Those that read Moneyball remember it well. You had the case of Scott Hatteberg. Hatteberg moved from behind the dish to first base because he could no longer throw effectively. He could however draw walks and hit with moderate power. There were the collective drafts of Nick Swisher and Jeremy Brown. Swisher you have heard of. Brown you probably haven’t heard of.

The most important points people seemed to draw from the book was that OBP was the most important offensive statistic in baseball and baseball players aren’t supposed to look good in jeans. Okay, maybe they can look good in jeans, but it isn’t important for them to look good in jeans. So far, we may be describing a good baseball organization or a modeling agency with a new outlook on life. The release of the Moneyball movie will undoubtedly further these ideas and it is only a matter of time before the book is studied in English classes with the accompanying Spark Notes and Cliff Notes.

One of the ideas that seemed to be imbedded in the book was that fielding was not particularly important. People might get that impression by paying attention to the passages about Hatteberg. He had never played first before, but the Athletics just threw him in there. Naturally, that outlook would ignore the hard work that went into preparing him to be a passable first basemen and that he had possessed certain athletic skills that made such a switch a viable option.

In point of fact, Billy Beane wasn’t so much commenting on fielding as a valuable resource or not, but that it wasn’t undervalued in the market at the time. See, that was the whole point. At the time, OBP wasn’t valued in the market, so therefore most teams were not scouting or allocating resources for it. The A’s possessed both the willingness to look for it and the means to do so. That combination gave them an advantage in the market. However, that advantage quickly dried up as other teams began to discover that they could improve by focusing on that skill as well. Now, nearly every team in baseball (save for my hometown Astros) are spending valuable resources scouting for and developing this skill.

The point of Moneyball wasn’t about OBP or any other individual statistic. It was about the use of analytical research and thinking to find holes in the marketplace. While it might appear as if the A’s have run their course in Oakland, Beane is still up to his little bag of tricks. Unfortunately, he is a victim of his own success. Numerous organizations have closed the analytical gap, but he is using his forward thinking mind to find new holes in analysis and he may have found one for the time being.

A quick perusal of his lineup would make you scratch your head a little. Kevin Kouzmanoff doesn’t look like a solid OBP guy, but he traded for him anyway. David Dejesus doesn’t look like that guy either, but Beane brought him in just the same. Why would he completely cast off the OBP that made him such a rock star in the first place? Well, the answer may become clear in the following chart. (numbers since 2007)

The first question coming to mind is probably what these crazy numbers represent. Well, any good analyst is going to look at a number of sources to cover all of their bases. Here we have taken three of the top fielding rating systems in the sabermetric community. The first two come from John Dewan’s Fielding Bible. The first represents plays made above or below the average fielder at that position. The second represents runs saved above or below average. The third stat is similar to the second number but comes from Fangraphs. Finally, we get defensive wins above replacement from baseball-reference.com.

At this point, you are probably thinking, “that’s great Scott, but what does it have to do with the price of tea in China?” I don’t know what it has to do with the price of tea, but it is very important when we start to look at pitching numbers. Over that same time period, the Athletics have been brilliant in the amount of hits they give up on balls in play. People in the business call that BABIP. The fewer hits you give up the fewer base runners you have and therefore the fewer runs you surrender.

                        BABIP              LG AVG            Rank

2007                .296                  .302                  4

2008                .287                  .297                  3

2009                .302                  .298                  9

2010                .274                  .291                  1

2011                .279                  .286                  4

Total                .288                  .296                  1

The last number is pretty significant because it is an indication of the way Beane does business. On a big enough timeline the survival rate drops to zero. Also, on a big enough timeline you will get a much more accurate look at a player. The same is true of teams. We see individual variability among seasons, but when we project that data out over three or five years we see a lot more stability. The compound factor of superior fielding and a spacious ballpark and the effect is overwhelming. The Athletics had the fewest home runs per nine innings and the lowest home run per flyball rate during that same time period. That combination gave them the lowest ERA and second best FIP in the league during that span despite a walk rate slightly worse than league average. Add in a strikeout rate also slightly below average and you can see the Athletics’ strategy very clearly.

