A's Anatomy: Part I - The Catcher and the Middle Infield

Mark Ellis - 2006 Stats: 124 games, 441 AB, 25 2B, 11 HR, 40 BB,
76 SO, 4 SB, .319 OBP, .385 SLG, .249 AVG
There’s no way to sugar-coat it. Mark Ellis had a disastrous season in 2006 at the plate, big time. Coming off a career season in 2005, where he should have won the ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ award, which should aptly be renamed the “Players Who Sucked and Then Didn’t” award, his numbers looked even worse in comparison. And with the injuries to Bobby Crosby, and the barely-adequate offensive numbers by his replacement, Scutaro, the A’s didn’t get much production out of their middle infield. However, Ellis’ numbers were infinitely better in the latter half of 2006, and combined with his Gold Glove fielding (which we think he was the clear stand-out for this award as well); he was a part of the A’s run to the finish, until his injury. Call it an unfortunate coincidence if you want, but the A’s were halted in their playoff run from the moment they lost Ellis. Look for a rebound season from Ellis in 2007; his defense will continue to be solid, and his offensive numbers should vastly improve, barring any further injuries. The A’s need a solid offensive year out of him; they would love him to hit .270 or higher, with his customary 10-12 homeruns.

Bobby Crosby - 2006 Stats: 96 games, 358 AB, 12 2B, 9 HR, 36 BB,
76 SO, 8 SB, .298 OBP, .338 SLG, .229 AVG
No player has inspired more polarized predictions from A’s fans and the baseball orld alike than Crosby, who looks exactly what we think a major league player should look like. Tall, rangy, with a beautiful athletic body, and family history embedded in The Game, he should be the next MLB superstar. And indeed, he delivered his very first season, winning the Rookie of the Year award ahead of the relatively low competition, and on the strength of his 22 rookie homeruns. However, his accompanying numbers were not good; he easily eclipsed them in his injury-shortened 2005 season. Crosby played only a slightly higher number of games in 006, and his multiple injuries, as well as an apparent misdiagnosis by the A’s medical trainers, kept him out of the last part of the season, and the playoffs. Crosby is still very much an unrefined talent; his Achilles Heel is the outside slider, and he tries to do too much with his at-bats. If he can stay healthy for the entire season (big ‘IF’), he will hopefully learn to adjust at the plate, and provide some much-needed offense to go with his unquestionably stellar defense. Crosby should have no trouble bettering his 2006 numbers (they really can’t get worse, unless he suddenly becomes Antonio Perez), and with some adjustments, he could be at least be a .250 hitter with 25+ homeruns.

Marco Scutaro - 2006 Stats: 117 games, 365 AB, 21 2B, 5 HR, 50 BB,
66 SO, 5 SB, .350OBP, .397 SLG, .266 AVG
“Magical Marco” as he was dubbed after the biggest of his ‘clutch’ hits nailed down game three of the ALDS, is back this year as the infield replacement for Crosby and Ellis, and although no one in recent A’s history has had more big hits on their resume than he, his offensive numbers are league average, at best, and his passable defense falls well short of the defensively awesome Crosby and Ellis. Scutaro is a great bench player, who has no fear of being at the plate in crucial game situations and can fill in at a multitude of positions, but the fewer games he plays in 2007, the better for the A’s. They need Crosby and Ellis to perform, not only on defense, but also to absorb some of the loss of Frank Thomas.

Upcoming: Part II - The Corner Infield and Designated Hitter