April 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Shane Peterson (left) forces out Houston Astros center fielder Justin Maxwell (44)during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Right now the A’s sit at 17-14, and haven’t found a consistent winning formula since the 9 game winning streak that put them ahead of the curve in the first place.  Losing games like they have recently should begin to open some eyes as to what imperfections exist within the 25 man roster.  This is a team that is good enough to contend, good enough to perhaps win the AL West once again, but they cannot sit back and simply expect it to happen for them.  The burden is on Billy Beane to make moves and continue to fine tune the roster in order to make that happen.

As of this moment, there are a few candidates playing for the River Cats in Sacramento who would be able to fill the remaining needs on this roster.  I detailed yesterday the weakness that still exists in the middle infield, specifically with Eric Sogard, and the possible candidates who could help boost the team’s offense.  In that case, Jemile Weeks, Grant Green, and the rehabbing Hiroyuki Nakajima were presented as viable upgrades.

Meanwhile, as the River Cats lead the PCL Southern Division with a 17-13, there are a few other members of the Triple A squad who could theoretically help the Athletics right now.  The first one on the list would be Shane Peterson.  Peterson has posted a very good .304/.450/.457 line through 118 plate appearances, briefly made his MLB debut when Brandon Moss went on paternity leave, and is capable of playing all 3 outfield positions as well as first base.  As you may or may not have noticed, the A’s outfielders have had quite the knack for finding the disabled list thus far, so Peterson’s talent and versatility would be an asset to the team.

An old friend by the name of Daric Barton is quietly having an excellent season down in Sacramento, posting a .300/.446/.500 line in 118 plate appearances.  The complication with Barton of course is the fact that he was designated for assignment prior to the beginning of the regular season, so someone else would need to be removed from the 40 man roster to make room for him as well as from the active roster.  Barton is certainly a polarizing figure, but his skills could prove valuable in Oakland if he were able to translate them to the major leagues.

Michael Taylor is now with the Athletics, after Chris Young was placed on the DL, and he’s been great in Triple A so far this year.  Taylor was once thought to be a possible cornerstone for the Athletics future, and while that may have passed, there’s still hope he can contribute at the major league level.  This may be his best chance yet.  With Coco Crisp and Young on the shelf they need to use this opportunity to see if Taylor has figured out how to use the tools he has in the Show.

There have been rumblings over the last couple weeks for the Athletics to eschew finances and start the arbitration clock of Michael Choice.  By the numbers, it might seem that doing such a thing wouldn’t be the craziest idea ever.  Choice is hitting .302/.420/.528 with 6 home runs and a team leading 26 RBI.  Choice is very much built in the Yoenis Cespedes mold, and should become an impact player at the major league level at some point.  That time may be soon, but I don’t think it’s quite yet.

The A’s could also use a pitcher who can help bridge the gap between a struggling starting pitcher and the bullpen, or eat up a few innings in extra frames so the previously scratched starter isn’t forced into duty.  This would have been Travis Blackley, but the A’s jettisoned him from the organization, a move I imagine many regret making now.  This is a perfect role for Pedro Figueroa, who is able to pitch multiple innings, and could be stretched out into a full time starter if needed.  He may be a little wild at times, but he can get hitters out at baseball’s highest level.  He hasn’t dazzled though in Triple A, with a 6.94 ERA in 11.2 innings of work, and he has walked 9 batters in that span.  So he will need to right the ship before he can be considered for a call up.

Right now, there really isn’t another strong long man candidate, maybe Billy Beane can somehow convince the Astros to give Blackley back?

There are other honorable mentions for the most productive River Cats, Stephen Vogt sits atop that list, the young catcher is hitting an impressive .394/.448/.691 and many thought he should have gotten the call up over Luke Montz.  If he keeps hitting like that, he may force his way onto the roster somehow.  Sonny Gray gets an honorable mention as well, he’s posted a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings with 25 K’s to 12 walks.  He should be in a starting rotation though, no long relief duty for this young hurler.  Hideki Okajima has also been solid as well, pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings of work, his presence in the Athletics bullpen seems more likely at some point in the near future.

There are many ways to improve this Athletics team, but Billy Beane and co. can take comfort in knowing the solutions to their problems may already be in their possession.  It’s up to them to realize just who will best serve their needs.  The perfect solution has to be in there somewhere, right?

