Some perspective

[Jordan4life_2007]

Check out the A's projected opening day lineup.

 

A's:

 

1. LF Rajai Davis

2. CF Coco Crisp

3. C Kurt Suzuki

4. DH Jack Cust

5. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff

6. RF Ryan Sweeney

7. 2B Mark Ellis

8. 1B Daric Barton

9. SS Cliff Pennington

 

I might take that Cubs lineup that won the World Series in "Rookie of the year" over this steaming pile of rooster s***.

 

Our offense has a ton of question marks, but it could be MUCH worse, A's worse.

 

 

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

They sure do have some speed though.

[Heads22]

That is bad.

[MattZakrowski]

That's a way better group of defensive players, to be fair. Offensively though, ew.

[Balta1701]

At some point, Chris Carter is going to appear in that lineup.

[Jerksticks]

How old is Carter now Balta? And how soon til all the conversations begin?

[Balta1701]

How old is Carter now Balta? And how soon til all the conversations begin?

Carter turned 23 in December.

 

The "Should we have traded him" conversations never happen if Quentin has the kind of season he's capable of.

[dyuen]

Check out the A's projected opening day lineup.

 

A's:

 

1. LF Rajai Davis

2. CF Coco Crisp

3. C Kurt Suzuki

4. DH Jack Cust

5. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff

6. RF Ryan Sweeney

7. 2B Mark Ellis

8. 1B Daric Barton

9. SS Cliff Pennington

 

I might take that Cubs lineup that won the World Series in "Rookie of the year" over this steaming pile of rooster s***.

 

Our offense has a ton of question marks, but it could be MUCH worse, A's worse.

 

that is bad but we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to the a's. They aren't winning anything and I think we all have higher standards than last place

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

that is bad but we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to the a's. They aren't winning anything and I think we all have higher standards than last place

 

And what is the difference in payroll?

[dmbjeff]

And what is the difference in payroll?

 

50 to 60 million? that is just a guess

[Balta1701]

50 to 60 million? that is just a guess

Last year, we were at about $100, they were at about $60.

[Marty34]

One of the worries I have with the offense is if Pierre isn't getting on base at least at a .340 clip, will they make a change.

[Balta1701]

One of the worries I have with the offense is if Pierre isn't getting on base at least at a .340 clip, will they make a change.

Almost certainly not. .340 isnt' awful. Cabrera only put up a .334 in 2008 and we still took the division with a decent offense. If he's putting up a .310, maybe, because that would be a real legit slump.

[Kalapse]

One of the worries I have with the offense is if Pierre isn't getting on base at least at a .340 clip, will they make a change.

If they expect him to put up an OBP any higher than .335 then they should never have made the trade in the first place. Personally, I think he could hit .290/.330/.360/.690 with 60 SB and a 73% SB% and you wouldn't be able to keep Ozzie from lauding his tiny leadoff man every opportunity he gets.

[Marty34]

Almost certainly not. .340 isnt' awful. Cabrera only put up a .334 in 2008 and we still took the division with a decent offense. If he's putting up a .310, maybe, because that would be a real legit slump.

 

A lot will depend on their record, but my wish is that they have a short leash with Pierre. You can put up with a .334 from Cabrera because he played short. Pierre has got to be '05 Podsednik at the start and the team has to get off to a very good start.

[maggsmaggs]

Rajai Davis is gonna have a huge year, definitely all-star worthy. With a full season of at-bats, I wouldn't be surprised to see 70 SBs with him. He can fly.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Rajai Davis is gonna have a huge year, definitely all-star worthy. With a full season of at-bats, I wouldn't be surprised to see 70 SBs with him. He can fly.

 

I agree. This is why I drafted this speed demon. If he can nab me 60+, I will be very happy, and I think he certainly can be the second guy to nab 70+ in the last 10 years.

[Kalapse]

I agree. This is why I drafted this speed demon. If he can nab me 60+, I will be very happy, and I think he certainly can be the second guy to nab 70+ in the last 10 years.

You mean the 4th?

[Ranger]

A lot will depend on their record, but my wish is that they have a short leash with Pierre. You can put up with a .334 from Cabrera because he played short. Pierre has got to be '05 Podsednik at the start and the team has to get off to a very good start.

 

 

That has nothing to do with the lineup. If .330 is acceptable for a leadoff hitter, it doesn't make a bit of difference if the leadoff hitter plays LF or SS.

Edited March 23, 2010 by Ranger

[Marty34]

That has nothing to do with the lineup. If .330 is acceptable for a leadoff hitter, it doesn't make a bit of difference if the leadoff hitter plays LF or SS.

