February 25, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (52) delivers a pitch during spring training at Papago Park Baseball Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

There have been a few small notes trickling out of Phoenix courtesy of Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle this morning.  First and foremost, as reported last night the A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with left handed reliever Hideki Okajima, pending a physical.  Slusser said that Okajima’s physical won’t take place right away because of blizzard related travel issues, Okajima did fail a physical after signing with the New York Yankees last year so passing is not guaranteed.

In other notes, Bartolo Colon is there but refusing to speak to the media today.  I would assume it’s in his best interest to get that first media session out of the way as soon as possible though so he can get rid of all the lingering PED questions that are sure to come up, then he can put it in the past and focus on this upcoming season.  Andrew Carignan is throwing again after undergoing Tommy John surgery early last year, and catcher Derek Norris said he looked “really good.”  Norris also apparently had trimmed down slightly, dropping 10 pounds and has made some offseason adjustments to his swing to help alleviate the problems he had down the stretch last year.  That is a very welcome sign from the young catcher.

• Hiroyuki Nakajima told Slusser that Manager Bob Melvin assured him he was the starting shortstop still after the acquisition of Jed Lowrie, and that Lowrie would be “the ultimate utility guy.”
• Michael Choice has no physical restrictions after his hand fracture that cost him the bulk of the 2012 season.  He’s on track to begin the season at Triple A Sacramento.  (Check out our examination of Choice from 1/30 here.)
• Michael Ynoa is the only Athletics pitcher not reporting to camp today.
• Jordan Norberto is fully healthy after his shoulder issues, he rehabbed in the Dominican Republic during the offseason.

Surely the great Susan Slusser as well as the other A’s beat writers will be giving us tons of news and notes on the first day of camp.  Check back here for a synopsis of it all.

The Deal

Using similar tactics that would come into play years later with the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes, Billy Beane and his scouting department emerged from the shadows to trump rival bidders such as the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, and the free spending New York Yankees.  Truly embracing the role of the mystery team, Beane impressed Ynoa and his family by a making a personal connection with a series of face to face meetings with the 16-year old right hander. After a prior handshake agreement with the Yankees fell through due to Ynoa’s agent Adam Katz and his attempt to renegotiate, Beane jumped at a second chance to make a deal with Ynoa and his representatives. Despite being outbid by the 5 million dollar offers of Texas and Cincinnati, Ynoa agreed to sign with Oakland for 4.25 million on July 2nd, 2008. The moment Ynoa signed on the dotted line, he became the recipient of the largest bonus ever awarded to an amateur player in Oakland Athletics history. The amount of 3.25 million paid to Mark Mulder nearly a decade earlier, had the been the previous high water mark before the Ynoa signing. Furthermore, the signing bonus was largest given to a non-Cuban Latin American since the Yankees shelled out 2.44 million for the rights to Wily Mo Pena in the summer of 1999. The deal represented an increased presence for Oakland in the international market, and with signing of Ynoa it was a significant splash that rippled throughout professional baseball.

The Prospect

At the time of his signing, very few people outside of the Dominican had watched Ynoa pitch in person with the exception of front office personnel and professional scouts. Enrolled at a baseball academy, he stood out thanks to his impressive size (6 foot 7, 210 pounds) and three-pitch arsenal of a 93 mph fastball, change-up, and curve. Despite his youth and still maturing body, Ynoa was heralded for his excellent control and mound presence which was projected to serve him well at the professional level as he developed. Deemed the most impressive Dominican pitching prospect since Felix Hernandez, Ynoa was hands down the pick of the litter amongst his peers. With the Athletics predilection for players with strong baseball bloodlines (Ben Grieve, Nick Swisher, Bobby Crosby), Ynoa was especially appealing since both his father (Simon) and mother (Juana) had both excelled on the baseball and softball fields.

The Long Road

With Ynoa inked before his 17th birthday there was little reason to rush his development. Unfortunately since turning professional, Ynoa has suffered a myriad of arm injuries that have kept him off the mound for the majority of his career. With 3 separate stints on the 60-day disabled list, and one trip under the knife for Tommy John Surgery his career was essentially put on hold as he recovered and built up arm strength following the operation. Limited largely to bullpen session in extended spring training, Ynoa was finally unleashed with the A’s rookie league team in Arizona before moving up to pitch a smattering of innings with the Single-A Vermont Lake Monsters. While his numbers were less than impressive ( 25 K’s and 25 BB’s in 30.2 combined innings) it was great to see the tall righty back on the mound for his first extended look in professional ball.

The Future

The A’s were unwilling to try to sneak Ynoa past December’s Rule-5 draft, and by adding him to the roster they no longer have to worry about another team taking a chance on his enormous potential. What the future holds, much like the man himself is a mystery. It’s a reasonable projection that he could find himself making a few token cameo appearances with the A’s in Spring Training before being reassigned back to Single-A. Given his age and injury history it’s difficult to manifest a specific timetable for the fledgeling hurler. Fortunately the organization-wide pitching strength of the Oakland Athletics should provide ample time for Ynoa to get back on track, and provide the team with a return on the substantial investment they made years ago.

July 18, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Brandon Hicks (18) hits a walk off home run against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

Both Miller and Hicks were designated for assignment, so they will go through the waiver process or may be traded within that waiver period.  They may still remain in the organization of they go unclaimed and accept the assignment, but I would imagine they’d elect free agency.  Both of them found themselves on the outside looking in, and may look elsewhere for a better opportunity to prove themselves.

Brandon Hicks of course will be remembered for the huge walk off home run against the Texas Rangers on a Wednesday afternoon, but unfortunately aside from that his big hits were few and far between.  In 70 plate appearances over 22 games Hicks hit .174/.243/.391 with 3 home runs.

Jim Miller was up and down between Oakland and Sacramento all season, and was relegated to mop up duty.  He did fairly well in his role making 33 appearances and registering a 2.59 ERA.  But he pitched around a lot of messes he created with walks, issuing 27 free passes in his 48.2 innings of work.  If he can improve his control, he can be a servicable middle reliever, and assuredly he’ll get his chance somewhere if it isn’t ultimately in Oakland.

Andrew Carignan is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and probably won’t be pitching until next season is well underway.  Carignan made just 11 appearances before hurting his elbow, and had a 4.66 ERA over his 9.2 innings.  He was outrighted to Triple A so he’ll be staying with the organization while he continues his rehab process.

The protection of Green, Ynoa, Peterson, and Leon leaves a few recognizable names open for the taking in the upcoming draft.  Of note are pitchers James Simmons, and Justin Souza, also eligible is outfielder Jermaine Mitchell.  Infielders Tyler Ladendorf and Josh Horton, along with catcher Petey Paramore, and pitchers Travis Banwart and Jared Lansford round out the list of eligible players from the Athletics organization.

Barring another move of some sort that clears space on the roster, the A’s will not be selecting any players in the Rule 5 draft.  They will be surely keeping a close eye on the draft to see if any of their players are taken from them.