2006 A's Spring Training Thread

[Providence A's]

A quick rundown of the 2006 team.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

[Providence A's]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/athletics/ci_3600512

PHOENIX — Eric Chavez is sounding a lot like Barry Zito this spring, focusing on the process. As a result, he doesn't care about results, even though he homered Monday for the third straight game.

Chavez is happy with his process so far, which means keeping back his weight and letting his hands do the work.

"It's where I want it to be," Chavez said. "I just want to keep it there for longer periods of time. I know it will leave me, once in a while, but I just want to keep it right there."

Chavez's traditional slow starts are well-documented, and a subject he understandably is tired of discussing. But he is doing something different this spring.

Early in camp, new hitting coach Gerald Perry asked Chavez, "Where is your leg kick?" Chavez explained that he doesn't use it until the regular season.

"I told him to do whatever you do in the season," Perry said. "There's a lot of timing involved in a leg kick. You want to start doing it as early as possible. This way, you are more consistent. You don't want to be experimenting once you get into the season."

Chavez watched videotape in the off-season from his 2005 season. The biggest difference between April and August, he said, was from the waist down.

Here's hoping that he, and the team, don't get off to a slow start this time around

[Providence A's]

A nice little article about Duke.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PGHHHNQ751.DTL

He will fill an important role on the A's this season, but it again will be far removed from the marquee reserved for starting pitchers and closers. Duchscherer lives in the no-man's land of middle relief, where pitchers mostly work in obscurity for modest salaries, by major-league standards.

Duchscherer brings with him the quiet, straightforward personality befitting a middle reliever. The A's have a history of low-key pitchers in setup roles, most notably Rick Honeycutt and Gene Nelson, who thrived during Oakland's glory days of the late 1980s and early '90s.

This is probably no coincidence, because pitching effectively in middle relief, though vital to a team's success, does not exactly feed the ego.

"I'm not a big, 'Hey, check me out' guy," Duchscherer said. "In that respect, it's good."

Duchscherer, who has thrown two scoreless innings this spring, still recognizes the practical hazards of filling the role. Barry Zito, Rich Harden and their fellow starters command most of the pitching headlines; the rest belong to closer Huston Street, reigning Rookie of the Year.

He definitely will play a crucial role out of the bullpen just like last year. He and his wife recently held their annual MS charity event. A's and Giant's players played in a video homerun derby contest to raise money for MS research.

[Providence A's]

An article describing how Swish has been playing some LF to get use to it compared to RF.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PGHHHNQ7F1.DTL

Phoenix -- The ball hopped off Jim Thome's bat and zoomed directly at Nick Swisher's feet. It was not exactly an easy play for any left fielder -- and, sure enough, the ball glanced off Swisher's glove as he slid to the grass.

"Once the season starts, I'll make that play," Swisher later said.

Thome's first-inning single Monday illustrated the challenges Swisher faces in moving from right field to left. The acquisition of Milton Bradley prompted the A's to rearrange their outfield; Bradley will play most games in right, with Mark Kotsay in center and Swisher in left.

Swisher made 115 starts in right field last season and none in left. He occasionally moved to left during games, but he still must learn the nuances of the position -- judging the speed and angle of balls hit toward him and handling the sun, which will pose problems during day games in Oakland.

Swisher has not seemed entirely comfortable in left field this spring.

"It's coming," he said. "The more I'm out there, the more I'll pick it up. It feels like the balls get on you a lot quicker out there."

Did Bradley usually play RF? I wonder what the reasoning is for moving Swisher to left instead of Bradley.

[Providence A's]

A's lost 6 - 5 to the Padres today thanks to Komine giving up 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th. That being said Zito went 4 innings giving up only 1 run while striking out 4 and Crosby and Chavez went back-to-back.

[Providence A's]

Harden is on track to be ready for the season:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2369921

[Providence A's]

A garden variety

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...s/14102659.htm

It may have served as a tuneup for Zito, who, barring an injury, will be the Opening Night starter April 3 in Oakland against the New York Yankees, facing Randy Johnson.

duh

Big Hurt update

A day after running for the first time since his second foot surgery last July, Thomas said he felt fine.

"He felt no pain today," Macha said. "That's a positive step."

yay

Zito said his agent, Arn Tellem, was in the Phoenix area last week and met with A's general manager Billy Beane. Zito is eligible for free agency after the season. "I know they talked about Kendall and Frank (whom Tellem also represents), but not about me," Zito said. "I think they're just going to lay off this thing until after the season."

me no likey

Kotsay, who missed two games with a flu bug, returned to the lineup Tuesday.

woo

[A'sDiehard]

Did Bradley usually play RF? I wonder what the reasoning is for moving Swisher to left instead of Bradley.

Bradley did play RF with the Dodgers.

[Providence A's]

Oh, ok...I guess that makes sense then.

[Providence A's]

A's won today in the 9th despite trying to give it away...A's scored 5 in the top of the 9th to take the lead back after giving up 3 in the bottom of the 8th to tie, but gave up 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th and held on 10 - 9.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

[Providence A's]

a little article on Ellis.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_3607721

This year, Ellis should pass Collins for the most home runs by somebody born in South Dakota. Considering that Collins hit only 32, they won't exactly stop the game, but it's a souvenir that Ellis should keep. "No, we didn't talk about that," said Ellis, who has 28. "That home run record is funny. The first time I saw it on the scoreboard, I almost fell over I was laughing so hard. Me and Terry Francona used to joke about it all the time."

Francona, who is also from South Dakota, was the A's bench coach in 2004. Francona, now the Boston manager, hit 16, so Ellis left him in the dust last year by hitting a career-high 13.

"If that's what it is, that's what it is," Ellis said. "I actually can't wait to pass it, so I don't have to talk about it anymore."

Ellis, who now lives in Arizona, doesn't mind talking about his humble roots. He's just one of 36 players in major league history to be born in South Dakota.

(Dick Green, perhaps the best second baseman in Oakland A's history, also has roots in South Dakota. Although born in Iowa, Green grew up in South Dakota and still lives in Rapid City).

phew, as long as it's not Francona

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

Haren cut his thumb and hasn't been able to throw his curveball...says it won't be an issue when the season the starts.

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

A's lost to the Angels today 2 - 1. Meyer threw 4 shutout innings. The trend of guys who won't make the team losing the game on the mound for us at the end continued.

[Providence A's]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2373029

PHOENIX -- Oakland slugger Frank Thomas is scheduled to hit in an A's minor-league game on Saturday.

Thomas will face live pitching for the first time since last July, when doctors found a second broken bone in his left ankle.

Thomas, who signed with the A's as a free agent in January after spending the last 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, has been taking batting practice, participating in infield drills and doing some light jogging.

"I'll finally get some real work in," Thomas said on Friday. "It will be great to see live pitching for a change."

Thomas will get at least five at-bats and his baserunning will be limited to jogging down to first.

"I'm real pleased with how he's moving around," said A's manager Ken Macha, who hopes to have Thomas in his Opening Day lineup on April 3 when the A's play the New York Yankees in Oakland. "He continues to feel good and he's not limping."

good news

[Providence A's]

White Sox interested in Juan Cruz?

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune....ck=1&cset=true

Oakland reliever and former Cubs pitcher Juan Cruz is available, and the Sox have taken a close look at Atlanta's Oscar Villarreal, who could fill the role of the versatile but departed Luis Vizcaino.

This is because of their concern over Hermanson's back issues.