Projected Lineup
C Jason Kendall
CF Mark Kotsay
RF Milton Bradley
3B Eric Chavez
DH Mike Piazza
LF Nick Swisher
1B Dan Johnson
SS Bobby Crosby
2B Mark Ellis
Kendall fits as a leadoff man,
despite his absolute lack of power atop the lineup. He has supreme on-base skills and even a
little speed atop the A’s lineup… Kotsay is a perfect number two hitter with a
strong contact rate and decent average-hitting ability… Bradley enters the
season coming off of a terrific second half that saw him hit .300 with eleven
homers. He fits perfectly into the A’s
philosophy, drawing 51 walks in just 350 at bats last season. Though his speed is suppressed in Oakland,
he has 20/20 ability… Chavez needs to rebound after his worst season as a
starter in 2006. He dealt with forearm
and hamstring injuries as he struggled to just a .241 average, but did still
show tremendous discipline to finish with a solid .351 OBP… Piazza will try and
do what Frank Thomas did for the A’s last season, taking a move to the AL
where he can slot in as the everyday DH as an opportunity to re-find his glory
days. Piazza did show tremendous power
with the Padres last season when in the lineup, and could easily perform as a
top ten catcher this season… Swisher emerged as a fantastic power source in his
second full season, though his batting average falls clearly short of what most
fantasy owners are looking for. Again,
he’s significantly better in OBP leagues, having drawn 97 walks in 556 AB…
Johnson performed poorly enough in the first half last season to warrant a
demotion to Sacramento in July,
after beginning the year just 1 for his first 29. While he recovered to hit .234 on the year,
he showed little in the power department.
Still, he’ll enter the year as the favorite to start at first… Crosby
missed significant time for the second straight season with a lower back
strain, and looked horrible when in the lineup.
He finished the year batting just .229, and failed to reach double
digits in home runs for the second straight season… Ellis is a capable ninth
hitter who can serve as a second table-setter for the power hitters, but
watched his average drop significantly to .249 last season. He has decent power for a middle infielder,
but that’s about all.
Other Hitters To
Watch
Shannon Stewart
Marco Scutaro
Adam Melhuse
A late under-the-radar signing, Stewart has shown a
tremendous ability to hit for average with solid discipline and decent gap
power the past few years in Minnesota. While he’s no longer the twenty steal threat
he was when he was younger (who is in Oakland?!),
he’ll find his way into the lineup because of a solid glove and his strong
on-base skills… Scutaro is a solid backup at both middle infield positions,
though he doesn’t have much of a bat.
He’ll hit a handful of homers and swipe a handful of bags while batting
in the .260 range, but may struggle to find playing time if Crosby and Ellis
stay in the lineup… Melhuse is a quality backup catcher who could challenge
double digit homers if he got enough playing time. However, with Kendall in place and their DH
(Piazza) having served behind the dish for most of his career, he’ll struggle
to find more than 100 at bats.
Starting Rotation
Dan Haren
Rich Harden
Joe Blanton
Esteban Loaiza
Joe Kennedy/Brad Halsey
The club lost Barry Zito in the offseason, but if they can
remain healthy, they may be just as good in 2007. Haren continued to show phenomenal command
while he started to dominate a bit more from a strikeout perspective in 2006. While his ERA rose significantly last season,
it can be largely attributed to a poor September (2-3, 5.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP),
when he seemed to be wearing down a bit after a heavier workload than he’s used
to… Harden could be a fantasy monster if he could just stay in the lineup, but
that’s looking increasingly unlikely. He
made just nine starts in 2006 after dealing with an oblique injury, but proved
to be as dominant as ever when in the rotation, striking out 49 batters in just
46 innings… Blanton watched his secondary numbers rise significantly, but posted
a win total that was befitting of his 2005 performance. The finesse righty finished the year with
sixteen wins despite a mediocre 4.82 ERA and a horrible 1.54 WHIP. He should be expected to improve on those
numbers entering 2007, but should slot in no higher than a fourth or fifth
starter in deeper mixed leagues… Despite missing nearly three months, Kennedy
pitched well as the lefty out of the bullpen last season, keeping a 2.31 ERA
and 1.34 WHIP. The former Rays’ prospect
will enter the Spring as the favorite to win the fifth spot over ineffective
swingman Brad Halsey.
Closer
Huston Street
Other Bullpen Arms of Note
Justin Duchscherer
Kiko Calero
Street’s ERA came down to earth as he battled through
injuries, but still provided a solid follow-up to his amazing rookie
campaign. Street missed time with a
groin injury in August, but finished strong with 37 saves, a 3.31 ERA, and a
1.09 WHIP. He enters 2007 as a solid second-tier
closer… Though Calero’s ERA and WHIP rose for the second straight season, he
improved significantly on his strikeout rate in his second season for the
A’s. The 32-year-old power righty fanned
10.4 batters per 9 innings in 2006 while establishing himself as a dominant
setup man…. Duchscherer spent more than a month on the disabled list with elbow
troubles himself, but continued to look like an elite setup man when
healthy. Though his win total dropped
significantly from 2004 and 2005, Duchscherer kept a solid 2.91 ERA with a
terrific 1.10 WHIP and struck out just under a batter an inning.
Position Battles
Dan Johnson vs.
Shannon Stewart – A less traditional position battle, this one will
actually determine the fate of Nick Swisher.
Swisher bounced back and forth between left field and first base in
2006, and is a capable starter at either position. Johnson enters the Spring as the starter at
first base, but Stewart’s signing in early February means that they have a
solid backup plan in place. Johnson has
considerably more upside as a solid average-hitting option with 20 homer power,
while Stewart is a much more stable choice who will hit for average and get on
base regularly.
Joe Kennedy vs. Brad
Halsey – Kennedy is coming off of his best season ever in the bullpen, and
figures to have the edge based on his former prospect status and a
significantly higher strikeout rate.
However, Halsey has acquired a reputation as a league-average swingman
in the past few seasons while generally keeping a solid walk rate. Kennedy has a little bit of sleeper value,
particularly in AL Leagues, if he can win the job, while Halsey is someone you
don’t want any part of.
Sleepers
Eric Chavez –
Long considered a top five third baseman, Chavez is coming off of an absolutely
horrible injury-riddled campaign that saw him finish with his lowest batting
average (.241) and home run totals (22) since he became the starter in
1999. Still in his prime, Chavez is
reporting to camp at 100%, and should bounce back to hit in the .280 range
we’re more accustomed to seeing while bumping his power totals
significantly.
Shannon Stewart – After
watching Dan Johnson struggle through the entire 2006 campaign, the A’s are
liable to have him on a short leash in 2007.
That should open up plenty of playing time for Stewart, who will take
advantage of Nick Swisher’s move to first base to establish himself as the
starter in left. Given 500 at bats,
Stewart has the ability to threaten double digit homers while batting .300 with
70 or 80 runs.
Duds
Jason Kendall –
After batting .295 and scoring 76 runs in 2006, many will confuse him with a
quality mixed league starting catcher entering 2007. Don’t be that guy. His lack of power production keeps him from
warranting a spot as a mixed league starter, while the average is likely to
come down a tick in his third season in Oakland.
Player to watch for
Daric Barton –
Though he missed most of the 2006 season with elbow trouble, Barton resumed
establishing himself as a threat to reach the majors this season with a strong
showing in winter-ball. A dominant power
prospect with elite plate discipline, Barton could get a look at first base if
injuries strike or Dan Johnson remains ineffective provided that he can get
healthy at AAA Sacramento.
Projected Finish: 84-78, 2nd AL West
Fantasy Baseball 
