Young Athletics continue to show progress

Coming into the 2007 season, we touched on the Athletics' tradition over the past few years of success at the Minor League level that was predicated largely on their depth and balance.

A stockpile of talent amassed through the draft saw several players that seemed poised to contribute at the big league level. While it turned out that few of those players had the kind of impact in the Majors that the Athletics might have liked, due in large part to injuries, the future still looks bright for 2008.

Oakland addressed restocking the upper levels with polished talent in the draft -- its first 14 picks were college players, as were 40 out of 53 overall.

Although the organization's on-field winning percentage dipped to .477 (22nd overall) with just two teams finishing over .500, one of those teams was Triple-A Sacramento, which not only won the Pacific Coast League championship but the Bricktown Showdown for Triple-A bragging rights as well. It marked the fourth time in the last five years that River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco took his team to the league finals and the third time they won the league.

Organizational Players of the Year

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Jermaine Mitchell, OF: Though it was a tough preseason call, we predicted that the fifth-round pick out of UNC-Greensboro in 2006 would prevail in his first full season thanks to his tremendous tools and work ethic. A great athlete who can pretty much do it all, we predicted he'd be one of the steals of the '06 draft. Did he live up to our billing? Check under our Player of the Year heading.

Jared Lansford, RHP: The second-round pick from 2005 has good bloodlines (father Carney was a longtime Major League third baseman and brother Josh is following in dad's footsteps in the Cubs system) and pitched well in 2006, going 11-6 with a 2.86 ERA at Class A Kane County, giving hope for another strong season in '07. Unfortunately, Lansford injured his shoulder in his first start and missed the entire season. After rehabbing for six months, he's making up for lost time in Hawaii Winter Baseball.

POSTSEASON SELECTIONS
As chosen by the author, not the organization

Jermaine Mitchell, OF: The postseason pick was also a tough call, but Mitchell prevailed once again, putting up strong numbers across the board at Class A Kane County. One of the host Cougars' representatives in the Midwest League All-Star Game, Mitchell hit .288 with eight homers, 58 RBIs and 24 steals, leading all full-season Athletics Minor Leaguers in stolen bases. As director of player personnel Billy Owens said about Mitchell before the season, "A center fielder with power potential and a five-tool candidate? The sky is the limit for this kid."
Audio: Mitchell ties game with ninth-inning homer

Andrew Bailey, RHP: In the "where did this guy come from?" category, the 2006 draftee excelled in his first full season. After posting a 2.02 ERA at Class A Short-Season Vancouver in 2006 while limiting Northwest League batters to a .187 average, he went on to rise through three levels in '07. After posting a 3.35 ERA in 11 games for Kane County, he moved up to Class A Advanced Stockton for the second half where his ERA swelled just a touch to 3.82. For a finale, he was summoned to Triple-A Sacramento to give the playoff-bound rotation a rest and proceeded to toss eight innings of three-hit ball. Between the three levels he combined to strike out an organization-best 150 batters in 125 innings and his overall 3.46 ERA was second.
Audio: Bailey notches 12th strikeout

Climbed the Ladder

Daric Barton, 1B: Barton rebounded from a 2006 season interrupted by a leg injury to show why he is regarded as one of the top hitters in the system, batting .293 with nine homers and 70 RBIs for Sacramento. He added 38 doubles and saved his best for last in hitting over .500 in the first round of the PCL playoffs before being promoted to Oakland. There in September he hit .347 in 18 games, adding four homers and playing errorless ball at first base.
Audio: Barton's three-run homer lifts River Cats

Dan Meyer, LHP: The former first-round pick was nearly an afterthought coming into 2007 but responded by leading the system with a 3.39 ERA, going 8-2 for Sacramento. Though his numbers were less stellar in the Major Leagues, with an 8.82 ERA in six relief appearances, he has earned consideration as a potential part of the club's pitching future.
Audio: Meyer tallies 11th strikeout

Kurt Suzuki, C: Suzuki was the heir apparent at catcher coming into the season and only solidified that position by hitting .280 in 55 games at Sacramento. In Oakland for the rest of the season, he batted .249 with seven homers and 39 RBIs. The favorite to win the starting job in '08, look for the Cal State Fullerton product to hit for higher average.
Audio: Suzuki launches two-run homer

Kept Their Footing

Richie Robnett, OF: One of the club's first-round picks in 2004, from Fresno State, Robnett flashed his big-time power at Midland this season, hitting .267 with 18 homers and 74 RBIs. His athleticism has impressed the Oakland front office, which was looking for a healthy year from him after a broken hamate bone interrupted his '06 campaign.
Video: Robnett homers in the Texas League All-Star Game
Audio: Robnett jacks three-run shot

Danny Putnam, OF: It was a roller-coaster season for Putnam, a Stanford product taken in the supplemental first round in 2004. After losing much of 2006 to a knee injury, he played everywhere from the Arizona League to the Majors in 2007. After getting off to a hot start at Midland, hitting .327 with 15 RBIs in just 13 games, he was summoned to Oakland when Milton Bradley went on the DL, hitting .216 in 51 games there. But a broken hand also cost him six weeks and forced him to work his way back through the ranks. We'll balance the great start and callup with the injury and look ahead to '08 for Putnam.
Audio: Putnam blasts walk-off homer
Audio: Putnam launches roundtripper

Slipped a Rung

Landon Powell, C: It looked like this would be Powell's year to headline the "Climbed the Ladder" list as he came into camp looking positively svelte and flashed his remarkable power in the first half at Midland, hitting .292 and blasting 14 homers through June. But four games after a promotion to Sacramento, he suffered a torn ACL, his second major knee injury. A similar injury forced him to miss all of 2005. Fears are that this could signal the end of the 2004 first-rounder's catching days. A switch-hitter with power and a plus arm, the Athletics have to hope he can return to health and learn a new position.
Audio: Powell singles in two runs in the 13th
Audio: Powell belts grand slam

Matt Sulentic, OF: Coming into 2007, Sulentic and Mitchell were regarded as the top two up-and-comers in the organization, but while Mitchell sparkled, Sulentic struggled. We predicted that "he'll probably hit his way out of Kane County before long" in our preview and we were right -- but in the wrong direction. After batting .354 with 22 RBIs in his pro debut at Vancouver in 2006, Sulentic hit just .175 with 16 RBIs in 56 games at Kane County and rejoined Vancouver when the Northwest League season started, batting .261 there. It's too soon to write off the third-round pick from '06, but his timetable has slowed down.

