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.

May 19, 2010; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics designated hitter Eric Chavez (3) stands on the on-deck circle during the second inning against Detroit Tigers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Tigers defeated the Athletics 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The news of the A’s losing 3B Scott Sizemore for the entire 2012 season struck a certain chord inside of me. The news, of course, for an A’s fan was not surprising; players who wear green-and-gold are constantly fighting the injury bug or so it seems. Sizemore, 27, was projected as the A’s starting third baseman this year, but his injury now opens the door for another player seeking to establish himself as an everyday starter.

The loss of Sizemore, though, is definitely a tough loss to overcome. Oakland was expecting a great deal from Sizemore, who managed to hit .249/.345/.433 with 11 HR and 52 RBIs in his 93 games with the A’s last year. Now, the A’s will have to look at some in-house options to fill their vacant third base position. This situation, though, seems rather familiar, doesn’t it?

Oakland hasn’t had a true everyday third baseman since the days of 3B Eric Chavez, who is now a member of the New York Yankees. In his final years with the green-and-gold, however, Chavez found himself in the same boat as Sizemore: injured and looking for a way to get healthy. The A’s former six-time Gold Glove winner struggled, however, keeping himself on the field in his last three years with the team.

He appeared in just 64 games from 2008-2010 and hit just .222/.265/.330 with three home runs and 25 RBIs over that time span. Still, for some reason, I actually miss Chavez. This Sizemore situation, while unfortunate, will likely get resolved in the form of one Josh Donaldson, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing Chavy making a grand return to the bay area this year.

Last year, in 58 games with the Yankees, Chavez managed to hit .263/.320/.356 with two home runs and 26 RBIs. Not quite the Chavez of old, but at least Chavez did enough to earn a return to the Bronx this year. He’s a nice veteran bat to have on the bench and he’s still useful defensively. The Yankees got Chavez for a grand total of $900,000 this year; not a huge amount of money.

I consider myself a huge Eric Chavez fan; I copied his batting stance during little league games, for crying out loud. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see Chavez back in Oakland this year, but I realize the guy is way past his prime. His health is constantly in question and his power seems to have left his bat, as suggested by his .094 ISO from last year.

I wish Chavy the best, though. Regardless if he’s wearing pin-stripes, he’ll always remain an Athletic to me.

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.

The A’s must decide whether or not to offer certain players like Josh Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and Coco Crisp contract extensions after this season.

For the A’s, a player like Willingham, who currently leads the team in home runs and RBIs, is somebody worth bringing back in 2012. He’s been everything the A’s had hoped for entering the season, and while Willingham isn’t having that great of a season, he remains one of Oakland’s best overall players, if not the best player.

The A’s may, however, find themselves on the fence about bring back Matsui and Crisp back next year. While Matsui has had an incredible second-half, his overall numbers are down from last year’s totals, and it looks like he’ll fail to reach the 20-home run plateau this season.

At 37, Matsui isn’t getting any younger, so the A’s may be cautious about bringing the aging “Godzilla” back for another round in ’12.

For Crisp, who has seemingly enjoyed his time in the bay area, coming back to the A’s next year might cause another log-jam in the outfield. (more…)