Ahh, it’s time to look at the NRIs of my favorite team.
Not only do I have good familiarity will all the Oakland prospect non-roster invitees, but my A’s also happened to bring in a couple of my favorite minor league vets over the offseason. Let’s take a brief look at this interesting bunch, if 800 words is considered brief.
RHP Fernando Cabrera—The former top relief prospect, if there is such a thing, continues to bounce around. In 175 1/3 career innings, he’s struck out 193 batters, which is good. He’s also walked 102 and allowed 32 homers, which is not good. He spent 2010 mostly dominating Triple-A hitters, but in one appearance with the Red Sox, he allowed three runs while recording four outs. Still equipped with a plus slider and splitter to go with decent velocity, the 29-year-old may yet figure it out, but he’s blown too many chances to be given the benefit of the doubt.
OF Matt Carson—Carson’s spent 2009-10 hitting well for the A’s Triple-A affiliate, but he’s at .200/.210/.370 in 46 big league games. He doesn’t have the plate discipline to let his considerable power consistently play in the majors. At 29, he’s probably too old for an approach overhaul, although Jose Bautista has shown it can be done.
OF Michael Choice—The tenth overall pick in the 2010 draft, Choice has serious power and, unlike Carson, he walks a ton. Unfortunately, he strikes out at a clip that makes former Athletics slugger Jack Cust look like Ichiro, and while he’s more athletic than Cust, Choice needs to show he can make some degree of contact if he’s to avoid being the next Cody Johnson. As a college draftee, he can’t afford too many slipups, so the time to cut down on the whiffs is now.
RHP Vinnie Chulk—Chulk had a surprisingly strong year in 2010 for the Pirates’ AAA affiliate, with a 38/12 K/BB in 32 2/3 innings. His extensive major league time has been far short of dominant, however; a 189/108 K/BB in 276 1/3 innings. Chulk still has a solid four-pitch mix and could be a decent low-leverage reliever at 32, but the deep A’s staff isn’t going to give him that chance, in all likelihood.
RHP Gabe DeHoyos—Always a dominant Triple-A hurler, DeHoyos has yet to get a look in the majors. A stocky reliever with a knockout curve, he posted an 80/33 K/BB in 82 1/3 innings for the Angels’ AAA team last year. 31 in April, his time is running out, but he could help a team in need of a righty relief arm. As a longtime DeHoyos apologist, I’m hoping my A’s will be the team to give him that chance, but the bullpen is so stacked that it’s highly unlikely.
SS Grant Green—The A’s top shortstop prospect, Green has some definite pluses, but he also has two significant minuses: an over-aggressive approach and questionable shortstop defense. Those give me lots of trepidation pertaining to his future, and while I’m probably in the minority there, I’m certainly not alone. Green will also need to prove he can hit outside of the Cal League in 2011; already 23, he can’t afford to struggle.
3B Andy LaRoche—Sometimes, my crazed prospect predictions actually come true. I was never convinced LaRoche was going to be a viable MLB starter, let alone an above-average one, and his career .224/.304/.338 batting line makes me look rather prescient (Then again, there are a host of others who make me look stupid). Now 27, he’s firmly in the Andy Marte portion of his career, where he hopes his former top prospect status will cause teams to try to catch lightning in a bottle with him. Obviously, I don’t expect any sort of turnaround, although many remain somewhat optimistic on LaRoche.
3B Wes Timmons—I’d much rather see Timmons win a backup job than LaRoche. Timmons is a longtime Braves farmhand who’s done nothing but put up silly K/BB ratios in the minors. And I mean silly–he’s got a 266/430 ratio for his career, and 142/232 in Triple-A. 2010 brought more of the same, with 33 strikeouts and 60 walks. Mainly a third baseman, he also has experience at the other three infield spots. The career .273/.384/.376 Triple-A hitter deserves a utility gig in the majors. He and DeHoyos are two of the NRIs for whom I’m rooting the hardest, and that’d be true whether they were in Oakland’s camp or someone else’s.
2B/SS Steve Tolleson–Tolleson’s another excellent utility candidate, and probably a better one than Timmons–he has more middle infield experience and more pop in his bat. Tolleson hit .336/.415/.507 in Triple-A last year and was a respectable 14-for-49 in the majors, with a .286/.340/.408 line. I was shocked that nobody claimed him when the A’s designated Tolleson for assignment; he’s already a solid utility player and could even be a decent starter at second base. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Tolleson outplays Mark Ellis this year–if he does, would the A’s turn over the second base job to him? I hope so.