Note: Jarrod Parker meeting with noted surgeon James Andrews about tightness in his shoulder. A's don't anticipate it's too serious.
Pitching has always been the key to the Oakland A’s success, and 2014 will be no different.
Manager Bob Melvin will have some difficult decisions to make when finalizing his pitching staff for the season. The A’s are stacked with some talented pitching, but not everyone will start the season with the club.
With Bartolo Colon now with the Mets, there has been some concerns or questions about the A’s young pitching staff and how they’ll fare in 2014. The talent is there, the youngsters just have to execute.
Three starters are sure to make the rotation, Jarrod Parker, Sonny Gray, and Scott Kazmir. These three guys are going to be heavily relied upon this year as the top three, and this could very well be the order in which they pitch to start the year.
Parker had some struggles early on last year, but settled in and stepped up when the A’s needed him the most. He finished the season 12-8 with a 3.97 ERA.
Gray was beyond phenomenal last year going 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 starts last year (12 appearances). Gray also started game 2 and 5 of the ALDS last year allowing only three earned runs over that span. He was able to tame a very dangerous Tigers lineup and give the A’s the best chance to win.
In 29 games with the Cleveland Indians last year, Kazmir went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA. Injuries have taken a toll on Kazmir over the years, but he and the A’s are hoping he’ll be able to get back to his prime and impress in 2014. Kazmir has the opportunity to not only post some great numbers, but serve as a veteran presence in a young Oakland rotation and teach these youngsters a thing or two.
A.J. Griffin, Daniel Straily, and Tom Milone have been battling for the final rotation spot this spring. So far, this spring, Griffin has started three games and has an ERA of 10.38. In eight innings of work, he has allowed two homeruns with a total of 10 runs. Last season with Oakland, Griffin went 14-10 with a 3.83 ERA with 171 strikeouts in 32 starts and exactly 200 innings. Homeruns are an issue with Griffin, however as he gave up a total of 32 last year. This is an area the A’s would love to see Griffin improve.
Straily has started two games this spring and has an ERA of 5.06 in 5.1 innings pitched, and allowed only three earned runs. Last year, he went 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA. Straily started 27 games and pitched 152.1 innings.
Milone has had a lot of ups and downs recently, and he’s struggled this spring. He’s 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA after pitching nine innings. The longball continues to be an issue for Milone as well as he’s surrendered three homeruns this spring. Milone was sent down to AAA last season, but finished the year with a 12-9 record and 4.14 ERA.
As it stands now, Milone could very well start the season in AAA Sacramento with the rotation looking something like Parker, Gray, Kazmir, Griffin, and Straily. Luckily for Melvin, he’ll have more pitching talent at his disposal in the minors if needed.
Bullpen wise, the A’s arguably have the best in the league. With names like Sean Doolittle, Ryan Cook, Dan Otero, Luke Gregerson, Eric O’Flaherty, Fernando Abad, and new closer Jim Johnson there will be a lot of talent sitting in the Oakland bullpen this year.
Last season, the bullpen was a concern as they faltered at times, so Billy Beane went out and created a monster pitching staff for BoMel. The setup men for Oakland will be Doolittle, Gregerson, and Cook with the middle relief consisting of Otero, O'Flaherty, and Abad.
Grant Balfour handled the closing duties last year, but now that he’s in Baltimore, Johnson will take over and provide a more consistent presence at the position.
Melvin will have specialists in the bullpen for every situation, and still has guys like Jesse Chavez and Evan Scribner, who have experience, to call upon if need be. His pitching staff looks to be lights out both in the starting rotation, and the bullpen.
BoMel may have to utilize his deep pitching staff sooner rather than later, as both Parker and Griffin are dealing with arm discomfort. Parker will see Dr. Andrews on Monday for his forearm tightness, and Griffin will be sidelined three weeks due to flexor tendinitis. Luckily for the A's, they have depth at the position. When the season starts, Chavez and Milone could very well both be in the rotation depending on how these inuries play out.
The A’s lineup has some power hitters, but pitching is key to the green and gold’s success in 2014. Oakland will attempt a three-peat as AL West Division Champs, and the performance of the pitching staff will play a huge role.