Oct 9, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Sean Doolittle (62) celebrates after striking out the third batter against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of game three of the 2012 ALDS at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The two would always be associated in my mind after that draft as they set out on their ascension to Oakland.  Things didn’t quite go as planned though, to say the least.  As we all know now, Sean Doolittle has become a centerpiece of the A’s after a long road through the minor leagues, but of course he’s no longer a first baseman, he’s the A’s primary left handed set up man.  James Simmons is still trying to make his way to Oakland.

Doolittle showed a great deal of promise in the lower minor leagues, in his first full season in the Athletics organization he hit 22 home runs between Stockton and Midland with an impressive .286/.358/.495 line in 603 plate appearances.  He was a rising star indeed.  That was until his knee problems began to surface.  Multiple knee surgeries, and 2 full seasons later Sean Doolittle reemerged as a pitcher in 2012.  His meteoric rise through the Athletics minor league system in 2012 all the way to his callup to Oakland after just 26 innings in the minors was nothing short of remarkable.  His performance in Oakland was much the same and he’s already become one of the most dependable and dominant left handed relievers in the game.

James Simmons followed something of a similar career path, save for the drastic position switch.  But shoulder problems derailed his progress and cost him the entire 2010 season.  He had perhaps been on the cusp of getting called up from Triple A Sacramento in 2009, despite his struggles that season.   After recovering he had to start back at the bottom and work his way through the system all over again.  He’s done so quite admirably.  Last season between Midland and Sacramento he posted a very impressive 2.98 ERA in 48.1 innings of work.  Now he’s in major league camp, alongside his fellow 2007 draftee Sean Doolittle, and he’s fighing for a spot in the Athletics bullpen.

He may be facing rather long odds in a crowded bullpen, but chances are he might find himself in Oakland in 2013 at some point.  He looked great in his first Spring Training outing, hopefully he can build on that.  The grueling 162 game season is a war of attrition, and without a doubt vacancies come up on the roster as players get hurt, and Simmons should be at the top of the list when an opportunity arises.  No doubt he will finally complete his journey to the Show, and no better way to do it than right alongside Sean Doolittle.

Oct 7, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Grant Balfour (50) pitches in the ninth inning of game two of the 2012 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Detroit won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it was nowhere near as dramatic, but the Athletics have been hit with another knee injury within the first week of camp.  Grant Balfour underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair his torn meniscus that had apparently bothered him dating back to last season.  It began barking at him again this week and they decided to operate now and give Balfour and the team hope he would be ready by the beginning of the regular season.  The chance remains though that Balfour may need to get some extra reps on the mound to tune up before entering live game situations.

I’m treating this situation as if it won’t have a major impact on the Athletics season, no matter what some supposed experts may want you to think.  But the possibility always remains that the rehab could not go as well as hoped, and the A’s bullpen could be without its emotional leader for a period of time.

Naturally the question as to who would cover the 9th inning in Balfour’s absence would come into play.  The obvious candidates to close games would be right hander Ryan Cook and left hander Sean Doolittle.  Cook did serve as the team’s closer for a brief period during the 2012 season, and needless to say he had his issues in the 9th inning.  He was removed from the role and replaced by Balfour for the duration of the season.  He certainly would qualify as the more experienced replacement.

Sean Doolittle though might prove to be the more effective candidate.  He showed what can only be described as electrifying stuff during the 2012 season, and while he did have his implosions at times, he made incredible strides after converting from a first baseman to a set up guy.  He has 1 save to his name, a dominant 1-run save against the New York Yankees to save the 3rd game of an eventual 4 game sweep in July.

So who should they turn to if Balfour isn’t ready?  I think this time it would have to be Doolittle’s turn.  Not only did he prove himself in 2012, but the Ryan Cook we saw in the 9th inning was a far cry from the one we saw in the 7th and 8th innings during the rest of the season.  Cook may be one of those guys who is just much more suited to a set up role, which is no less valuable than a closer.

Balfour’s absence would also delay a decision needing to be made at the back end of the bullpen, bringing good news for Hideki Okajima, or Evan Scribner perhaps.  But without a doubt that would be a short lived.

Hopefully this injury isn’t a sign of things to come in 2013, over the last few years injuries have plagued what could have been promising seasons for the Athletics, and this is not the time for the injury bug to creep back into our lives.  Time to break out the “Rage Raid” to keep the injury bug away from the Oakland Athletics.

