Apr 19, 2009; Toronto, ON, Canada; Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez (3) bats against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays beat the Athletics 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Over the past several years, I have taken a liking to fantasy baseball. It is, in my mind, anyway, a great way to keep on top of things in the world of baseball and is an even greater tool for expanding one’s knowledge about the sport in general. The last two or three years, though, have been really eye-opening. In past years, I have, near the end of my fantasy drafts, invested my draft picks on several former A’s players for nostalgia’s sake.

Former Oakland greats like Eric Chavez and Barry Zito often found spots on my fantasy roster, even though I knew neither player would significantly contribute to my team’s overall success. Both players might have had a few games here and there, but those “great” games were few and far between. Chavez, now with the Yankees, was on my fantasy team in 2010 and last year, but I’ve decided, after much consideration, to cut ties with the former A’s third baseman this year.

I often saved my final draft pick for either Chavez or Zito, but this year was a tad bit different. I guess I was basically upset with both players continually failing to produce the same type of numbers they did back in their hay-day with the Athletics.

Chavez landed on the DL more often than not, while Zito struggled to channel his inner-Zen en route to a 12-18 record with a 4.52 ERA during the years 2010-2011. 

In his final season with the Athletics, Chavez hit a measly .234/.276/.333 with a home run and 10 RBIs over 33 games. Those numbers, as you may have already imagined, did not lead to much success in my head-to-head fantasy league on ESPN.com.

Instead, I found myself utilizing the DL spot on my roster for Chavez’s ailing and shaky body. Still, despite his questionable health and lifeless bat, I held out hope that he’d eventually turn things around and return to the power hitter that was responsible for some of the best A’s runs during the early 2000′s.

Unfortunately, however, the A’s former third baseman didn’t come around and neither did my fantasy team. Last year was no exception, either. The Yankees may have resigned Chavez this year for roughly $900,000, but they certainly don’t count on Chavy being an everyday starter for them. He did, however, put up better numbers compared to his numbers during his final year in Oakland. Injuries, though, still continue to weigh Chavez down.

Zito didn’t help things either. After posting 102 wins with the Athletics from 2000-06, Zito has posted just 12 wins over the last two years. He’s essentially become a $126 million bust for the San Francisco Giants. Like Chavez, though, during those rough years I held out hope that Zito would pitch well enough to repopulate the “Planet Zito,” and win back some of the Giants’ fan base.

That of course, hasn’t happened. Zito has been rocked this spring and the Giants are wondering whether or not they’ve got a $126 million No.5 starter or a really, really expensive reliever on their hands. Zito posted a 5.60 FIP last year in 9 starts while also posting an unimpressive -0.9 WAR. I was tempted, I must say, to draft the guy with my 25th round draft pick.

As tempted I was to draft either Zito or Chavez, I ultimately decided to take Angels 1B Kendry Morales with my 25th round draft pick. I have moved on from my deep rooted nostalgia for former Athletics. The two still remain available for pick up in the free-agents list…just in case.

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While the offense will need to improve upon those numbers, the A’s should still be encouraged with their offensive production up to this point. In their last game against the Tribe, the A’s pounded Cleveland for 11 runs en route to another shutout victory. Eric Chavez, who has started in 16 of the 20 games the A’s have played, looked much better in Sunday’s game than he has all season. He drove in three and has driven in a total of six so far this season. He also collected his sixth double of the season on Sunday.

Chavez, who batted in the clean-up spot, could provide some much needed punch in the A’s lineup if he continues to hit the ball well as he did in Sundays’ game. Kevin Kouzmanoff, Daric Barton, Ryan Sweeney and Cliff Pennington have also gotten off to decent starts for Oakland, and have been a big part of the team’s early success.

Coming into 2010, most baseball fans, analysts and followers of the game knew that Oakland could pitch. But none of us could have seen this kind of performance from a relatively young team. Ben Sheets, who signed a questionable $10 million contract this past offseason, is starting to look like his former All-Star self. Justin Duchscherer, who missed all of 2009, is also performing well. And with Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez performing well, the A’s should continue to have one of the best staffs in the league.

The question is, how long can the A’s hold opponents to a .229 batting average? The A’s lead the AL in quality starts with 14, but will they be able to consistently pitch well for the duration of an entire season? It’s still only April, and while the A’s have enjoyed early success, it’s pretty hard imagining them being able to maintain that sparkling sub-three ERA for an entire season. Remember, both Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and could still be susceptible to injuries.  

If the A’s can stay healthy, which something they haven’t done in awhile, then they have a pretty good shot at capturing the American League West this year. But if Daric Barton (finger), Coco Crisp (finger), Kurt Suzuki, Michael Wuertz and Joey Devine miss any considerable amount of time, Oakland’s chances decrease considerably. Barton’s injury has not been evaluated yet, but the A’s should know more by tomorrow’s matchup against the Rays. Suzuki, who drove in 88 runs last season, should be ready to go come Tuesday.

As for now, A’s fans should be able to enjoy the 12-8 start. The A’s are playing exceptionally well, and if the season ended today (just 20 games in…ha!) the A’s would be in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The A’s are a young, excited team and right now, they’re enjoying first place.

Ex-A's player, Carlos Gonzalez should be a future star. (Photo: Courtesy of MLBBlogs.com)

My good buddy over on Bleacher Report, Lewie Pollis, recently wrote an article that I thought was extremely interesting. In the article, Lewie examines a player from each major league team and dubs them as his “sleeper picks” for 2010. He thinks that Jake Fox, the A’s IF, is poised for a solid season. However, his spring numbers might not do him justice. So far, Fox is hitting just .122/.200/.341. Fox does, however, have a lot of power potential. He’s hit 3 HR and driven in 9 runs this spring. Fox should hit around the .250 mark over the course of the season, but should also hit his share of homers.

However, my article will not be focusing on Fox. Instead, I’ll be turning my attention to a former-A, Carlos Gonzalez. Although Gonzo was an Athletic for one short season, he’s forever known as a centerpiece of the Matt Holliday trade. Last season, Gonzalez hit .284/.353/.525 with 13 HR and 29 RBIs. Mind you, he played in only 89 games. This spring, Gonzalez is hitting .341/.396/.523 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs. All indications are that he’s poised for a breakout season (I drafted him last week in my fantasy league) and that he’s a perennial All-Star OF.

And the Coors Field effect doesn’t seem to apply to Gonzalez. Last season, Gonzalez hit .263/.344/.467 away from Coors Field. He hit 6 of his 13 homers on the road as well. Gonzalez should hit near the top of the Rockies order this season, and should become an exciting player to watch. Last season, he made strides at becoming a future star as he hit .320/.384/.608 with 12 HR and 24 RBIs after the All-Star break (compare those numbers to his pre-break performance of .202/.280/.333, 1 HR and 5 RBIs).

In 2010, Gonzalez should make it apparent to fans across the US that he’s the complete package (speed, contact, power–real deal). Gonzalez should hit around .280 and should hit about 20-25 HR this year. If you haven’t drafted him or picked him up in your leagues, I’d suggest you at least give him a look.