2006 A's Spring Training Thread

[Providence A's]

Thomas will face MLB pitchers...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2379883

PHOENIX -- Oakland slugger Frank Thomas, recovering from a broken left ankle, is scheduled to hit against three of the Athletics' major-league pitchers Thursday.

Thomas has taken 22 at-bats against minor-league pitching the past three days. He took batting practice Wednesday and tested his ankle with some baserunning.

"I normally get no more than 35 at-bats during spring so I'm really on target as far as that goes," Thomas said. "I've been playing for a long time, so stepping up from Triple-A to the big leagues is no big deal. It's all about focus.

It appears he'll face Blanton, Kennedy, and Saarloos.

[Providence A's]

DK's boy Loaiza sucked yesterday in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

PHOENIX -- Esteban Loaiza took the mound for the first time as an A's starting pitcher. The results weren't great, but getting back into a routine was very pleasing.

"I thought I did OK," Loaiza said after allowing four runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. "It's been a long time since I pitched, and my slider was not working. My sinker was working a little, and I was dragging my cutter."

Loaiza hasn't pitched since losing to Japan in the World Baseball Classic last Tuesday. He also lost time to illness when he returned to the A's camp. He still doesn't feel 100 percent, but getting back on track was important.

"Coming back from the Classic and getting sick messed up my routine," he said. "I had my cutter in the Classic, but today I dropped my arm slot. Once I get back on a regular routine, I can work on it and throw strikes again."

Meh...

[Providence A's]

Looks like Thomas might play Sunday:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...s/14166587.htm

PHOENIX - Frank Thomas checked another yard-marker off his long rehabilitation process on Wednesday, a significant step in moving closer to playing in a Cactus League game.

That day could come as soon as Sunday. Thomas will have to be cleared to play by A's orthopedist, Dr. Jerrald Goldman, who will be in Phoenix on Saturday to examine the Big Hurt. If Goldman gives him the go-ahead, a Sunday appearance is possible, though it may come Tuesday since the A's make the 100-mile drive to Tucson on Monday, a trip Thomas almost surely won't make.

"It's hard to predict," trainer Larry Davis said. "We'll see how he does baserunning. If he has trouble, he wouldn't get in."

Thomas ran -- actually, it was more of a jog -- around the bases for the first time on one of the back fields, his initial jaunt since he underwent a second operation on his left foot last July. In all, Thomas made three trips around the bases. He went from home to first, home to second, first to third, and second to home. On that trip, Thomas hit third base a bit awkwardly.

The session, as planned, was stopped at that point.

"The last one, I was planning on scoring from second," Thomas said. "I planned on hitting the bag with my right foot, but I hit it with my left foot. It's OK. The screws are in there. I hit it OK. Right now, the worst thing to do is overuse it."

[Fishercat]

I'm cheering for Thomas to tell the truth. I've always liked the guy and I think he could do wonders for the A's as long as he doesn't get hurt. I just really hope, for the A's and his sake, that doesn't happen.

[Providence A's]

I don't think Thomas will make or break the A's. We would have won the West if Crosby and Harden didn't get hurt twice each last season. If they stay healthy, we'll win.

[Fishercat]

He's not a make or break, but he could be the difference between a wild card and a division, or resting Zito and Harden for the playoffs and needing them in the final series.

[Providence A's]

barring any major injuries, I think the A's win the West quite easily. Anything Thomas gives us is gravy IMHO. The young guys are going to improve, Bradley also improves the offense, and Crosby will have a huge year I think as will Chavvy.

[Fishercat]

It's a tough division this year. I think the A's have to be the favorites with more experience than they had last year, younger players than their division opponents, and a pretty sick staff, but anything can happen.

[Providence A's]

yes, anything can happen, but the Angels did nothing to improve themselves and actually downgraded themselves IMHO. Texas will fall apart after the break as always as their pitchers melt in the Texas heat. And Seattle is fighting for 3rd.

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

"I thought he looked great," Perry said. "He's swinging the bat well, and his timing looks like it's there. The key is that he got the barrel of the bat on the ball and he was laying off tough pitches. He's been able to get 30 at-bats relatively quickly."

Thomas, who may play in a game as early as this weekend, also ran lightly to first base every time he put the ball in play. He's not worried about running, though. It was all about seeing live pitching.

"I'm just going to keep my legs on the ground," Thomas said. "Running is something we're not going to do. I'll probably run [on Friday]. I hit two of them real good, but the balls were caught. That's good, since we were with our guys."

And Perry's prognosis for Thomas?

"He'll be ready for Opening Day," Perry said. "I have no doubt about that. He's been going at it pretty hard."

More good news on the Big Hurt!

[Providence A's]

A nice article on Harden and how he became an A.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

Harden had another decision to make.

Harden pondered a choice between attending Arizona State and having to wait three years for the next draft, or take his chances at Central Arizona, a junior college in Coolidge, about an hour from the Phoenix metro area. His choice to attend junior college proved timely.

"It was good weather all year round, and I needed the experience," Harden said. "I wanted to get into [professional baseball] as soon as possible. I wanted to learn from the best, instead of going to a four-year college."

He chose to pitch in a stadium "10 miles from nowhere, with maybe the softball team dropping by to watch." Toiling in relative obscurity, Harden worked on his game with a group of players who all came from somewhere else with the same dream in mind.

John Kuehl, an A's area scout at the time, was one of the few who kept an eye on Harden. Kuehl is no longer in baseball, but his contribution to the A's organization cannot be overlooked. While other scouts were turned off by his wildness, Kuehl saw the potential.

"He had no track record coming out of Canada," A's director of player development Keith Lieppman said. "People just missed him. John knew what kind of arm he had and pushed for him. He looked mechanical and he didn't have command, and no one else saw the arm he had."

I can't imagine how he'll do this year if he stays healthy. I'm thinking he'll have an excellent shot at a Cy.

[Providence A's]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PGC7HT2N51.DTL

Tempe, Ariz. -- Joe Blanton wasn't faring as well as the rest of the A's starters, so on Thursday, he got in six innings of work at the Papago Park minor-league complex, with pitching coach Curt Young standing just a few feet behind the mound.

Blanton went six somewhat free-form innings (one of them ended with a walk, for instance) and he allowed six hits and a walk and struck out six while throwing 90 pitches. He did face some big-league hitters: Frank Thomas, Mark Kotsay and Milton Bradley.

"I worked on a lot,'' Blanton said. "I threw a lot of changeups, varied the speeds on my fastball, I was pounding the strike zone, trying to get some groundballs.''

It appears that this session went well for Blanton. Let's hope he builds on it.

[A'sDiehard]

Thanks for all the links and news Prov. I've been way busy at work this week with little time to catch up on anything.

Nice work. I'm taking opening day off and I'm just going to watch baseball all day and go the A's game that night.

[Providence A's]

Well, I'm jealous. I wish I were going to opening day. I'll be working and since the game will be on at 10 PM here I believe, I'll probably just watch it the next day after work on MLB.tv.

[Bear]

Providence A's...You guys have a lot to be happy about this year. I believe that B. Bean has put together the best all around team in baseball!! That said with luck I can only hope for a Giants vs. A's WS. One can only hope!
GO A'S & GO GIANTS