ELEPHANTS IN OAKLAND
an Oakland Athletics Blog:
Pitching, Defense and the Three Run Jimmy-Jack


ELEPHANTS IN OAKLAND
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Saturday, December 27, 2003
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SECOND ANNUAL EIOS
ORGANIZATION EVALUATION

Here are the grades for the Oakland Athletics Baseball Club before we head into 2004.

ORGANIZATION

Grade: B+
A decided grade that is a little inflated.

The Oakland Athletics Baseball Club is one of the best organizations in all of sports, not just in baseball. From success on a small budget to a rabid fan base to a compelling minor league system, the A’s are the blueprint model for businesses outside of baseball and an icon of achievement within.

OAKLAND ORGANIZATION: STANDINGS

96-66 .593 Oakland; AL West Champions
92-52 .639 (AAA) Sacramento River Cats; PCL Champions
34-36 .486 (AA) Midland Rock Hounds
42-28 .600 (High A) Modesto A’s; North Division Wild Card, Freitas Award
39-30 .565 (Low A) Kane County
35-41 .461 (Short-Season A) Vancouver
19-36 .345 (Rookie) AZL Athletics
Totals
357 wins - 289 losses .553 winning percentage

Organization of the year?

The A’s put together another superb season from top to middle. The single A and rookie teams did not manage to win as many games as the higher teams. Though, the variables are also vulnerable to a wider range of scrutiny. For instance, the A’s draft far more college players than high school players. Most of these players hit the AZL team and single A ball. The demands of a college season are considerable tougher than that of a high school season. So you can expect a lot of worn out bodies heading to play ball in the late Summer and early Fall. Further, the A’s organization also has strict demands and conforming to these demands can often lead to players being at different spectrums of focus once the season gets started. While one player is focusing on working the count the runner on first might be working on getting a better read on infield rotations. A pitcher might be working on slowing his delivery from the stretch while a catcher is working on better footwork throwing down to second. It’s on the job training.

The A’s minor league system is one that should be viewed as upper tier and a model of consistency. The Modesto A’s celebrate their 30th season with the A’s in 2004. The River Cats have broken minor league attendance record the last four seasons. Sacramento also set a slue of other records on the way to the Pacific Coast League Championship and Minor League Team of the Year honors (Baseball America).

FRONT OFFICE

Grade: A-

Moneyball-itis could have run this team into the ground before it got started. It did not. The A’s got off to a fast start, and then took a nosedive. Much of that can be linked, but not attributed to, the release and subsequent ridiculous discussions surrounding Moneyball.

Joe Morgan, for several months insisted that Billy Beane, the venerable one, wrote Moneyball. Most likely because Joe is an idiot, and that’s been made apparent many, many times. Moreover, with the kind of 'periodical publications' (ask us why a former handler at ESPN calls his Fantasy Bseball team - Joe Morgan's Porn Stash) Joe reads he was probably thinking that all books are written by someone else and not by the guy whose name is on the book’s cover. Athletes often have a ghostwriter, or blatantly employ a writer to write for them, they can’t be bothered with details; see David Wells. Joe is a well 'read' individual and has an affinity for certain other publications, but, we’ll leave that for another time (Joe, it’s called Spectravision and it’s cheaper and easier than carrying an extra suitcase of ‘reading material’).

We go inside the mind of Joe Morgan:
    ‘Since the book was labeled as being written by Michael Lewis, then Billy Beane must have really written it and the book is about Michael Lewis. You see, if the book was labeled as being written by Billy Beane it must have really been written by Michael Lewis and it is about Billy Beane. Those publishers weren't thinking the right way and that's why those things happen. To write good books you have to have some twist. What they should have done was…’
Okay, let’s get out of Joe’s brain before we get caught in a redundant loop of stupidity. Remember, the last book Joe wrote was not exactly As I Lay Dying.

Moneyball also had an affect on other GM’s and front office personnel. Seattle Mariners’ GM ‘Stand’ Pat Gillick has decided that not only is Billy Beane wrong and that he doesn’t know how to run an organization, he is going to tell him as much. Not yet? "No, but I plan on it" (see the hyper-linked item for the full article and the quote is at the bottom). The Grady 'Personality' Fuson melodrama played itself out before the All Star break. Fuson went on and on how Billy Beane called to apologize earlier in the season, Beane denied the claim making Fuson a bigger buffoon of himself than any best selling author or GM could ever hope.

All the while Beane, Paul DePodesta, Erik Kubota, David Forst and Danny McCormack kept to the business of finding players and developing budding stars. Who the hell is Jon Weber and how the hell did the A's find him and get him away from Seattle?

The trades made by Billy Beane & Co. get a lot of headlines. But the draft and minor league system are what the A's depend on to stay competitive. In 2003 the Big Three, then Four Large, and their catcher were all developed from the draft and minor league system. The 3rd base and short-stop positions were manned by home grown talent, too. Throw in Eric Byrnes in the outfield and on any given day half the A's lineup was scouted, drafted and brought up through the A's system.

The A’s recent draft has revealed another bevy of talent, these players are worthy of treatment in a best-selling book, too (how about a freakishly bad run blog – would that do?).


