The Shallow & The Deep Special ODE TO THE Aâs Edition
By Adam Forsyth
The Deep
Rajai Davis â Outfield (CF/RF)
This former 38th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates has loved the move to the American League and while it was just a short trip across the San Francisco Bay , it has totally revived this talented speedster.
Thriving in O-Town, Davis has been a force to be reckoned with since the All-Star break, thrashing the opposition at a .326 clip. With little to non-existent power, Rajai does his damage on the base paths by running wild and helping the Aâs and their humble offense create runs.
In his 92 appearances, the 28-year old Connecticut native is 29-for-37 (78%) in stolen base attempts, which puts him ahead of some premium base running threats; such as: Curtis Granderson (77%), Ichiro (75%), Shane Victorino (75%) and Chone Figgins (74%) to name a few. If at some point he is given the full green light, Davis could swipe 50+ bags in a full season.
Davis will however need to improve his output within his own division if he plans to take it to the next level. He has struggled against AL West foes, Anaheim , Seattle and Texas , hitting only .234 (15/64) this season.
Have no fear though, as regardless of this information, Davis definitely has all the ingredients to be a nice speed add to your roster as the season comes to a close and deserves consideration as a late round speed pick in your 2010 draft.
The Deeper
Cliff Pennington â Shortstop
A prototypical Oakland Aâs type player, Pennington isnât going to amaze too many out there with outlandish, eye-popping statistics. I think that it is fair to say that with this former Texas A & M shortstop, what you see is what you get.
Although he raked at college, (which lead to his first round selection, 21st overall) hitting to the tune of .346 in his three years at A & M, Penningtonâs transition to pro ball hasnât been without a hitch. Needless to say, while he wonât be a liability with the twig, to assume that he will have a plus .330 batting average wouldnât be fair.
As a matter of fact, the light-hitting prospect will probably settle in around the 260-.275 range year-to-year (currently hitting .263 with the big club through 95 ABâs), be a solid contact hitter that doesnât strikeout a lot and has a good eye at the dish (nearly a 1:1 BB:K ratio). Simply stated, Pennington can put the ball in play, throw down a bunt when necessary and play sound defense. All are elements that have made the career of Oakland GM Billy Beane such a success.
The 25-year old Texan has a touch of speed and can be counted on for double digit swipes, even upwards of 25+ if given the chance to run with regularity. Not keeper-esque numbers all around per se; but definitely someone not to allow fly completely under the radar at a tough fantasy position moving into 2010. It appears as if the current audition to finish this season is to prepare him for the job which may officially be his to lose now that Orlando Cabrera is out of the picture.
The DYNASTY
Brett Wallace â Third Base
The key member of the Matt Holliday deal, Wallace is sure to give the Aâs a push to have him on their 2010 opening day roster. One simple indication could be their need for another power bat, as Oakland currently has only three active roster players with more than six home runs! Yes, thatâs right, SIX HRâs. Free-swinging Jack Cust and his 145 whiffs has 20, Kurt Suzuki has 11 knocks and Adam Kennedy with 10 are the only Aâs players to circle the bases with even a hint of regularity.
Enter this hot-corner blue chipper that the Cardsâ certainly didnât want to dish; however, in order to get a player of Hollidayâs caliber was more than likely the only way to the Billy Beane would pull the trigger. With 18 long balls this season, spread through AA and two-AAA teams, Wallace is showing signs of comfort at the plate as well as his .298 career minor league average would indicate through nearly 700 ABâs.
Wallace has average defensive skills and could even be more comfortable as a first baseman. Iâm sure that Daric Barton (or future FANTALYTICS article member) Chris Carter would have something to say about that. One way or the other, the Aâs are at least looking to add more young talent to their mix in hopes of shaking off the struggles of the past three seasons. Expect this California kid to be considered a major cog in that development, bringing this small market dynamo back to the top of the AL West.







Alcides Escobar - Shortstop
This undrafted Venezuelan has risen to the ranks of above average when it comes to using the stick after the Brew Crew took a chance on a skinny kid that couldnât really hit much turning into an offensive threat. Now, weâre not going to suggest that he is going to hit .300 anytime soon; however, he could slip into the .280 range and with his stellar glove keeping him in the Brewers line-up, the rest of the talking shows up in the stolen base column.