They combine seemingly average or inexperienced (read: cheap) pitching with superior fielding to put forth the appearance of a top-flight pitching staff. While there may not be a silver slugger among the lineup, the hope is that they will scratch out enough runs to be competitive. Is it a winning strategy? Well, that is debatable. The Athletics have finished .500 or better once since 2007, so the answer would appear to be no. Of course, that also assumes they have the resources to be competitive. A quick look at the average BABIP in the AL demonstrates that teams close the gap quicker than they used to. The A’s might not even be the best team in recent seasons at this particular strategy. They just seemed to go down that road first.

What will the next generation of forward thinking be? It’s anyone’s best guess, but you can bet that Billy Beane will be at the forefront. Who knows, maybe if he moves to a team with resources he might even get a chance to make one of these innovative strategies translate into playoff success instead of just competitiveness.

Ellis, a 9 year veteran who has spent his entire career with the A’s, has struggled offensively this season to the tune of a .217/.253/.290 line with just one HR and 16 RBI in 233 plate appearances. Oakland’s starting second baseman for the past few seasons, Ellis’s season was interrupted by a hamstring injury. By the time he returned from the DL his starting spot had been comfortably taken over by rookie Jemile Weeks who is batting .309/.349/.469 through his first 160 career at bats. Ellis, who steadfastly believes he is still capable of being a starting second baseman, welcomed the trade in quotes passed along by the Associate Press (via ESPN):

I’ve been proud to have been a part of it for 10 years. It’s going to be tough. There’s a time in everybody’s life where this stuff happens. This just happens to be my time to move on. ….. I still see myself as an everyday second baseman and this is an opportunity to do that.

For the A’s the move makes sense, despite Ellis’s tenure with the organization. He no longer fit into their starting lineup and playing time would be limited. He will be a free agent at season’s end. He does make a manageable salary and provides clubhouse leadership, while valuable to Oakland, would be valuable to another team which potentially stood a better chance at reaching the postseason. Colorado was willing to part with Billings and a PTBNL for him to help solve one of their chief lineup concerns.

Billings has spent most of the season at Triple-A where he has pitched to a 6-2 record with a 4.47 ERA in 29 appearances (50.1 innings) out of the bullpen. He did make his Major League debut on May 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing one run over two innings of work. Presumably he’ll be assigned to Oakland’s Triple-A team initially.

Joining the Rockies should allow Ellis to step back into such a starting role despite his struggles at the plate this year, as the team has struggled to stop the revolving door they’ve had to use through the season’s first half. To date the team has used Jose Lopez, Chris Nelson, Eric Young Jr., Alfredo Amezega, Jose Morales, and Jonathan Herrera at second base. Collectively they have batted a combined .236/.291/.319 with 5 HR, 22 RBI, 8 2B, and a 2:1 K:BB ratio in 361 plate appearances.

Herrera has received the bulk of playing time at second. He got off to a strong start to the season, hitting for average and showing good speed on the basepaths. Nelson and Young have also seen time at third base and center field, in addition to second. Neither has hit consistently enough to stay in the lineup but have the potential to be solid contact hitters. Morales is a catcher by trade and only played a total of 3.0 innings at second over his two appearances. Amezega found himself back in Triple-A where he is swinging the bat well but he’s never truly impressed at any one thing over his journeyman career. Lopez started at second on Opening Day, played 38 games for the Rockies, and then was released. He is now coming off the bench for the Marlins but still struggling at the plate.

Colorado will also receive about $2 Million from the A’s, leaving them with just a $1 Million cost for Ellis’s services the remainder of the season. The deal gives them an additional veteran presence in the clubhouse and hopefully stabilizes a lineup for a team still potentially in the playoff hunt in the NL West. But, should the team falter, could the move to acquire Ellis be detrimental to the team longterm?

If the Rockies fall out of contention before mid July and subsequently trade Ellis to a contender then this is a moot point. But if the team is out of it, and they continue to start Ellis over the young options then could this stunt their development? Also, could this prevent the team from taking a serious look at this group of players – namely Herrera, Nelson, and Young – in terms of what their respective future is with the organization? Each possess certain tools that make them valuable, but none of the three have been able to produce in any capacity on a consistent basis and the organization can’t keep all three on the roster without production. These evaluations will go a long way towards determining if they are part of the 2012 team or potential trade bait this offseason in any efforts to improve going forward.

Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill have been big contributors to the team’s stellar ERA thus far. From a fantasy standpoint, however, one can’t help but wonder: Who is better—Anderson or Cahill?

Anderson turned 23 on Feb. 1 this year, Cahill did the same a month later. Both were drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft—Anderson by the Diamondbacks, Cahill by the Athletics. (Anderson was later traded to Oakland in the outrageous Dan Haren deal.)

The duo ranked No. 1 (Anderson) and 2 (Cahill) among Oakland prospects by Baseball America prior to the 2009 season.

Scouting report on Anderson—a left-hander—via Baseball America:

Anderson has premium command, averaging 1.9 walks per nine innings in his pro career and frequently locating his fastball on the corners of the plate…His two-seam fastball sits at 88-92 mph and generates a lot of groundouts. He also can touch 94 mph with his four-seamer. Anderson has above-average secondary pitches across the board, including a mid-to-high-70s curveball with two-plane break. His low-to-mid-80s slider gives him a second quality breaking ball, and his changeup is often a plus pitch.

In 244 2/3 minor league innings, Anderson posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9.

Scouting report on Cahill—a right-hander—via Baseball America:

Cahill works off an 88-92 mph two-seam fastball with outstanding heavy sink and running life, enabling him to rack up both grounders and swinging strikes. He also can touch 94 mph with his four-seamer. He backs up his fastballs with a nasty 79-81 mph knuckle-curve, a swing-and-miss pitch with hard downward movement. He also has another tough breaking ball in a low-80s slider with cutter-like action at times.

In 247 1/3 minor league innings, Cahill posted a 2.62 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 9.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.

The only knock on Anderson at the time was his lack of athleticism. Cahill drew red flags for a slight mechanical flaw and less-than-spectacular command. Both were regarded as having top-of-the-rotation potential.

Fast-forward two years. Baseball America—and the Athletics—look brilliant.

Through 34 2/3 innings this season, Anderson boasts a stellar 1.56 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to go along with a 7.01 K/9 and a minuscule 1.04 BB/9. Cahill has been nearly as good, with a 2.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP with an uncharacteristic 8.33 K/9 and 2.30 BB/9 in 31 1/3 innings.

Both were spectacular last season (Anderson’s ERA was 2.80, Cahill’s 2.97), but the advanced stats suggest Cahill’s 2010 campaign was far from legitimate.

Consider Cahill’s 2010 advanced stats:

• BABIP: .236 (MLB average: .293)
• LOB rate: 76.5 percent (MLB average: 72.2 percent)
• FIP: 4.19
• xFIP: 3.99

For these reasons, I had Cahill flagged as a bust this season. He’s proven me wrong thus far, however.

His career BABIP of .252 in 400 2/3 innings is mind-boggling, forcing me to wonder if he’s another advanced stats defier such as Matt Cain. His ground ball rate (career 52 percent) certainly makes a low BABIP possible, but I still suspect a hint of luck. His current strikeout rate (9.59) is completely out of whack as well.

Anderson, on the other hand, is much more legitimate. His 2010 ERA (2.80) was backed by a 3.21 FIP, and his BABIP (.294) supports this even further. Anderson certainly isn’t as good as his current 1.63 ERA suggests, but given the information I’ve present—past and present—he’s the better fantasy starter.

Comparing their career major league totals support this observation:

• Anderson: 315 1/3 IP, 7.02 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 3.40 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 3.49 xFIP
• Cahill: 400 2/3 IP, 5.28 K/9, 3.19 BB/9, 3.68 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 4.29 xFIP

For the season, I’d expect Anderson to post a sub-3.50 ERA with the help of the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum. An average strikeout rate and elite walk rate should ensue.

As for Cahill, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his season-ending ERA balloon into the 4.00 range, with below-average strikeout and walk rates. Of course I was wrong about Matt Cain, too, so if Cahill becomes an advanced stat-defier, he’ll be an extremely unusual pitcher.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

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2011 Position Rankings: C / 1B / 2B / 3B / SS / OF / SP / Top 100

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders: 

• Projecting Jerry Sands
• How Good is Michael Pineda?
• Is Bruce Chen Worth a Waiver Wire Flier?
• Week 3 Closer’s Corner: Thornton, Franklin Nathan & More
• Cheap Steals to Replace Rajai Davis
• Is Chris Narveson Worth a Waiver Wire Flier?
• How Good is Starlin Castro?
• 2011 All-Breakout Team
• The Top 10 Rookies in 2011
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why Five Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011

Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted to Kevin’s Examiner page!

