Oakland A's
We should probably be talking about the dynasty that began in Oakland last year rather than the possibility that the Yanks will repeat again as champions. After all, the A's were just one misplayed fly ball from playing the Mariners in the ALCS last year, a team they had beaten in 9 of their 13 meetings. Had Tim Hudson not pitched the last day of the season in order to insure that the A's would make the playoffs, he would have started games 1 and 5 of the division series instead of Gil Heredia. And that might have been all they needed to oust the Yanks. But he didn't, so they didn't. However, it probably only delayed the inevitable by one year because the A's are a good bet to win it all in 2001.
Offense
The A's are led by reigning AL MVP Jason Giambi, who posted his best year as a professional in 2000. There were a couple of other players probably more deserving of the award - Pedro Martinez chief among them - but there's no question that his numbers, especially in September when he hit .400 with 13 homers and 32 RBI and posted an on base percentage of .532, made him a worthy candidate. Giambi, just 30, is the oldest everyday players on this team, which makes them doubly scary. The average age of the rest of their projected line-up is 25, making them one of the youngest line-ups in the majors. Miguel Tejada pushed his name into any discussion of great AL shortstops last year with a 30-home run, 115 RBI campaign. He's 24 years old. Second baseman Jose Ortiz was the Pacific Coast League's MVP, hitting .351 with 24 bombs, stealing 22 bases and driving in 108 runs. He's not likely to duplicate those numbers in his first year in the majors, but he's a good bet to equal or surpass the production of last year's platoon of Frank Menechino and Randy Velarde. Ortiz is just 23. Eric Chavez was thought by many scouts to be the best high school player in the country when he was drafted in 1996. He's done little to discredit those expectations. Last season he posted an .850 OPS, 7th best in the majors among third basemen. At 23, he's a good bet to improve on those numbers. The A's traded for centerfielder Johnny Damon this winter. Widely recognized as one of the premier lead-off men in the game, his .380+ on base replaces the .340 on base of Terrence Long at the top of the order. He also brings the aspect of speed, as he is a terrific base stealer both in terms of total steals and success percentage. Compared to the rest of the line-up, Damon is elderly at 27. The 25-year old Long will be shifted down in the line-up from lead-off to take better advantage of his power and lessen the negative impact of his lower on base percentage. Adam Piatt (25) and Jason's brother Jeremy (26) will platoon in right and assume some of the DHing duties. Both players have emerging power and credible on base skills. Catcher Ramon Hernandez is probably the sleeper in this group. After a solid start, the 24-year old seemed to tire in the second half of his first full season in the majors. He should be better able to withstand the rigors of his position now that he knows what to expect. The reason he might be a sleeper is that he makes contact a high percentage of the time. Last year he made contact on 85% of his swings but in the minors he was averaging over 90%. With the strikezone expanding, the ability to make contact consistently might prove crucial to effective production. John Jaha is slated to be the regular DH, but health concerns make it likely that one of the right field platoon will see significant playing time here. If he can get healthy, Jaha'll make this offense even more dangerous, as he brings high on base and good slugging skills to the table. RATING: 70
Defense
The A's didn't get much credit for being a good defensive team because of the number of errors they committed. However, Tejada, Menechino, Velarde and Hernandez were all good-to-excellent defenders. Ortiz should be adequate glove-wise at second and the A's still have Menechino if they need a defensive replacement. Damon is a terrific fielder. Putting him in center and moving Long to left will improve the outfield defense significantly. The Giambi/Piatt platoon in right figures to be about even with what Matt Stairs provided last year. Chavez has shown flashes of brilliance and may yet emerge as a great gloveman at third. This team has the potential to be an outstanding defensive club. RATING: 60
Starting Pitching
The A's building process hasn't been limited to everyday players. Their farm system has produced several key components of their pitching staff and this year will produce another. Staff ace Tim Hudson has been the crown jewel in the Oakland rotation for two years now, posting his first 20-win campaign last year. But he might have competition for that title this year as lefty Barry Zito readies for his first full season in the big leagues. However, he enters this season with some concerns. Last year he logged almost 200 innings between the minors and the majors, a total that has frequently predicted physical problems in pitchers as young as Zito. With the A's having traded away some of their insurance in the rotation (Omar Olivares) this spring, Zito's health is a big concern. Journeyman Gil Heredia will back Hudson and Zito and should provide 200-inning of workman-like service. Young Mark Mulder hopes to improve on a less than stellar rookie year. The last spot in the rotation will be filled by Corey Lidle, who came to the A's from Tampa Bay in the three-way deal that netted them Damon as well. Lidle has had an impressive spring and could become a regular starter if Zito or Mulder falter. RATING: 60
Bullpen
Jason Isringhausen began his professional career as a starter in the Mets organization. He, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson were to become the heart of the next great Mets rotation, like Gooden/Cone/Fernandez before them, and Seaver/Koosman/Matlack before them. But hat didn't happen, in large part because of overuse-related injuries. After bumping around for a few years, Isringhausen has made a fine recovery from those injuries in the bullpen. Last year, his first full season as the primary closer, was a success, saving 33 of 40 opportunities, but not exactly dominant. He allowed almost one and a half baserunners per inning and posted an era of 3.78 in one of the AL's most pitcher friendly parks. Still, he comes into this season with his job of closer fairly safe. Setting him up in the 7th and 8th innings will be savvy and very effective veterans Jeff Tam, Jim Mecir and Mark Guthrie. Also in the mix will be TJ Mathews, who came to the A's as part of the deal that sent Mark mcGwire to the Cardinals. Three young arms to keep an eye on are Chad Harville, Luis Vizcaino and Bert Snow. All of them come with the reputation of having power arms and a closer's mentality. RATING: 65
Management
Art Howe never got a lot of credit in Houston for the team's success. He molded a young Astros team into a NL Central Division powerhouse. He has done a similar job in Oakland, taking a team of raw talented youngsters and turning them into a perennial contender. GM Billy Beane is a god to the sabermetric crowd, as he commonly uses terms like OPS and MLEs. The simple fact of the matter is that he's a very good GM, using every means at his disposal to help his team win. If someone were to show that using Tarot cards could help his team win, I'm sure you'd find a deck in his desk. He's a fine evaluator of talent and understands his team's needs and surpluses very well. The only criticism might be that he gives up too much in trades, as he gave up phenom Jesus Colome last year to get some bullpen help for the stretch run and he gave up budding star Ben Grieve to get Damon in a walk year. RATING: 70
Conclusion
The fact that they play in a division with teams that have a number of glaring weaknesses will probably undermine how good this team really is. Pundits will point out, "well, who couldn't win that division?" Truth is that this team has fewer question marks than any team in the AL and talent-wise are as strong as anyone. Their only obstacle to getting to the World Series is their limited financial resources. However, it's only a matter of time before smart guys like Beane and Howe figure a way around that, too.