Mar. 8, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Jarrod Parker (74) during the first inning during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE

Every Thursday, Swingin’ A’s will unveil a top Oakland A’s prospect. Starting from number 10 and finishing with number 1, be sure to stop by every Thursday to see who makes the list of the Top 10 Oakland A’s prospects. We continue our countdown with No.2 on our list, pitcher Jarrod Parker. Parker was acquired this offseason in the trade that sent pitchers Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While the A’s have their apparent struggles on offense, the team does know how to evaluate their own pitching talent. The A’s have turned their focus to acquiring offensive players in recent draft years, but the team always remains focused when it comes to pitching. The A’s, in my mind, have the uncanny ability to find pitching year in and year out.

Last year it was Brandon McCarthy and Guillermo Moscoso that helped lead Oakland pitchers to a nifty 3.71 ERA (3rd in AL). This year, though, will definitely put my assumption that Billy Beane & Co. really know their pitching to the test.

The A’s dismantled most of their starting rotation this offseason. Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez are both out of Oakland, meaning the A’s have find replacements for those guys. Last year, Cahill and Gonzalez won a combined 28 games. The dangerous duo won 33 games the year before that in 2010.

Oakland did acquire plenty of young talent in both the Cahill and Gonzalez deals, though. The A’s fared much better in the Gonzalez deal, but the A’s didn’t do too bad in the Cahill deal, either. The prized-gem of the Cahill deal is top pitching prospect, Jarrod Parker.

Parker, 23, is currently competing for one of the vacant spots in Oakland’s starting rotation. He has his share of competition, with guys like Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, Tyson Ross, and Graham Godfrey all vying for playing time this year. Parker comes into spring training, though, with the label “top-prospect,” and should have a legitimate shot at getting a role in Oakland’s starting rotation.

He did have Tommy John Surgery, but his performance last year in Double-A put some the concerns with his health to rest. In 26 starts last year with Double-A Mobile, Parker went 11-8 with a 3.79 ERA. He put in 130.2 innings of work last year in Double-A and also recorded 7.7 SO/9 and 3.8 BB/9 rates. The drop in strikeouts post Tommy John Surgery may have some people worried about Parker’s status as a projected No.1 or No.2 starter, but rest assured, the guy is fine.

His fastball can come in 93-94mph and as Eno Sarris of FanGraphs says, “scouts love his 93+mph fastball and slider, changeup combo.” In fact, Sarris also goes on to project Parker as Oakland’s best pitcher this year. He’ll beat out McCarthy and old-timer Bartolo Colon as the best Athletics pitcher in 2012.

Still, TJ surgery is likely to be on most people’s minds when it comes to Parker. His health will be under close watch again this year as he tries to earn a spot in Oakland’s depleted starting rotation. If the A’s handle his development correctly, Parker should top out as a No. 2 starter. He’s got a strong fastball and has the raw “stuff” to make a lasting impact on the Athletics organization.

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.

February 25, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Manny Ramirez (1) walks out of the batting cage during spring training at Papago Park Baseball Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

It was yet another noisy week in Oakland as the Athletics made headlines with the signing of Manny Ramirez. The A’s will get a short look at Manny this spring, but once the season starts, Manny will have to serve his 50-game suspension. The A’s have a few options for their designated-hitter role, but it is difficult to image the A’s not giving Manny a shot at the position once his suspension is served.

Oakland hasn’t found many affordable power hitters in recent years, but for $500,000 the A’s get a proven power-hitter. The deal itself does not represent much of a risk, but the reward could be big. Here on Swingin’ A’s, we covered the Manny Ramirez signing while also chiming in on some other A’s-related issues.

Like always, we hope you’ll revisit these stories from the past week while we gear up for yet another week of the green-and-gold!

• [2/20/12]: Spring Training Storylines–Sean Doolittle
• [2/21/12]: A’s Ink Manny Ramirez To Minor League Deal
• [2/23/12]: The Open Competition for the A’s Utility Infielder Position
• [2/23/12]: A’s 2012 Top 10 Prospects, #6: Tom Milone
• [2/23/12]: Revisiting The Rotation
• [2/24/12]: Double The Fun!

Right now, Oakland’s starting rotation is starting to resemble a big piece of swiss cheese; there are so many gaping holes in it that it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Bob Melvin can fill out the rotation. He’s got plenty of options, of course, so his job isn’t technically impossible.

The A’s, in addition to McCarthy and Colon, have Braden (coming back from injury), Tom Milone, Jarrod Parker, Brad Peacock, Graham Godfrey, and Tyson Ross as potential options for the starting rotation. These guys will be responsible for helping the Athletics in their quest to assemble a formidable starting rotation on a shoe-string budget.

With that, let’s try and see if we can help the A’s and Melvin in their quest to reassemble this current mess called a starting rotation. Two-fifths of it is already completed, with McCarthy and Colon taking up the two spots. After that, though, the questions ensue.

Braden, who is battling back from injury, is reportedly not yet ready for spring training. Furthermore, it is expected that Braden, 28, will not be ready for Opening Day.

So, the No.3 spot could go to a guy like Tom Milone, who was acquired in the trade that sent Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals. He was also recently listed as No.6 on my list of Top 10 A’s prospects for 2012, which hasn’t exactly settled well with too many A’s fans. Nothing wrong with a little friendly disagreement, though.

Back to the rotation. Milone is expected to face plenty of competition for a spot in this year’s starting rotation, and his biggest competitor, in my mind anyway, is likely to be the guy he played alongside in Washington: Brad Peacock.

Peacock, another crucial piece in the Gonzalez deal, comes to Oakland after posting encouraging numbers as a Washington prospect. He went 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA over nine starts in Triple-A Syracuse last year. In three appearances with the Nationals last year, Peacock went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA.

Personally, I think Peacock will eventually edge out Milone, who will likely serve a solid No.4 guy in the rotation this season. I’m awarding Peacock, then, with the No.3 spot in Oakland’s rotation for the time being with Milone following him in the No.4 spot.

That leaves us, then, with the No.5 spot up for grabs. The A’s acquired top-pitching prospect Jarrod Parker in the deal that sent Trevor Cahill to the Diamondbacks and he definitely figures into the starting rotation equation. Parker features a low-90′s fastball, slider, and changeup and many people peg him as being a potential No.2 starter.

Right now, though, Parker will likely be fending off the likes of Tyson Ross and Graham Godfrey for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Parker definitely has a chance to surpass Cahill’s value if he’s able to stay healthy and continue his development. More time in the minors for Parker certainly couldn’t hurt, though.

As it stands now, I’d probably go with a rotation that looks a little similar to this one:

2011 MLB stats

The numbers for the three guys that follow Colon are very small sample sizes, but as the case with Milone, the three young pitchers Oakland acquired this winter have had plenty of success on the minor league level. Once injured starters like Braden and Brett Anderson return, though, the A’s rotation could undergo yet another makeover. Especially if the young starters like Peacock and Milone struggle early on.

As it stands now, though, this is the rotation I envision seeing out there on the field once the season starts. My only “questionable” starter included above is probably Parker. I think he could use a little more time in the minor leagues, and given his injury history, I don’t think Oakland plans to rush the young starter.

What do you think? Sound off below and tell us who you think makes the starting rotation this year!

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.