Team: Oakland Athletics Burning Question When will Travis Buck and Daric Barton be ready for Oakland? If you were going to circle a date on the calendar, it probably should be Sept. 1. But only circle it in pencil because both of the A's upper-level hitting prospects could very well get the call before then if the situation presents itself. Even though Buck is just starting his second full season in pro ball and Barton is about to begin his fourth, the outfielder and first baseman are very much in the same boat. Both are on the cusp of contributing but probably a little delayed because injuries cut back on development time in 2006. Buck played just 84 games, though he was outstanding in that time, hitting .320 with 39 doubles. His Fall League campaign also was cut short due to injury, something that finally was diagnosed as a sports hernia. Barton only saw 45 games of action because of a freakish elbow injury. Both are healthy now and have been showing some good things in the early stages of camp. Buck showed up for camp in the best shape of his life and the A's think many of the 39 doubles he hit in 2006 will start turning into homers this season. If it hadn't been for his injury, he might have been ready for a big-league callup as early as June. Barton was able to make up for some lost time by heading to the Dominican Republic for winter ball, where he hit .324. He's been working tirelessly on his defense early in camp to make himself a more well-rounded player. With adversity behind them, both are looking up and hoping to make decisions about callups difficult ones for the A's. "They certainly learned to deal with some frustration and learned how quickly the game changes, from going to being everyday players to having to watch the rest of the year," A's farm director Keith Lieppman said. "I think both are being delayed to where they'll be September callups, would be my guess. "But things happen. There are other guys you may draw upon earlier if there's a need, but there are other situations. If the club goes south and there are problems, if there's an injury and Buck or Barton is going off in Triple-A, then you look and say, 'Let's give them an opportunity then.' But my gut tells me September might be the best time." Other News of the Day There are a pair of pitchers in camp who, on the surface, seem about as different as two pitchers can be. Jason Windsor is 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, a workhorse waiting to happen. Shane Komine is all of 5-foot-9, 175 pounds with a power right arm. But both are preparing for what could be dual roles in 2007. Aside from their debut summers, both former college aces have been used almost exclusively as starters in their climbs up the Minor League ladder. In two full seasons after that initial summer, all 60 of Windsor's outings have been as a starter. All but three of Komine's 79 appearances have been in a starting role. Both likely will begin the year with the same jobs in Triple-A Sacramento's rotation. That doesn't mean, however, that their futures in Oakland may require a shift in job description. It's something the A's do by design, keeping guys starting, where they can continue to work on all of their pitches. By keeping them in starting roles, they can be on call for a spot start or for the bullpen. If they were to shift one to the bullpen -- many have thought of Komine as a short reliever long-term -- that would take away the flexibility of having arms like Windsor and Komine at the ready. "They are guys you have stretched out at Triple-A, ready as starters, but if the need is there at the big-league level for a reliever, either of those guys could fit that role. Those are built into the system," Lieppman said. "That's usually the best way to bring guys around. I think eventually, if you had to put them into that [relief] role, they will adjust to that very quickly and will have success. You keep them ready, if you have a starter go down or you need a spot start, both Komine and Windsor would fit that role very quickly. And either one could go to the bullpen. So it's an easy decision right now. Somewhere down the road, it might change." #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #4C8CA8;border-left:1px solid #4C8CA8;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
Five Questions with Travis Buck MiLB.com: What is your greatest accomplishment on or off the field? TB: I would say, for me, off the field, I'd say that I left after three years of college with a 3.6 GPA in the WP Carey School of Business at ASU. I really take pride in academics. Somewhere down the road, I've already put myself in a good position where I can go back and continue, get my degree, and be in a pretty good situation with a high GPA. MiLB.com: Who is the most unusual character you've come across in the Minors and why? TB: I'll have to go with one of my teammates in Midland last year, Vasili Spanos. He's a very different guy. He keeps everybody on their toes and he's a guy you always want to watch because he's always going to do something out of the ordinary and he always gets a laugh out of everybody he's playing with. Some of his routines are pretty funny. He definitely has a different swing. When he takes it on deck, he kind of breaks it down into about 15 different parts. Everybody always gives him a tough time, but he gets the job done. But it's pretty funny watching him. MiLB.com: What is your favorite aspect of playing in the A's organization? TB: They let us be ourselves, and that's a really big key. You go around the locker room and you see guys and how they act out their personalities. Guys have long hair, facial hair, they just let us go out there and play the game. They don't have strict standards where it would feel a little awkward. They let us be ourselves and just go out and play baseball. MiLB.com: People would be surprised to know that I ... TB: That my mom treated