Not since Bill Clinton was in the White House and Beavis and Butthead were childishly giggling their ways into our living rooms have the Oakland A’s done what they will do next year.

For the first time in 15 years, the A’s will conduct a single-admission doubleheader. And they will not do it on a chilly April weekend or a possibly meaningless late September day. They will do it on a Saturday in the middle of summer against the popular and usually quite talented Los Angeles Angels.

On July 16, the A’s will play a twin-bill against the Angels. There will be no clearing of the park, no second round of tickets, no second parking fees. It wll be a summer day of baseball, a chance to spend a day at the ballpark. You get 18 innings of baseball for the price of nine – a deal unheard of in these days of multimillion-dollar contracts.

The A’s hope the attention-getting event puts butts (hee-hee-hee-hee, he said ‘butts’) in seats and is a memorable experience for fans.

The organization is also reaching out to fans, surveying them on promotions and what they want to see happening at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this year.

Jim Leahey, the A’s vice president of marketing and sales, had a question-and-answer session with examiner.com about the doubleheader and other promotions for the coming season:

Examiner.com: Did the Players Union have to give its consent to make this happen? Did the Angels and Major League Baseball also have to give it their blessing?

Leahey: In certain cases, you must have player union approval and in others it is not required (depending on timing of previous day’s game). In this case, yes, we worked with the Players Union.

We also worked with the league and the Angels. The good news is that we gained an extra day off for the players coming out of the All-Star break so that made it attractive to all. We also have days off following the series which will help us maintain a normal five-man rotation.

When was the last A’s regularly scheduled single-admission doubleheader at home?

Leahey: We have not done a doubleheader like this in about 15 years. To the best of my knowledge, the last one was in ’95 or ’96 due to a schedule conflict with the Raiders.

Why is the organization doing it – losing second parking fees and second gate admissions?

Leahey: We are doing this to provide a good value to our fans. It will be part of an ’80s weekend (Sunday will be ’80s Day). We hope that it will attract enough interest such that Saturday’s doubleheader attendance and revenue will be close to what we would have had for Thursday plus a single game Saturday. In any case, it’s consistent with our Green Collar Baseball initiatives that emphasize value and a return to a genuine baseball experience. Win or lose at the gate, it will be different, memorable and fun.

Is there anything planned for between games? Anything different planned for game two? Any concerns that people won’t sit through five or six hours of baseball?

Leahey: Still working on the entertainment between games. It will likely have a retro feel (think Frisbee dog, at least metaphorically). There’s not a lot of time especially with lineup intros and so forth. However, it will be something simple, throwback and fun.

Saturday mid-summer, what better to do than to catch two games? Of course, people can arrive and depart as they like.

Baseball games are another experience in terms of pace … Maybe something close to a round of golf where most people prefer not to look at their watch, but rather to enjoy getting away from those metrics (back to baseball, to count time in innings vs. minutes).

Regarding the feedback the organization is seeking about promotions, are fans being asked for promtion ideas? Have you done this before? If so, what has been the outcome?

Leahey: As for fan feedback on promos, we have asked fans for input in the past (including through Facebook and Twitter this past season as we began planning 2011). This latest survey is intended to get some general feedback as well as help us make some final decisions regarding specific items. The decisions are a moving puzzle this time of year pending sponsor interest; the players on our team; key target dates; and special events, such as Little League Days and Fireworks Nights.

The overwhelming criteria is what will attract fans so any feedback that helps us with that is invaluable. I would say we have five to 10 promo days that are still pending. We constantly seek feedback. However, we are taking advantage of these new tools (e.g. e-mail surveys) like never before. Getting such instant feedback close to real time with order deadlines looming is a fantastic resource.

General Manager Billy Beane deviated from his usual plan this past offseason by adding aging veterans and trading some of his young players in hopes of winning big in 2009.

The first big move of the offseason for Beane was trading for Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, in turn trading away closer Huston Street and top prospect Carlos Gonzalez. After that, Beane signed Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera, Nomar Garciaparra, and a barrage of veteran bullpen arms.

