salivating at the mouth over Cespedes’ performance on Saturday, and fans of the team were definitely excited to see the Cuban star in action.

The A’s are in desperate need of a power hitter, and with Cespedes they may get the power production they’ve longed for. It’s easy to get caught up in all this Cespedes hype, but at the same time, it’s important to remain realistic about Cespedes’ first season in the bigs.

In his second start on Sunday, Cespedes struggled a bit. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Royals. Cespedes has talent, but it’s important to remember the A’s are still taking a big risk with Cuban star. He’ll likely go through an occasional rough patch here and there during the year.

In other spring news, how about Tom Milone? The guy is looking mighty impressive, isn’t he? Ranked #6 on my list of A’s Top 10 Prospects this year, Milone has shown flashes of brilliance in three appearances this spring. He’s gone 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA and 7 SO in 8.2 innings of work this spring.

Oakland’s starting rotation is still far from being complete, but Milone is definitely making things a whole lot easier for skipper Bob Melvin & company. The A’s have Brandon McCarthy and Bartolo Colon penciled in at No. 1 and No. 2, but after that the rotation is a bit sketchy. With the way things are going, though, Milone should definitely be in the running for one of the vacant spots in Oakland’s rotation.

Jarrod Parker, Brad Peacock, and Tyson Ross, meanwhile, are all vying for a spot in the rotation as well. According to Jane Lee of MLB.com, Oakland’s rotation could look a little something like this: McCarthy, Colon, Milone, Ross, Parker. Melvin and the rest of Oakland’s front office, though, will be the ones responsible for putting the best product on the field.

On offense, Manny Ramirez is still looking for his first hit of the spring. He’s gone 0-for-8 with a strikeout over his three games of action this spring. He hasn’t shown me much, but he has shown a little effort while busting down the line. That’s the kind of effort we’d all like to see from Manny this year.

The first-base job is still seemingly up for grabs. Kila Ka’aihue, Brandon Allen, Chris Carter, and Daric Barton are all currently in the run for the job. Right now, though, the job (if up to me) would have to go to Allen, who has 8 RBIs so far this spring.

Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.

Front of the Line: A.J. Cole has the potential to be a front-of-the-line starter for the A's (Photo Credit: gambling911.com)

Every Thursday, Swingin’ A’s will unveil a top Oakland A’s prospect. Starting from number 10 and finishing with number 1, be sure to stop by every Thursday to see who makes the list of the Top 10 Oakland A’s prospects. We turn our attention now to pitcher A.J. Cole, who was acquired in the Gio Gonzalez trade. Cole is figured to have quality stuff and the potential to be a front-line starter in a few years.

After being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth-round of the 2010 draft, A.J. Cole entered Washington’s system as a highly regarded prospect with a very high ceiling. Two years later, he’s a member of the Athletics’ organization after being traded to Oakland in the deal that sent All-Star lefty Gio Gonzalez to Washington.

With a 6’4″ lanky frame, Cole has the ideal pitcher’s body with lots of room for growing. Cole, 20, projects to be a front-line starter in the future for the A’s and that projection is based on the type of numbers he’s posted in the minor leagues.

The lean and mean pitching machine Cole currently embodies features a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, a curveball with great breaking action, and a developing changeup. The fastball right now, anyway, is probably Cole’s best pitch with his curveball serving as a nice chase-pitch.

He’ll sweep the curve against both righties and lefties, demonstrating he’s got faith in the pitch. The changeup, meanwhile, still could use a little more work. He’s shown a good feel for the pitch, but issues with the command of the pitch will need to be resolved before he uses that circle-change as an effective weapon.

Right now, then, Cole is more of a fastball-curveball type of pitcher. Improving his changeup, then, should be a point of focus for the right-hander. At just 20 years old, though, he’s got plenty of time to develop and mature into an effective, well-rounded starter.

The former fourth-rounder compiled a 4-7 record with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts with Single-A Hagerstown last year. He also posted a 10.9 SO/9 rate as the lanky right-hander struck out an impressive 108 batters over 89.0 innings. In addition, the promising young Cole posted an encouraging 2.53 FIP last year.

He also displayed solid control, posting a 2.4 BB/9 rate last year with Hagerstown. Compared to other guys his age, Cole’s command is pretty good. Give him a few more years in the minors and he’ll really get a feel for the game.

Overall, Cole has big league potential. He’s definitely got a shot at becoming a No.1 or No.2 guy in Oakland’s rotation in a few years if his development goes smoothly. The A’s, a team not expected to contend for at least another few years, would be smart not to rush the kid.

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Feb 24, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Adrian Cardenas (6) poses for a picture during photo day at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The A’s designated Adrian Cardenas for assignment on Thursday after the team signed free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes. Cardenas, 24, appeared in 127 games last year with Oakland’s Triple-A team the Sacramento River Cats. In 545 at-bats, Cardenas hit .314/.374/.418 with five home runs and 51 RBIs.

The decision to designate Cardenas for assignment seems to make sense on the surface. The A’s had him playing all over the place last season, with Cardenas splitting time between left field, short stop, third base, and second base. It is obvious, to anyone following the organization, that the A’s just didn’t have a clear idea as to where Cardenas “fit” in at.

Cardenas has spent his entire career in the minor leagues, but a team other than the A’s could give Cardenas a chance. He doesn’t bring a whole lot of power to the table and power is something you would expect from your everyday third-baseman. Then again, Cardenas, at this point anyway, is more of a utility guy more than anything. (more…)