me like a girl the first four or five years of my life. She wanted a girl so bad, I was pretty much living like a girl the first four years. That would explain the long hair. MiLB.com: How do you react when you hear that one of the big reasons the A's felt they could trade Andre Ethier, a fellow ASU Sun Devil, was because they had you coming up behind him? Does that add any pressure? TB: I take it as no pressure. I put the most pressure on myself, so anything people say about me or expect of me is nothing compared to what I put on myself. It makes me feel really good that they believe in me that much that they'd get rid of Andre because they knew I was right behind him. People looking at us can see that we're really similar in a bunch of ways because in my freshman year, he took me under his wing and I pretty much emulated everything that he did. He helped me get to the point where I am today. It's a great feeling they have this trust in me. Lasting Impression Buck probably has been the most impressive in terms of coming to camp and opening eyes with his conditioning. Lieppman compared him with Ethier from a year ago, in terms of getting some Triple-A experience early on but showing in camp that he'll be ready to take advantage of a big-league opportunity should it come. But he's not the only one in A's camp who's opening eyes. Reliever Marcus McBeth came to Phoenix clearly intent on building off a tremendous 2006 season during which he saved 32 games and threw well in the Arizona Fall League. "Marcus McBeth came into camp looking really strong," Lieppman said. "He threw a batting practice and his changeup is really good. He's got a good feel for his pitches. I was really impressed with him." That changeup could be McBeth's ticket to the big leagues, and that's an amazing thing to say considering he's only been pitching for two years. The former outfielder showed that feel for his pitches almost immediately and it's just been a matter of game experience for him to get to where he is. The fact he is knocking on the door so shortly after converting to pitching is impressive; that he is doing it after making the conversion to closer is remarkable. "Very rarely do you see a guy going from that to right into the fire like that," Lieppman said. "It's a tough thing for a young pitcher just trying to figure out how to pitch. All of a sudden, he's closing games, from the very beginning. He's got that mentality though. He likes the ball, he likes the competition. "His changeup is awesome. He's got a nice little breaking ball going. His fastball command is off. He needs to learn how to control his fastball, but he's right on track. He'll close in Sacramento and we'll see what happens. When you have a dominating pitch and can throw it in any count, thoses are the guys who have success. The Keith Foulkes and Trevor Hoffmans of the world, they can throw it at any time. It's the kind of thing that can get you over the hump really quickly." Off the Beaten Path The A's have seven catchers in big-league camp. It would appear, on the surface, that there are plenty of backstops to catch bullpens for all the pitchers, even for the Minor Leaguers who came to Phoenix early before their camp officially opens. But with 28 pitchers in big-league camp, the lucky seven have their hands full, leaving the hurlers who aren't in big-league camp with a bit of a problem. Enter the catching robot. That's right. The A's are checking out a robotic backstop during a trial period, at least at the very beginning of camp. Designed to help pitchers work on location and hitting spots, it sets a target that can be moved up and down or in and out. Hit the target and it emits a loud, "Strike!" call. The A's tried it out one day. The guinea pig? Reliever Brad Ziegler. That's all well and good -- Ziegler was willing to give it a shot -- except that Ziegler is not a typical pitcher these days. A year ago, the A's turned him into a submariner. While the results have been very encouraging, he wasn't the ideal pitcher to try hitting a robotic target. "Location isn't as important for a submariner," Ziegler explained. "We want to keep the ball down in the zone with movement." Ziegler threw about 30 pitches, none of which hit the target and brought forth the satisfying strike call. Yet he came away feeling like he had thrown a solid bullpen session. And he probably wouldn't mind having the robot help out once in a while, at least until Minor League camp opens. Other than catcher Anthony Recker, who can't be asked to catch seven bullpens a day, Ziegler has been called upon to catch bullpens. He was a catcher in high school and even catches young pitchers he coaches during the offseason. "I volunteer to do it," Ziegler said. "But I don't know if I'd want to catch me. That's the problem. No one wants to catch me without shin guards." The robot will, without complaint. Just don't expect him (it?) to come up with any of Ziegler's offerings. Parting Shots With Buck's improved strength, he was already showing some more "up and over the fence" power, as Lieppman put it. He's ahead of where Barton is in that regard, though, to be fair, he's got two years on Barton. That can mean a big difference in terms of physical development and might help Buck get to the big leagues a tick ahead of Barton (who will hit plenty when his time comes). If it were up to Buck, of course, he'd break camp with the A's, though he understands some extra time in Sacramento won't hurt him. "The biggest key for me is getting the at-bats I lost," Buck said. "I know I can hit at the Major League level. I know I can compete there and have success. I've been able to hit all my life. I don't see why that would change when I get to the big leagues. I feel like I'm ready whenever they need me, hopefully sooner rather than later." Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
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