A’s to call up top pitching prospect Sean Manaea

The Oakland Athletics had a choice to make. They had options for who would be their fifth starter this week and it’s not the more obvious of choices. It’s 24-year-old Sean Manaea, the A’s number two overall prospect and top pitching prospect.

According to multiple sources, including Sports Illustrated, MLB.com and the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s will call up Manaea to start Friday against the Houston Astros.

Manaea has barely spent time in the minors but vice president of baseball operations for the A’s Billy Beane has said that he wouldn’t bring him up unless he thought he was ready. The A’s are likely just testing the waters, seeing if Manaea transition his unbelievable number of strike outs effectively in the majors.

In his very short minor league career that began in 2014, he’s struck out 257 batters in 214 innings. Manaea is still young and can lose his command at times. He had 3.53 walks per nine innings throughout his minor league career, however since being promoted to Triple-A this year he’s really calmed down that part of his game.

So far, during his time at Triple-A Nashville this season he’s allowed three runs on 16 hits, four walks and struck out 21 batters in only 18 innings of work.

The A’s acquired the left-hander as part of the trade that sent Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals.

The team had other options but they elected to send down interim starting pitcher Eric Surkamp. Jesse Hahn has half a season of big league experience and most were expecting him to be the one called up. Hahn, however, is currently battling a blister that has prohibited him from being able to start.

For more on Manaea ….

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Perhaps It Is Time For The MLB To Adopt The Boomerang Concept For Drafting Rounds

The MLB should consider doing what all ‘even level playing field’ sports pools do and that is to use the boomerang method of each draft round. A team that drafts 1st in round one would draft last in round 2, before picking 1st in round 3 again and so forth. It wouldn’t alleviate tanking altogether – with the best talent still being absorbed in the top 10 most times, but it would level out the middle rounds for sure.

Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21

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We have all gone into pools/player drafts where we drew the worst card possible and then picked last.  To offset the sting of this a lot – in the ‘interest of fairness’, the draft worked like a boomerang.

If there are 30 guys picking, the 30th guy picks the last selection in the 1st round, but then he is able to pick 1st in the 2nd round.  Maybe it is time for the MLB to take this action for its Amateur Draft each year?

There has been so much talk about tanking by the teams like Phillies, Braves, Reds, Brewers, Padres and Rockies all following the path paved by the Cubs, Astros, Royals, Pirates, Nationals, Rays and Twins in yesteryear.

KC and Pittsburgh both had 2 decades of shame before they turned their franchises around to respectability.  The Rays (once named the Devil Rays) failed to top 72 wins for the first 9 seasons since their inception to the MLB in 1998. before showcasing 80 wins for every year since 2008.

Projected Top 5 Save Leaders In The American And National League For MLB 2016

Craig Kimbrel is still about as filthy as they come in nailing down games in the Majors. With 225 Saves and a 1.63 ERA in the last 5 years of his career, this 27 year old flamethrower brings his talents to Beantown and a top rated club. Last year was the 1st season he didn’t lead the National League after four consecutive years of leading the Senior Circuit. He still managed 39 Saves for a 74 win San Diego team. Since the Red Sox are going to be somewhere in the 90 win range, Kimbrel should at least be in the mid 40’s in Saves again for 2016.

Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21

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Figuring out the Saves Leaders for the 2016 year is a lot easier to project than the Holds Leaders we did last week.  Perhaps the easiest to discern is also the National League.

Since I projected 7 teams will win 90+ games in the Senior Circuit I have listed 5 teams with their Closer out of the fold there.  I did however, leave out Hector Rondon and Mark Melancon.

I feel the Bucs may trade Melancon despite being in a position to make the playoffs.   I also think the Cubs will blow out a ton of clubs this season in games, and therefore not need Rondon to lockdown a 3 run or under lead.

This is the same reason why I won’t label Roberto Osuna for the top 5 in the American League either.  It is also not unfathomable to see the Jays go with Drew Storen to close down games.

I fully think that Craig Kimbrel will lead the entire Major Leagues for the Boston Red Sox as their Closer.

I may have gone with Aroldis Chapman on the list as well, however his pending suspension for his domestic violence call in should see him riding pine for at least 25 games.  The New York Yankees should still lead the Junior Circuit for total team Saves.

Baseball’s Greatest One Hit Wonders Part 1: The Batters

Phil Plantier made his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1990. During the 1992 season, Plantier crushed 11 HRs and added another 35 RBI in just 53 games. He was then traded in the off-season to the San Diego Padres for Jose Melendez. Plantier then thrived in California.

Chuck Booth (BBBA President/Owner mlbreports.com) Follow @mlbreports

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Music has one hit wonders, some have even made an entire career out of just one stretch of time where they were deemed relevant. 

Baseball is like everything else, they have had their fair share of players that fit this mold. 

In the next two weeks, we will take a look at hitters and pitchers that were really on fire for a stretch before they petered out just as fast. 

I harken back to the movie ‘Tin Cup” for this next saying,  “Greatness Courts Failure.”  The difference between the two in baseball is so miniscule. 

Unfortunately for every player that makes it to the show, hundreds never get their chance at all. 

MLB Power Rankings: Early Win Total Predictions For Spring Of 2016

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21

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There is parity in the American League and their is a growing distance between the good and the bad clubs in the National League.

One could argue that the top 6 teams (NYM/CHC/SF/WSH/STL/PIT) in all of the Majors reside in the NL right now, and you then you can counter that by saying they have the 6 worst squads as well (PHI/ATL/MIL/CIN/SD/COL).

The funny thing about this whole ordeal is that the AL is absolutely going to cream the NL in Interleague this forthcoming season.  On a 12 year win streak already,  I am predicting a 175 – 125 W – L for the games between both leagues. The AL speedbags the National League in my view.

Last year, the American League held a 167 – 133 mark over the National League so that prediction up there is not foreign by any means. 

Billy Beane’s Decision To Not Extend Mulder, Zito And Hudson Was The Right One: Money Ball At Its Best

Billy Beane will never spend a king’s ransom for Pitchers on long-term deals or for big $$ because of injuries like Tommy John crippling your salary infrastructure for the whole time a player may be out. Especially with smaller market teams, having too much invested with your pitchers can be catastrophic. Even though Jarrod Parker were out for a couple of years each with TJ surgeries the club was not hampered long-term financially by their injuries. It hurts yes, but not as much as it could have. He was forced into realizing the effects from losing Mulder, Zito and Hudson because the team couldn’t afford to re-sign them a decade ago. But as you will read, it was a blessing in disguise.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

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This has been an organization that has thrived on brilliant drafting of young arms. But in saying that. Billy Beane is a manager that will never throw out big dollars to retain Starting Pitching once the club has past the Team Controllable years.

In the early 2000’s, the team featured three ace pitchers in Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. 

Billy Beane had to let each of them leave Oakland (in the winters of 2004 – Hudson/Mulder, and 2006 winter – Zito) because they couldn’t pay them the kind of dollars needed to secure them long term.

It was a decision that looked dire to start with while the team struggled from 2007 – 2011, but it also paved the way for a new run at AL West Division supremacy from 2012 to current.

Lets take another look at the decision on how it has worked out since then.