Howie Kendrick - (2B)
That is exactly what he managed to do at Salt Lake City .
Jed Lowrie - (3B, SS)
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Mat Latos - (SP)
Martin Prado â (1B/2B/3b)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto. Thank-you very mucho, Martin Prado!
HmmmâŚwithout intentionally trying to sound like a drug dealer we have a solid solutionâŚeven though
Itâs always sweet to net some cheap stolen bases â especially from middle infield spots, & since the switch hitting SS doesnât have much competition for the shortstop position in San Diego, it makes him that much sweeter!
Dustin Ackley â Outfielder/First Base (LF/CF/RF/1B)
Hailing from UNC, Ackley has spent the last two seasons crushing college pitching, while hitting over .400 in the process. Taken #2 overall in the 2009 MLB Entry Draft, Ackley is full of talent. He has 5-tool capability and has versatility in a number of positions, such as the entire outfield and even first base.
Grant Green has exceptional talent and his range in the field is astounding. The USC product is a diamond in the rough and now that heâs in a system that loves to promote their young studs, I would expect the Aâs to take the same approach with Green as they did with their previous top prospect shortstops (Miguel Tejada, and Bobby Crosby); promote quickly. My feeling is that Green will end up producing somewhere in the middle of those two; think Ryan Theriot with power.
Gordon Beckham â Shortstop/Third Base
Truth be told though; Becks was rolling in AA-Birmingham, hitting a shade under .300 with decent numbers across the board. This encouraged a move up to AAA-Charlotte where he continued his white hot start by destroying the offerings of International League pitching at a .464 clip (even if it was only seven games and 28 ABâs)
So why is there such an inverted display of power between the big club and their affiliate? Well, we all know that power doesnât always translate, even from the highest level of talent in the minor leagues, but seriously that is a tremendous difference. Sean Rodriguez was given a sniff last season hitting mostly in the ninth spot of the line-up to protect him and relieve him of any pressures and he seemed to struggle in his 59 game audition.
With some injuries to the Tampa Bay Rays key starting players (Pat Burrell, Akinori Iwamura, and Jason Bartlett) Zobrist has emerged into a bonifiable mixed league swiss army knife, capable of lending a hand to just about anyoneâs roster right now. It remains to be seen how the playing time will divvy once Burrell & Bartlett return from the DL, but for now âZobiâ, who just added second base eligibility has become a very useful fantasy baseball commodity. We featured Tampa âs cult hero last month in
The burly Texas Rangers first baseman has experienced an awful start to 2009. Drafted as a high round pick by many who were banking on the strong mans power swatting ability â Davis has not been able to cut the Kâs that have plagued him all season. Davis was recently benched for a couple games to try and fix the holes in his swing, and with a lot of MLB games left to play in 2009 thereâs still a solid chance the big guy rights the ship. If an owner has become disenchanted by the power hitting leftyâs penchant for the whiff â you may want to see if you can grab him for a deep discount, as itâs likely only a matter of time before the Rangers 1st basemen goes on a home run tare.
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Elvis Andrus â Shortstop (SS)
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Michael Cuddyer â Outfielder (RF)
Ben Zobrist SS/LF/RF â & almost 2B
Unless Joe Maddon is the Devil in Buddy Holly specs, heâll be employing the rising pinch-hitting stud as the Rays every day second baseman beginning this week. We thought the regular duty would have began when Pat âThe Batâ Burrell hit the DL over a week ago, but Maddon foiled us with his affections for the "Two Gabes" â Gross and Kapler.
Note: If Rays coach Joe Maddon continues to hornswoggle Ben Zobrist out of regular duty even after the latest Iwamura injury (appears to be quite serious), it may be time Ben soothes the Joe Maddon fantasy wreaker demon with the some Christian Rock ditties Benâs cutie wife Julianna Zobrist has been known to croon!
Andy LaRoche â Third Base (3B)


