LABELS

Let's take a look at catchers, 1st basemen and 3rd basemen.


As far as catcher, the conventional wisdom is that catchers develop power as they age. However, the development in power and the lifespan of a catcher is such a small sliver of time that it's hard to guess if and when, rather than keep a catcher around for a four-five year span and just hope. Adam Melhuse is a good example. Ken Macha let Jason Kendall write the lineup and rarely allowed himself to take a day off. Meanwhile, Melhuse played the part of the sophomore moved up to varsity only because there was a need. Melhuse has grabbed 516 ABs over the past four seasons. Almost a full season of ABs in four years. Not a lot of fun when you don't get paid to look like a chump and be treated as such.


The A's are clogged at 1st base and it's not by choice. 3rd base is clogged, but not by my choice. If you actually look around, you can find better options. But many A's fans refuse to look at numbers when it comes to Eric Chavez. Specifically his price tag - let alone the defensive statistics that point out that even if he is one of the Top 10 defensive 3rd basemen - that doesn't really matter when you hit like a shortstop making the league minimum who could take your spot and probably be the equal on defense.


Well, here's the list...

CATCHER
Player	Age
Sandy Alomar Jr.	40	A 40 Year-Old catcher?
Paul Bako	34	Nah.
Rod Barajas	31	Nah.
Einar Diaz	33	Nah.
Mike DiFelice	37	Nah. Along with the three above, less than .310 career OBP.
Robert Fick	32	You could do a lot worse for a back-up catcher. Can play some infield, too.
Todd Greene	35	Can't catch more than 50 games for you. I'd lean towards no.
Mike Lieberthal	34	Too expensive, lingering injury issues. Almost retired last season.
Doug Mirabelli	36	Unless you have a knucleballer…
Todd Pratt	39	Fell apart. 39 year old catchers become bullpen coaches.
Chris Widger	35	Nope.
1st BASE
Player	Age
Jeff Bagwell	38	Sadly, no.
Brian Jordan	39	39 year-old cornerbacks don't make for good corner OF'ers.
John Mabry	36	Magic year with Oakland in 2002. But no longer enough production.
Doug Mientkiewicz	32	Leveled off as a better hitter than most thought. But, not enough production at 1st.
Kevin Millar	35	Just signed.
Phil Nevin	35	Injuries, attitude and inflated Texas stats. No.
Eduardo Perez	37	Platoon guy. Not enough room on the 25 Man Roster.
Todd Walker	33	Butcher in the field. Not enough offense to be a DH.
Craig Wilson	29	Yes, for the love of dark chocolate YES!
3rd BASE
Player	Age
David Bell	34	Waning as a hitter. Fall down fielder.
Geoff Blum	33	Nope.
Aaron Boone	33	Still curious how he has lasted this long. No.
Vinny Castilla	39	Still a surprise. Just admire from afar.
Jeff Cirillo	37	This would be a coup. Defensively you can put up with him because of his ability to get on base (.369 OBP). Only 3 points less than Eric Chavez in OPS and 10 points higher in OBP. Also, about $12 Million cheaper.
Pedro Feliz	31	No. Sub .300 OBP
Tony Graffanino	34	Can be a utility player at 2B and maybe OF. Good doubles hitter and gets on base. Not exactly affordable.
Joe Randa	36	No. Sub .300 OBP
Fernando Tatis	31	Remember when he was the 3rd baseman of the future for the Cardinals?