 

Two points Ranger:

 

1.) I think you'd agree that LF is an offensive position. You're already giving up power with Pierre so a .330 OBP should be unacceptable, heck .340 isn't great.

 

2.) Cabrera's .334 OBP was backed by Thome's .372 and Quentin's .394. IF they get that type on base Quentin and the DH spot this I'll grudgingly live with Pierre at .330.

[SoxAce]

that is bad but we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to the a's. They aren't winning anything and I think we all have higher standards than last place

 

Exactly. They are more or less rebuilding. They are not taking the division away from the Angels or Mariners. I like Sweeney to have a nice year though. Gotta get out of that hell hole of a stadium for power though, but he should hit alot of XBH.

[witesoxfan]

Two points Ranger:

 

1.) I think you'd agree that LF is an offensive position. You're already giving up power with Pierre so a .330 OBP should be unacceptable, heck .340 isn't great.

 

2.) Cabrera's .334 OBP was backed by Thome's .372 and Quentin's .394. IF they get that type on base Quentin and the DH spot this I'll grudgingly live with Pierre at .330.

 

1) That production can very easily be made up for in CF with Rios's bat, at 2B with Beckham's bat, and possibly at SS with Ramirez's bat. Those are all generally regarded with defense as the priority. Sure, you want offense from your offensive positions, but above anything you want a good lineup, and that is something the Sox can put out there.

 

2) It's insane to think they'll get that type of production out of the DH spot, and even mentioning it is quite ridiculous. What the Sox could very easily get is a .390 OBP out of Quentin and a .370 OBP out of Beckham. They could also get .350 or so out of Rios, .350 out of Konerko and a few others in the .330's. There may also be surprises too. It's just hard to gauge at this point in time.

 

3) I don't like Pierre either, but he's the least of my concerns. Atleast there's a safe assumption as to what type of numbers he can put up.

[witesoxfan]

Exactly. They are more or less rebuilding. They are not taking the division away from the Angels or Mariners. I like Sweeney to have a nice year though. Gotta get out of that hell hole of a stadium for power though, but he should hit alot of XBH.

 

Not that the A's lineup is good, but it should score a few runs here and there. Further, with the defense, the talent of the pitching staf, and the park they play in, they could put up the best pitching staff in the majors without having any truly elite starters, and if they are in contention, I could easily see them also being a player in the Adrian Gonzalez sweepstakes, and they should have the pieces to put together a pretty damn good package for him too. Adding Adrian Gonzalez's bat to that lineup makes it a hell of a lot more impressive.

 

I also think you may be giving a bit too much credit to the Angels - losing Figgins and Lackey is going to hurt their team quite a bit - and you are not giving enough to the Rangers. The Rangers could be a pretty solid team this year too. As of right now, I have the Mariners winning the West, but really it's probably more open than any division in baseball and I could see all 4 teams winning that division given certain circumstances.

Edited March 23, 2010 by witesoxfan

[Marty34]

1) That production can very easily be made up for in CF with Rios's bat, at 2B with Beckham's bat, and possibly at SS with Ramirez's bat. Those are all generally regarded with defense as the priority. Sure, you want offense from your offensive positions, but above anything you want a good lineup, and that is something the Sox can put out there.

 

2) It's insane to think they'll get that type of production out of the DH spot, and even mentioning it is quite ridiculous. What the Sox could very easily get is a .390 OBP out of Quentin and a .370 OBP out of Beckham. They could also get .350 or so out of Rios, .350 out of Konerko and a few others in the .330's. There may also be surprises too. It's just hard to gauge at this point in time.

 

3) I don't like Pierre either, but he's the least of my concerns. Atleast there's a safe assumption as to what type of numbers he can put up.

 

The problem is they are going to be so outgunned by the opposing team in left and at DH that it will negate whatever advantage they may have in the center of the diamond. The gamble I think is that they believe they'll be able to hang in the division race and pick up a hitter at the trade deadline. Time will tell.

[witesoxfan]

The problem is they are going to be so outgunned by the opposing team in left and at DH that it will negate whatever advantage they may have in the center of the diamond. The gamble I think is that they believe they'll be able to hang in the division race and pick up a hitter at the trade deadline. Time will tell.

 

I don't think that worries them at all. To bring up the oft-used example, they were outgunned by quite a bit in quite a few spots around the diamond in 2005, and it didn't affect them at all. If the pitching is there and the offense is capable enough, there isn't going to be a lot of worries. I'd like to see the team go with 5 bench players, but only time will tell.