This offseason was one of the first that saw Beane trade for big names instead of prospects. But with all those big moves, they have not converted to wins.

The biggest problem is that the A’s ace of their staff, Justin Duchscherer, has not even thrown a pitch this entire season while recovering from right elbow surgery. In the process, this injury has created one of the youngest starting rotations ever.

The rotation is led by Dallas Braden who is 4-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 11 starts. Braden is also only 25. Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson hold down the number two and three spots in the rotation although they both just turned 21 a few months ago.

Cahill is 2-5 with a 4.33 ERA. He has made three straight starts going at least 5.2 innings while giving up 3 runs or less, although he has been given the loss in two of those starts. As for Anderson, he is coming off of a really rough outing where he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings against the Texas Rangers. He carries the same record as Cahill but also has a 5.70 ERA.

Josh Outman has started eight games this season as the A’s “new” fourth starter, replacing Dana Eveland. He is 2-0 and carries the best ERA at 3.06 among all starters on the team. In all of his eight starts, he has given up no more than 3 runs.

As for the fifth spot, Edgar Gonzalez is occupying it for the past two starts. His first start was decent (1 run in 5 innings), but his second one was not (5 runs in 5 innings) while giving him his first loss in an Athletic uniform.

The pitching has done the best it could with what they have got but the real problem lies in the offense. Their big trade piece, Holliday, has only 7 home runs while hitting .278. He hit his first home run on the last day in April while hitting .240. But by the time Holliday started going back in the right direction, the A’s already found themselves three games under .500 at 8-11.

Another big offseason acquisition, Nomar Garciaparra has found himself on the DL. Oakland took another hit when they lost their second baseman in Mark Ellis who also landed on the DL. This forced them to go out and get Adam Kennedy.

Much like Holliday, Jason Giambi has hit hard times too. He does have 6 home runs but he is only hitting at a .218 clip. Shortstop Cabrera is also struggling, he is only hitting .233 with 2 home runs. His on base percentage has also dipped a lot from last season. He just doesn’t seem like the same player anymore.

In addition to their problems with their new players, the comeback by Eric Chavez has been put on hold once again as he too has landed a trip on the DL. In eight games this season, Chavez was hitting .100 before getting multiple injuries, a strained right forearm and a herniated disc.

LF Matt Holliday

All in all, it has not been a good first two months for the Athletics. If this trend keeps going, look to see Beane flip Holliday for some prospects near the trading deadline. It was a common idea when Beane acquired Holliday that if the A’s were out of it in June and/or July that they would trade Holliday for quite a bounty.

This might be the best option for Oakland as they sit 9.5 games back. Even if the A’s can string a few wins together and get past Seattle, they would then have to surpass on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Texas Rangers which would be a very hard feat to do.

It seems like a broken record but it might be best for the A’s to just build for 2010 and beyond.

It seems that general manager Billy Beane has no problem finding pitching for his team and even when he trades away his best pitchers, he always has some waiting in the wings. The problem for Beane is finding proven hitting that can produce on a daily basis without needing much in the way of a paycheck. The team finished 75-86 which was good enough for third place in the AL West. Beane once again attempted to find a way to conquer the larger market teams with his 28^th ranked $47.9 million payroll last year. It’s hard to tell where the team would have gone if they were not mired with injuries throughout the season. While they were not producing on the field, they were setting records off of it, as they sent players to the disabled list an amazing 25 times during the course of the season. While manager Bob Green tried many different line-ups throughout the season, the team could never find its stroke and finished the year last in the AL in runs scored and batting average. Despite the turnover, the pitchers still found ways to impress as they ended the season fourth in the league with a 4.01 ERA.

Holes to Fill

While it’s hard to see the A’s doing much on the open market this off season with their lack of spending power, they do have many holes that need to be filled in their everyday line-up. Their defense wasn’t terrible in 2008 as they posted a .984 fielding percentage which was good enough for seventh in the league, but since there is no telling how many games their lack of offense cost them, they may need to sacrifice some of that defense next season in order to add some pop to their line-up. The team will attempt to get their stat heads together this off season and try to find a gem in the free agent market whose statistics are riding just under the noses of other front offices around baseball. It is conceivable that Beane may be able to find one of these in a corner outfield position hidden in the market, but with almost all teams employing at least one person who uses the averages that Beane became famous for, singling out that player and getting them for less then market value, may be harder than ever. At this point in the off season, Beane is really lacking any names that would spark serious interest in the trade market in order to woo a bat away from someone else. Although the A’s do have a lot of young talent throughout their system, as always, they may be reluctant to give three or four of these players up to receive just one bat in return. Whether they do this will probably depend on how close Beane deems the team to being able to compete for a playoff spot next season.