It’s always a test of the will for the players to make it through the monotany of Spring Training, you can only play so many games that mean absolutely zilch before you get a little stir crazy.  So tack on another week to make room for the WBC and you can imagine how much fun it would be by week 4, knowing you still had another week of games when normally you’d be packing up to head to your home ballpark.  But alas, the time for exhibitions is almost over.

So as the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants prepare to play the 3 game Bay Bridge Series (In San Francisco Thursday and Friday, Oakland on Saturday), it’s time for us to make sense of what we all saw of the Athletics in Arizona, and also to figure out what, if anything, means anything from all of that.  So if I haven’t lost you already, let’s take a quick look at some of those who excelled this spring.

I’ll forego discussing Eric Sogard for the sake of not being overly redundant, the guy hit .500 for the spring and that’s probably earned him a roster spot.

March 21, 2013; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris (36) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two run homerun in the second inning during a spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Norris was one player who I had very little faith in down the stretch last season, I expected him to make outs, often unproductive ones whenever he stepped up to bat, and he usually came through.  This year he came into camp trimmed down, and with a retooled swing, designed to eradicate the Derek Norris that drove me mad in September 2012.  So far, it seems like it may have worked.  He posted an impressive .378/.489/.838 line with 5 home runs and a pair of doubles.  He won’t be expected to carry the load behind the plate like he did last year, but if he can turn himself into a productive hitter instead of an automatic out then he’ll certainly do his part in the platoon with John Jaso.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the spring not named Eric Sogard would have to be Shane Peterson.  The last remaining piece from the Matt Holliday trade (I still despise him by the way) has emerged as a viable call up option for the Athletics in 2013 with a solid 2012 season in Double and Triple A, and a very nice Cactus League with the big club.  Peterson hit .408/.463/.653 mostly as a sub for one of the Athletics starting outfielders.  Every time you looked it seemed he was getting on base and making things happen.  He’ll head to Sacramento to start the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him called up ahead of Michael Taylor if (when) one of the Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Chris Young foursome winds up on the DL.

I wrote not long ago about Josh Donaldson and the rather unproductive spring he’d been having, and how he was being given the benefit of the doubt despite a very small sample size in the major leagues, and Hiro Nakajima was practically being thrown out the door for posting the same numbers.  Well, Donaldson must have heard me because he tore up Cactus League pitching over the final 10 days or so and wound up with a very respectable, dare I say encouraging .314/.390/.549 slash line.  I have very muted expectations for him during this coming season, perhaps I’m bracing for a little regression, but if he can make adjustments during the regular season like he seemingly did in Arizona, there may be some legitimacy to his bat after all.

Then there are guys who are expected to be cornerstone players in the Athletics 2013 lineup.  Yoenis Cespedes started off very cold, but began to heat up while launching a tape measure home run against Tim Lincecum in the process.  La Potencia will be muy bien.  I’ve been critical of Josh Reddick over the last year for his apparent lack of clutch hitting, and while there’s no real test for that in Spring Training, Reddick did hit fairly well, hopefully he’s fine tuned his approach for the upcoming campaign.  Then there’s my main man Brandon Moss, even though I did write him a Valentine, I can observe him objectively.  He didn’t hit for much in the way of power this spring, but he showed a comfort level in the box against lefties and righties that is encouraging for his continued success.

It wasn’t all good though in the Valley of the Sun.  The pitching staff got knocked around a bit.  The lowest ERA posted by any of the projected members of the starting rotation was 4.82 by Tommy Milone.  I’m not so much worried about them though, pitchers often tinker with things during their starts, or only throw certain pitches to work on them, or do all kinds of weird things.  As long as they feel good then nothing else matters, need I remind you of Bob Welch in 1990?  Travis Blackley may have scared some members of the Athletics organization with his ERA hovering around eleventy-billion, but perhaps he was suffering a tobacco-less withdrawl that affected his performance more than he thought it would, much like we saw with Josh Hamilton last season.  He’s sacrificing his health for the good of the team apparently now, so let’s hope it’ll turn things around for him.

Like I didn’t rehash the Eric Sogard discussion, I won’t do that with Hiro Nakajima and his well documented struggles this spring.  I still think he’ll be just fine, and just needs some more time to achieve a level of comfort stateside.

