Apr 26, 2011; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy (32) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The A’s may have recently announced that their No.4 starter will Graham Godfrey, but there are still some remaining questions surrounding the team’s starting rotation. Last year, the Athletics opened the season with a starting rotation that included the likes of Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, and Brandon McCarthy. This year, though, figures to be much, much different.

Braden and Anderson are both on the disabled-list as the two pitchers battle back from various ailments. Gonzalez and Cahill, meanwhile, are both playing in different cities this year. McCarthy, who surprised just about everyone last year with his solid performance, is the only starter from last year’s rotation to be included in this year’s starting five.

After McCarthy, the A’s will go with veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon, who won his first official start with the green-and-gold during their Opening Series in Japan against the Mariners. Compared to the other pitching staffs in the AL West, Oakland’s staff just doesn’t come off as flashy or even as recognizable.

Oakland’s No.3 and No.4 starters, Tom Milone and Graham Godfrey, are virtual unknowns in baseball. Both pitchers, though, performed well enough this spring to earn the praise of their manager, Bob Melvin. The person most people need to watch out for is Milone, who was acquired this past winter in the trade that sent Gonzalez to the Nationals.

Milone has proven himself on pretty much every level he’s pitched in, and the A’s are seemingly confident in the young left-hander to get the job done on the major league level. Last year, Milone went 12-6 in 24 starts for Washington’s Triple-A affiliate. He also posted a 3.22 ERA (2.24 FIP) and a sparkling 9.40 SO/9 rate while walking just 16 batters in 148.1 innings.

The A’s are hopeful that Milone’s control and command of his pitches carry over to the big league level. If they do, the A’s have a talented young lefty on their hands. Think of him as a Dallas Braden, Version 2.0. With Milone, the A’s have a decent trio of starting pitchers in their rotation. McCarthy-Colon-Milone may surprise a few people, if they manage to stay healthy and if the team’s offense can actually score some runs this season.

Compared to the rest of the division’s pitching, though, Oakland’s staff isn’t quite as impressive. The Angels have Jared Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana in their starting rotation. The Rangers will roll out with Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, and Yu Darvish. And the Mariners will have Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, and Kevin Millwood headlining their starting five.

The A’s will likely find themselves in a dog-fight for third-place this year, with the Mariners being their biggest competition. The Angels and Rangers, meanwhile, will fight for the division’s top spot. Last year, the A’s entered the season with a very promising and highly talented starting rotation, but injuries derailed the team’s contender’s status.

This year, the A’s have a group of five that is largely unknown and unproven. Having Brandon McCarthy as your No.1 starter doesn’t reflect well upon your team’s pitching depth, does it? That’s not taking anything away from McCarthy, who went 9-9 with a 3.32 ERA and a 2.86 FIP in 25 starts last season with Oakland.

But when you look at some of the other talent around the division, it becomes distinctively clear that the A’s pitching staff just doesn’t stack up that well. In a few years, though, when guys like Milone, Jarrod Parker, A.J. Cole, and Sonny Gray are all entering their respective primes, the A’s could own the reputation as having the best arms out West.

__________________________________

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.

Report: Texas is nearing a deal to land free-agent 3B Adrian Beltre. The A's recently withdrew themselves from the running to add Beltre. (Photo Courtesy of yardbarker.com)

It’s just January, but the Oakland A’s are heading into the 2011 campaign as an improved ball-club thanks to GM Billy Beane’s aggressive approach this offseason. The A’s in 2010 were characterized by their strong young pitching, but were known throughout baseball as a very poor offensive bunch.

Beane’s attempts at re-tooling the offseason thus far have been solid, but the team did miss out on a few key players this offseason: Adam Dunn (signed with White Sox), Hisashi Iwakuma (returned to Japan), Lance Berkman (signed with St. Louis), and more recently, Adrian Beltre (sources say Texas is close to adding him).

The A’s did, however, add guys like OF David DeJesus, DH Hideki Matsui, and OF Josh Willingham on offense, and bolstered their pitching staff with the signings of Brandon McCarthy and Rich Harden. The additions make the A’s a stronger team for the 2011 season, but with news swirling around Texas about the possible signing of Adrian Beltre, are they enough to make the A’s favorites in the AL West? (more…)

The A’s starting rotation led baseball with 103 quality starts, and were fourth in ERA with a team mark of 3.56. Furthermore, the A’s kept opposing offenses at bay, as the team held their opponents to a .245 batting average (5th best in baseball).

Although Trevor Cahill made a name for himself this season by winning 18 games, my favorite player in the current rotation remains Brett Anderson. Anderson, 22, had his share of injuries this season, but the A’s still value him immensely. Earlier in the season, the A’s and Anderson agreed to a four-year contract, with options for 2014 and 2015. The deal indicated that the A’s intended to keep their young players in order to ensure future success down the road.

In 2009, both Anderson and Cahill pitched in Oakland’s starting rotation. Despite having an offense that included the likes of Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra and Orlando Cabrera, the A’s starting rotation was far to young to keep up with the rest of the division. Anderson ended up winning 11 games, while Cahill finished the season 10-13. Both pitchers, however, did show promise at the end of the season.

Heading into this season, I had predicted that Anderson and Cahill would combine to win 25 games or more for the Athletics this year. Unfortunately, however, the A’s were without Cahill for the start of the season, which opened the door for Gonzalez, and Anderson made four starts before hitting the DL.

The A’s eventually had Cahill rejoin the rotation once he was healthy, and he ended up establishing himself as one of the brightest young arms in the league. Anderson, meanwhile, spent a majority of the season on the disabled list. The southpaw made 19 starts and threw for only 112.1 innings. Despite his injuries, however, Anderson ended up finishing the season on a strong note.

Anderson finished the season 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA. Now, I don’t want to jinx Anderson or anything by comparing him to ex-A’s pitcher Rich Harden, but when Anderson is healthy he is the real deal. The same was often said about Harden, who often landed on the DL during his time in Oakland.

For next season, I see the A’s pitching staff getting even better. The A’s made huge strides this year, and the youngster should continue to growth next year. I’ve put together a table, which compares the 2009 A’s starting rotation with the 2010 A’s starting rotation.