Jason Windsor, RHP: In 2006, Windsor owned a piece of the Minor League lead with 17 wins. This year he had just five before a shoulder injury sent him to the DL for the rest of the summer. He posted a 5.40 ERA for Sacramento in five starts and was outrighted off the 40-man roster after the season ended. With just average stuff, it was his workhorse reputation that made him well-regarded -- and sadly that reputation was tarnished by the injury.

On The Radar

Kevin Melillo, 2B: We put the 2004 fifth-rounder from South Carolina on this list before the season, predicting he could make it to the big leagues this year. And indeed he did, albeit only for one game in which he drew a walk against the Mets in his lone plate appearance. But the scrappy infielder should do even more in 2008 after hitting .262 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs at Sacramento this season. He has solid power and very decent speed.
Audio: Melillo slams walk-off homer

Myron Leslie, 3B/OF: An eighth-round pick out of South Florida in 2004, Leslie was also on our watch list after hitting .273 with 17 homers and 100 RBIs at Stockton in 2006. The switch-hitter was moved from shortstop to the outfield and is still learning his new position. In a full season at Midland, he batted .288 with five homers and 47 RBIs.
Audio: Leslie smacks RBI triple

Luke Appert, OF/DH: A sixth-round pick out of Minnesota in 2003, Appert figured prominently in our Player of the Year considerations after returning from a broken ankle to post offensive numbers among the best in the organization. He led the system with a .304 average, adding 10 homers and 83 RBIs, the latter of which ranked second in the organization. Working on a move from second base to the outfield, his recovery from the injury forced him to play a lot of games at DH. The defensive conversion is still a work in progress for the two-time Big 10 Player of the Year.
Video: Appert smacks a two-run double
Audio: Appert knocks game-winning hit

Nick Blasi, OF: The 12th-round pick from 2004 had never played above Class A and started the year at Stockton, where he hit .239 in 28 games. But a promotion to Sacramento saw him kick into gear as he batted .316 with four homers and 41 RBIs, and when postseason rolled around he was The Man. Blasi batted .457 in the playoffs to earn postseason MVP honors. A center fielder who hit .277 over his first three seasons, he may have made a bigger jump than anyone in the Athletics system.
Video: Blasi on the Bricktown Showdown
Audio: Blasi hits two-run triple

Tommy Everidge, 1B: A 10th-round pick in 2004, Everidge led the organization in both homers and RBIs as he hit .258 with 26 homers and 90 RBIs at Stockton, adding four more RBIs during a brief stint with Midland in the final week of the season. His numbers were similar at Stockton in 2006, where he batted .252 with 20 home runs and 83 RBIs. A power hitter, he only needs to improve his average somewhat to start factoring into the upper-level picture.
Audio: Everidge goes yard

2007 Draft Recap

James Simmons, RHP: The 26th pick overall out of UC Riverside was assigned to Midland, where he posted a 3.94 ERA in 13 games, two of them starts. He walked eight and struck out 23 in 29 2/3 innings and is continuing his introduction to pro ball with Phoenix in the Arizona Fall League. He has outstanding command of basically average stuff, the best of which is an above-average changeup.
Audio: Simmons hits solo shot in 10th inning

Sean Doolittle, 1B: The University of Virginia product, who was a two-way player for the Cavaliers, is a solid hitter with good if not spectacular tools across the board. He hit .233 with four homers and 29 RBIs in 55 games with Kane County after batting .283 in 13 games at Vancouver. He was the 41st pick overall, a supplemental first-rounder.
Audio: Doolittle smacks go-ahead double

Corey Brown, OF: The club's second supplemental first-rounder, taken 59th overall out of Oklahoma State, was hitting .268 with 11 homers and 48 RBIs in just 59 games at Vancouver when he injured his pinky on a headfirst slide, bringing his season to a premature end. The injury required surgery. Brown is expected to be healthy by Spring Training.
Audio: Brown launches grand slam

Others of Note: Outfielder J.D. Pruitt (27), drafted out of University of Montevallo in Alabama, led the Minors in being hit by 34 pitches in 61 games for Vancouver, which converted his .211 batting average to a .460 on-base percentage -- third-best in the Minors. He hit for much higher average in college and clearly is a gamer. RHP Lee Land (28), drafted out of UNC-Greensboro like Player of the Year Jermaine Mitchell, didn't give up an earned run in 12 1/3 innings over seven games at Vancouver. Outfielder Adam Klein (48), a late-round potential steal from UCLA, hit .263 for Vancouver and led the organization with 33 steals. Drawing 58 walks in 45 games, his .477 on-base average led the Minors. RHP Travis Banwart (4) out of Wichita State posted a 2.60 ERA in 12 games for Kane County, six of them starts, while RHP Andrew Carignan (5) from UNC had a 2.03 ERA in 12 relief appearances, collecting four saves. Prairie View A&M product OF Michael Richard (11) hit .289 with 25 steals, second-most in the system, for Vancouver.