Free Agents

At the beginning of the off season, the Athletics had four players who entered free agency in relievers Alan Embree and Keith Foulke, outfielder Emil Brown and designated hitter Frank Thomas. Early in the off season, the A’s made their decision on Embree as they decided not to pick up his club option for the 2009 season. This was probably a good move for the team as they are stocked with pitching and can probably get more (or about the same) production for less cost. Thomas did not help himself once he got to Oakland as he had just 19 RBIs in 55 games. If someone is going to give him another chance in the league, it certainly isn’t going to be the Athletics who pride themselves on production. Foulke will probably not be back either for basically the same reasons Embree’s option was not picked up. This would be the same tune for any veteran free agent pitcher the A’s would have during almost any off season. Brown will likely face the same fate as the other three players as he will probably be offered a deal that is far more than the A’s will want to pay on the open market.

The Outlook

While the A’s are probably not going to be able to catch the 100 game winning Angels, they could move up a spot in their division if Beane is able to work his magic yet again this off season. In the past year, the A’s have shipped some big names around the league including Marco Scutaro, Nick Swisher, Mark Kotsay and Dan Haren. While some of the talent they received in return is producing throughout their system, this has perhaps left the Athletics with a lack of real trade bait this off season. Bobby Crosby may be a name that pops up in trade talks as his contract will be up after the 2009 season, and the A’s will probably not make an offer to him, unless for some reason he really wants to stay in Oakland. They have already probably made the most publicized trade of the off season when they acquired Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies for a deal that was focused around closer Huston Street (who lost his job at the end of the bullpen last season to one of Beane’s young and talented arms). Holliday could provide some of the pop that was missing from a line-up that was starved for runs last year. While he probably won’t hit like he did in Denver, because no one does, he will still bolster Geren’s everyday line-up. As always, the A’s have a number of kids in their system who are almost ready to start contributing at the big league level. They played 21 different rookies during the 2008 season, and it doesn’t look like that trend will be slowing down any time soon (although they would be hard pressed to reach a number that high again). Even though some of the players acquired in the deals mentioned above did not statistically perform like the team thought they would, Beane’s thinking is usually that they just need more time with his coaches and that they will be ready once they get the call from the big club. One has to wonder how successful Beane would be if he had more money to spend. With a new stadium not to far down the road, that may provide some extra revenue for the coming seasons and allow the team to actually keep some of the talent they have spent so much time grooming.

Bill Jordan is a contributor to BaseballReflections.com and can be reached by e-mail at BillJordaniv@yahoo.com.

After an off season that saw Seattle trade their young and talented future CF Adam Jones, a 5-tool player, to Baltimore in a package for 29-year old Left-handed SP Erik Bedard, Seattle now finds itself with the second worst record in baseball (2 wins more than the Nationals). Although Bedard is 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts so far this season, but he’s been hurt and not as effective or dominant as they had hoped. Up to the All Star break, Seattle has fired their GM and team manager, then released 1B Richie Sexton (now a member of the Yankees in a reduced role). They are admitting their mistakes and even Bedard is now trade bait either via waivers in August or at the end of the season. Their ace closer JJ Putz has been hurt as well, but on the bright side, set up man Brandon Morrow filled in well in his extended absence. To add insult to injury, when a team allows 74 more runs to score than they produce, the odds of that team having a winning record diminishes. Better luck next year! Hopefully we can solicit some comments from the USS Mariner bloggers.

