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Inbox: Did the '09 A's need better pitching?
Beat reporter Mychael Urban answers fans' questions
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
11/02/09 3:16 PM EST
Why didn't the A's go after pitching before last season? Also, are they going to re-sign Adam Kennedy?-- Danny S., Alta Loma, Calif.
Was pitching Oakland's problem in 2009? I'd argue strongly that it wasn't. Sure, some of the kids took some lumps, but general manager Billy Beane was, in my opinion, very smart to let that happen. Clearly, young pitching is the foundation of Beane's rebuilding project, and had Justin Duchscherer been healthy and had Josh Outman stayed healthy, the A's would have had one of the better rotations in the American League.
Even without Duchscherer and Outman, they had a solid rotation. And the bullpen was among the AL's best for most of the year.
The major problem in 2009 was the offense's performance in the first half -- and the failures of Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi to provide the kind of production for which they were brought in. That's the way I saw it, anyway. When the offense perked up in the second half, Oakland was a pretty good team. Not great, but certainly good enough to suggest that the team is heading in the right direction.
As for Kennedy, who is a free agent, I can't give you an answer with any sort of conviction. I'm sure you've heard that there have been talks between the two sides, and both sides say they're open to a new deal. But from my angle, Kennedy doesn't exactly fit into the stated plan, and I have a feeling there's going to be plenty of interest in him on the open market.
Kennedy is a good player and a good teammate, but he's not really a third baseman, and like a lot of A's fans, I'd like to see Brett Wallace get the same kind of sink-or-swim opportunity at the hot corner that Kurt Suzuki got behind the plate a few years ago. I also think Kennedy would prefer moving back to second base, and that's not going to happen with Mark Ellis under contract for next year (with a club option for 2010) and Jemile Weeks waiting in the wings.
Great story on Rickey Henderson working with Weeks in Arizona, Mychael. Any chance our living legend will be in uniform helping out next spring?
-- Orrin P., Pittsburg, Calif.
I'll look into that. I should've asked that of my source for that story, director of player development Keith Lieppman. But it sure seems like a no-brainer to have Rickey in camp, doesn't it?
The A's were among the top running teams in the league in the second half, and they've got plenty of team speed coming back, so Henderson seems like the ideal guy to bring in for some special instruction. Don't forget that Henderson was a heck of an outfielder, too, and while the A's have a solid coaching staff, it wouldn't hurt to have a Hall of Famer helping out for a few weeks. Someone like Chris Carter, a first baseman who might be moved to left field, surely would benefit.
I'm a transplanted A's fan who keeps close tabs on the team by following your work, and I know you've already said you don't think Ryan Sweeney will win a Gold Glove this year. But what about Ellis or someone else?
-- Carl D., Detroit, Mich.
First of all, I want to make it clear that I think Sweeney deserves a Gold Glove. The guy was amazing defensively. But the Gold Glove voting is something of a popularity contest, and I just don't think enough managers and coaches -- they are the voters in this case -- are aware of how good he was.
That's why Ellis hasn't won one yet, despite deserving at least two, and I don't see him winning his first after a season in which he missed two months.
If anyone else has a shot, it's Suzuki. He led the league in starts and putouts, had the second-best zone rating in the league (behind Joe Mauer, who played in 109 games to Suzuki's 135), had all of five errors and three passed balls, and his .995 fielding percentage was among the top five -- Detroit's Gerald Laird (123 starts to Suzuki's 132) and Boston's Jason Varitek (106 starts) tied for the league lead at .997.
Add to all of that the fact that he handled the youngest staff in the league and I say it makes him the best defensive catcher in the AL.
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I didn't read much about Michael Wuertz this year that didn't focus strictly on his great season between the lines. What can you tell me about the kind of guy he is? Is he funny? Is he a leader? Do the young guys look up to him?
-- Alex V., Palo Alto, Calif.
Wuertz is pretty quiet when the media is around, but in my one-on-one dealings with him I've discovered that he's very quick-witted with a dry, sly, self-deprecating sense of humor. I imagine that plays well in the bullpen, where he's definitely a leader.
A lot of the young relievers have said they pick his brain all the time, and they say he's always very gracious when it comes to dispensing advice. I did a story on that very topic late in the season while the team was in Seattle, and the 10 minutes I spent with Wuertz for the story really opened my eyes to what a cool guy he is.
Being a setup man, he doesn't get a lot of attention, and he seems to like it that way. But after that interview, I vowed to spend a lot more time talking to him next year.
How do you choose which questions to respond to in your column?
-- Russell S., Livermore, Calif.
If I get multiple versions of the same question, it gets moved to the top of the list because it's obviously of great interest to the fan base. Anything topical gets high priority, too -- for example, I'm sure I'll be answering a question about Andrew Bailey after the AL Rookie of the Year Award is handed out, win or lose.
Beyond that, I don't have much in the way of a system. A lot of questions I get have been answered in stories I've already written, so those all get the boot right away. And I try to focus on the big league level as much as I can; that's one of the reasons I started the weekly series on top prospects. I want the "Inbox" to be about the Oakland A's as much as possible.
And finally, I try to pick a fun question or two every week. In my opinion, the best sportswriting puts fans where they can't go: in the clubhouse, around the batting cage, etc. So I'm drawn to questions about personalities and such, as you can see from the previous question and answer.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