The OAKLAND A’s 2003 DRAFT:
Player Bat/ThrowsHtWtSTATUSAgeRndPos
Omar Quintanilla Left/Right5'9"185$1,360,000 221stSS
Brian J Snyder Right/Right 5'11"195$1,325,000 211st3B
Bradley K Sullivan Right/Right 6'1"190$992,500 221stRHP
Andre E Ethier Left/Left6'3"200 $580,000 212ndCF
Dustin C Majewski Left/Left 5'11"190 $220,000 223rdCF
Edward S Kim Left/Right 6'4"260$100,000 224th1B
John T Peterson Right/Left6'1" 1703$170,000 21 5thLHP
Luke T Appert Left/Right5'11"180 $42,500 236th2B
David J Castillo Right/Right5'9"180$95,000 227thC
Michael M McGirr Right/Right6'0"185$22,500 228thRHP
Grant T Reynolds Right/Right5'11" 190$15,000 239thRHP
Matthew J Lynch Left/Left6'1"185 $15,000 2210thLHP
Vasili G Spanos Right/Right6'1" 230$7,500 2211th3B
Brian W Ingram Left/Right5'10"175 Signed2211thSS
Eduardo CornejoLeft/Right5'10"175Signed2213thSS
Anthony L ZambottiRight/Right6'1"200Signed2314thRHP
Steven T BondurantLeft/Left6'0"190Signed2315thLHP
Vern N Sterry Right/Right6'2"195D-N-S2116thRHP
Ryan W FranceRight/Right6'3"210Signed2417thRHP
William Becher Left/Right6'5"230D-N-S2118th1B
Graham Harrison Switch/Right6'2"210D-N-S1819thC
Gordon CorderRight/Right6'2"235Signed2320th1B
William B Pruitt Left/Right6'2"175D-N-S1821stSS
Brian T Peacock Right/Right5'11"181D-N-S228thRHP
Justin R Towles Right/Right6'1"175D-N-S1923rdC
Cory A HahnRight/Right6'0"210Signed2124thRHP
Sean FarrellRight/Right5'11"210Signed2225thOF
Brian J Horwitz Right/Right6'2"180D-N-S2126thOF
James HeuserLeft/Leftt6'5"200Signed1927thLHP
Jared D TroutRight/Right6'1"195Signed2128thRHP
Alexander Woodson Left/Left6'0"185D-N-S1729thLHP
Justin J Cassel Right/Right6'1"190D-N-S1930thRHP
Joel B Fountain Right/Right6'4"175D-N-S1931stRHP
Steve Sollmann Right/Right5'10"190D-N-S2032nd2B
hiccup
Eric Macha Right/Right6'4"220Signed2233rd3B
excuse us
Broc C CoffmanLeft/Left6'2"200D-N-S1834thLHP
Michael D Mitchell Right/Right6'2"180 D-N-S 2235thRHP
Matthew S Ryals Right/Right6'2"185 D-N-S 1836thRHP
Sean F Kazmar Right/Right5'9"160 D-N-S 1937thSS
Zachary M Simons Left/Right6'3"180 D-N-S 1838thRHP
Joshua J Rodriguez Right/Right6'0"170 D-N-S 1939th2B
Christopher R Westervelt Right/Right5'11"205 D-N-S 2240thC

REVIEW: 42 (College: 28, High School: 9, JC: 5)
Position Players: 22 Pitchers: 19 Manager’s Sons: 1
($ amount denotes signing bonus, so, duh, they’re signed…
D-N-S the player did not sign, we’ll follow up and find out who may re-enter the draft)

Of course, following the draft, the season actually gets started for the front office. The only real matters left are signing draft picks and dispatching them to their minor league assignments. Then the focus shifts to AA Midland AAA Sacramento and the parent club in Oakland. Later, toward who might become available in other organizations. Oakland’s flaws, in the past, have been readily improved upon prior to the trading deadline with swift, calculating moves from within the front office.

The A’s moves following the 2002 season were brilliant as much as they were dumbfounding that other GM’s and organizations were willing to unload cheap talent and untapped talent for so little.

In Mid October of 2002 the A’s dumped Jeff Tam, Cody McKay and Juan Pena. Tam went on to watch his ERA explode in Toronto, McKay went to the Brewers and Pena, who knows? On Halloween the A’s picked up the option on Scott Hatteberg, which seemed like a good move at the time considering the bang the A’s were getting for their bucks.

On November 13th the A’s bought Roy Smith form the Cleveland Indians and Smith spent the year in Sacramento starting and long relieving. The A’s also signed a slue of free agents to minor league deals. Heath Bost is not on any of the A’s organizations active rosters and David Hooten had an unimpressive year for Midland in the Texas League. The A’s also brought up Bob Geren from his post as River Cats manager and tied him to the bullpen for 2003. The A’s also dismissed Mike Quade with thanks after Quade refused to be reassigned in the organization.

Three days later the A’s sent Cory Lidle to Toronto for Mike Rouse and Chris Mowday. Rouse had a decent stint in AA Midland and will be in the Arizona Fall League this winter. Mowday stunk up both Modesto and Kane County. Cory Lidle got a few wins in Toronto in 2003, but his ERA would make a porn merchant blush.

Two days later Jose Silva, Mitch Meluskey, David McCarty and Billy McMillon were signed to minor league deals.

On December 3rd the A’s traded Billy Koch and two players to be named later (Neal Cotts and outfielder Daylan Holt ) to the Chicago White Sox for Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson, Minor League Pitcher of the Year Joe Valentine and cash considerations - enough to pay most of, if not all of, Foulke's contract. At this point, if Billy Beane didn’t have exempt status everywhere in the planet, this move surely moved him to the upper class of all beings that breath. Foulke lost his closer’s job in Chicago because Jerry Manuel didn’t like the fact Foulke blew two saves in a week. Foulke’s numbers were so good, even after losing his job as a closer, that he was still one of the best relievers in baseball. Norm Charlton signed with the A’s on December 17th, 2002. Charlton is either re-retiring or coming back in 2004 after elbow surgery. Most likely both.

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KEVIN GOLDSTEIN
2005 Wrap-up
2004 BA's Top 10 Giants v A's
2004 BA's Top 10 Prospects


MATT WATSON
WATSON - Part 1
WATSON - Part 2

WATSON - Part 3


WILL CARROLL
THE JUICE

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