All in all, with a 15-12 record, the A’s are just about right where they should be as they return to the East Bay late Wednesday.  They didn’t embarrass themselves, and they didn’t tear down the house either.  A record right around the .500 mark is perfectly fine, and not going to excite anyone in either direction.  The meaningless stats are about to disappear, and return to their 11 month hibernation as the regular season commences in just a few days.  The wait for A’s baseball is almost over.

This year’s Spring Training is that much worse with the extra week to allow for the World Baseball Classic.  Since none of the Athletics were involved in the WBC, this Cactus League has to feel extra tedious for them.  So with one week left before teams break camp and head back home for a few remaining exhibition games, what is left to be done at Phoenix Muni for the Oakland Athletics?  There are certainly some decisions left to be made.

Who will fill out the middle infield?

March 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (3) makes the play for the out against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning during a spring training game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from Jed Lowrie, there hasn’t been much to be impressed with from within the ranks of the middle infielders thought to be vying for playing time at second base and shortstop.  Hiroyuki Nakajima was slated to be the everyday shortstop at the beginning of camp, but his performance has apparently made the Athletics question that decision according to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group.  Nakajima has begun to take some grounders at 3rd and at 2nd base, so a little bit of added versatility for Hiro cannot hurt.  Right now it looks like Lowrie has the leg up for the starting shortstop job.  At second base, it was presumed that Scott Sizemore would get the first chance to start, with Jemile Weeks on the outside looking in.  But Scott Sizemore has struggled and looks like he may need some more time than even this extended spring can provide to get his timing back after missing the 2012 season.  Jemile Weeks missed time during the spring with a shoulder injury, but has been much more productive then he was last year at any point.  Then there’s Eric Sogard, he of the over .500 batting average this spring (I know, batting average…), who seems like he may have forced his way into the conversation for playing time in the middle infield, whether he really gets that shot still remains to be seen.  Then we also have Adam Rosales, Andy Parrino, and Grant Green who are all having productive springs as well.  Needless to say the A’s have depth at these two positions, and it’s up to them to make the most of it.

How will outfield playing time be divided?

It’s much easier during spring with the presence of split squad and minor league games to ensure everyone gets the at bats they need to get themselves up to speed.  Once the regular season starts, the roster is down to 25, and there is only one game to get at bats in.  Chances are that the foursome of Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, and Chris Young will function as a unit that will rotate through the 3 outfield positions and the DH spot.  That doesn’t leave much space for Seth Smith, but he’s too talented to be riding the pine too much.  Shane Peterson has also made quite a statement this spring, and has to be in the conversation for the Athletics outfield.  Undoubtedly he’ll start the season in Sacramento with the River Cats (I spelled it correctly, so don’t fine me), but he can probably be considered the A’s 6th outfielder.

Who will occupy the back end of the bullpen?

The high leverage relievers like Grant Balfour, Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle, Pat Neshek and Jerry Blevins are all pretty much set in their roles and have nothing to fear about making the 25 man roster.  But there are a number of relievers who are battling it out for a chance to head to Oakland and help provide depth for the A’s bullpen.  Chris Resop, Evan Scribner, Pedro Figueroa, Jordan Norberto, Hideki Okajima, Mike Ekstrom and Travis Blackley will have to battle it out for probably three remaining spots.  It appears as if Resop has the inside track to making the team, so he can probably relax a bit more than the rest of the group.  Chances are that would send Scribner to Sacramento as a result.  Jordan Norberto and Hideki Okajima are likely battling for the last middle reliever role, and chances are slim that both of them would make the team considering they’re both lefties and the A’s already have two established lefty relievers in their pen.  Travis Blackley might be the toughest decision of them all.  He’s an admitted sentimental favorite, but his performance in the spring has been far from reassuring.  His fate will rest on how Bob Melvin weighs Blackley’s performance from 2012 versus his performance this spring.  Perhaps the need for a long reliever/spot starter though could negate any concerns about his spring performance.  The likes of Ekstrom and Figueroa are probably destined for Sacramento as well.

There isn’t much to get excited about right now as the Cactus League enters its final week, aside from the eternal desire to defeat the San Francisco Giants when they play on Saturday.  The main objective of course is to not injure themselves, and simply be ready to put the petal to the metal on April 1st against the Seattle Mariners.  Opening Day is so close we can taste it, and I’m already thinking about what to wear to the O.co Coliseum for the first game.