This group of players is often overlooked, but they are essential to any team’s success.  They spend most of their time finding ways to past the time during the games, but when they’re called upon they have to snap into game form in a matter of minutes and enter in some very dicey situations.  They’re expected to bail out starters, and walk the tightrope constantly, and if they’re good at it the team will have great success holding onto leads.  The bullpen for the Athletics really came together in 2012 and became a strength down the stretch.  A mix of firepower and deception, with an adrenaline pumping emotion undercurrent made the Athletics bullpen a force to be reckoned with.

August 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics bullpen dance to “call me maybe” during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The likes of Grant Balfour and Ryan Cook, along with Sean Doolittle get the bulk of the spotlight for the manner in which they dominate hitters in the late innings, but the middle relievers led by Jerry Blevins, Pat Neshek, Jordan Norberto, Evan Scribner, Travis Blackley, Pedro Figueroa and new addition Chris Resop will bridge the gap between the starters and the late inning guys.  So the question is whether or not they will continue to be a strength in 2013.

ZiPs Projections

Grant Balfour: 61 games, 57.1 innings, 3.14 ERA, 57 K, 3.23 FIP

Ryan Cook: 67 games, 68.1 innings, 3.42 ERA, 66 K, 3.52 FIP

Sean Doolittle: 61 games, 71.1 innings, 3.15 ERA, 83 K, 3.04 FIP

Jerry Blevins: 59 games, 57 innings, 3.79 ERA, 51 K, 3.83 FIP

Pat Neshek: 57 games, 56.2 innings, 3.49 ERA, 48 K, 3.32 FIP

Jordan Norberto: 48 games, 55.1 innings, 3.90 ERA, 53 K, 3.98 FIP

Evan Scribner: 52 games, 59 innings, 4.27 ERA, 50 K, 4.16 FIP

Travis Blackley: 26 games (13 starts), 88 innings, 4.40 ERA, 61 K, 4.30 FIP

Chris Resop: 55 games, 58.2 innings, 4.30 ERA, 49 K, 3.83 FIP

Pedro Figueroa: 52 games, 4.82 ERA, 61.2 innings, 40 K, 5.10 FIP

There are many other relievers who may find themselves riding the pine down the left field line in 2013, like Mike Ekstrom, Jesse Chavez, Andrew Werner, and perhaps even a youngster like Arnold Leon.  Time will tell as the guys in the back end of the bullpen begin to go through the revolving door.

Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle are all expected to build on their strong 2012 seasons, and ZiPs thinks two of them will do just that.  Balfour became a truly dominant pitcher when he took charge of the closers role late in the 2012 season, and there is very little doubt that he’ll let that go.  I expect Balfour to lead the charge in 2013, and his numbers may look even better than ZiPs thinkgs.  Cook walked a bit of a tight rope when he struggled with his control, and it caught up with him at times, and it may do so once again for the 2012 All Star.  Sean Doolittle has the talent to continue to dominate hitters, and will take his stuff to a whole new level this year.

Jerry Blevins was still prone to the long ball, despite his success otherwise.  If he can cut those down, he can easily beat his projections, but if he doesn’t then his good fortune that kept his numbers down in 2012 will likely run out.  Pat Neshek absolutely needs to face right handed hitters unless there is literally nobody left to pitch to a lefty, his wild deception and nasty movement will give hitters fits, a 3.49 ERA seems like it very well could be a bit high.

Jordan Norberto and Evan Scribner will be mostly in lower leverage situations unless they prove too dominant to ignore, they’ll both take their lumps, but will provide the A’s with many valuable innings throughout the season.  Travis Blackley will be the long man when he’s in the bullpen, but as ZiPs projects will likely grab a few starts here and there, I don’t know if he’ll get up to 13 starts, but 6-8 seems more than reasonable.  He won’t blow anyone away necessarily, but he’ll get the job done when he’s needed, his projections seem about right.  Besides, his midseason hashtags on Twitter are top notch (#canwin #ourbad).

Then there’s Chris Resop, the new guy in the mix.  He’ll be in a similar role to that of Scribner and Norberto, pitching in mostly low leverage situations.  A 4.30 ERA seems about right for him.  Pedro Figueroa will likely ride the I-80 corridor numerous times between Oakland and Sacramento, his projections will probably be about right if that’s the case.

With that, I officially conclude the evaluation of the ZiPs projections for 2013.  These projections are often a bit on the conservative side, as evidenced by many of the numbers expected from various members of the Athletics roster.  The fact remains no matter what though, this is the team to beat in the AL West in 2013, and they seek to defend that title and build on the success of 2012.