Oakland A’s

First there was Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks prior to this season, then there was Nick Swisher to the White Sox earlier this year and more recently there was Rich Harden to the Cubs. In the early goings, the A’s sat on top of the AL West, but that didn’t last long. Not with the injuries to the Sweeney’s and newly acquired Frank Thomas. Now, they’re barely above .500 and trade talks are abound as GM Billy Beane retools for the future while somehow fielding a team that is not the push-overs most people saw them as being. Now if they make a few more trades they just might be! In my opinion, they are out of the running in the west this year, but watch out in 2010 and beyond. They do, however, own the lowest runs allowed than anyone in the division and that alone is what kept them in the hunt for as long as they were early on. Hopefully, someone at the blog, Athletics Nation can provide us with more insight into the A’s.

Texas Rangers

If they only had more good pitching… Then again, how many other major league teams are saying that very same thing (the Phillies, Braves, Astros, Cardinals, Orioles, etc., etc., etc.)? But like the Phillies in the NL East, the Rangers have become an offensive powerhouse, winning games by their offense alone in spite of their limited pitching staff. For proof of this, just look at the difference in their runs allowed to their runs produced. They do have some highlight reel caliber young players in CF Josh Hamilton, SS Michael Young and a bevy of young talent at the most elusive catcher position, which might bag them more talent in trades both this year and in years to come. The good thing is that they produce an insane amount of runs! The bad news is that they also give up an insane amount of runs, too. Hopefully, someone at the blog, Lone Star Ball can provide us with more insight into the Rangers.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

This just in…The Angels have completed a deal that sends 1B Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta for 1B Mark Teixeira to further solidify their offense around RF/DH Vladimir Guerrero (one of the games best hitters). Not only is their pitching solid with starters like Joe Saunders, John Lackey and John Garland, then add to that set up man Scot Shields and closer K-Rod who is closing in on the single season saves record which he is a shoe in to break (barring injury). On top of all that, in a year that is seeing widespread poor play on the road, the Angels are one of the few teams in baseball to have a winning record on the road this year. Not only do they possess a winning road record, but their road record (.648) is better than their home record (.596). They also boast the best runs scored/allowed differential in their division (43). They are fast and play a NL style games due to that speed, but with the acquisition of Teixeira to go along with Guerrero, they now have added enough pop to make that speed really effective. They are my favorites to win this division and I know I am not going out on a limb with this one either. For more insight on this intriguing AL West team, maybe we can entice someone from Halos Heaven to comment here.

1. LA Angels of Anaheim : In the long run, I like the Angels overall in this division. I like their bullpen especially with K-Rod, Scot Shields and Justin Speier. The additions of CF Torii Hunter & SP Jon Garland help put them over the top and Garland helps ease the pain of not having Lackey on opening day. When he does return, a rotation of Lackey, Garland, Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver and Dustin Moseley help put them over Seattle. But the key to a successful 2008 is having a healthy Vlad Guerrero.

2. Seattle Mariners : Seattle’s rotation might even be better than the Angels with newly acquired Erik Beddard, but between them and the closer, JJ Putz, I don’t see much to inspire me. This is where they can loose games. Their line-up is also, not as good as LA’s, but it might be more consistent. These teams are a decent trade (for Seattle) away from being neck and neck.

3. Oakland Athletics : They are in a rebuilding year as they have parted ways with Dan Haren and Nick Swisher (although almost unwillingly); and there were rumors of moving Blanton and Chavez as well. They just can’t keep up with the big boys of Seattle and LA, but leave it to GM Billy Beane and his Moneyball strategies to have them back in contention sooner rather than later!

4. Texas Rangers : Unless the A’s wind up playing even worse than is expected, I don’t see how the Rangers can beat them out for third place in the AL West. If only there were 5 teams in this division, they’d have a better chance of getting out of last place. Some key players to watch are the recently acquired CF Josh Hamilton who might just hit 30 HRs & 80 RBIs with 15 SBs to go along with a .277 BA and an OBP of close to .360. Another OF, Marlon Byrd, has been getting a lot of attention this off season in trade talks and he might blossom in ’08 as well. The focus in the rotation is whether or not Millwood and Jennings have anything left in the tank and can Gabbard keep up with his 2007 performance? 2B Ian Kinsler will be another one to watch as will the ever changing situation at the catcher position between Laird and Salty. To add to this dilemma, they also have 1 or 2 more very talented players in the minors to compete at this position in the next few years to come. Texas might have a few bargaining chips to play with at this most vital position to help them improve via trade. Almost every team out there, except the Braves, Dodgers, Indians and maybe the Twins, are in need of help behind the plate!