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Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD Apr 13 2023 03:18 PM

The 2023 Oakland Athletics are a team in flux. Their reports say they lost $9 million last year, while Forbes says they mad $29 million. While the difference in these figures may represent a bar bill for Steve Cohen, it's an existential matter for the team, claiming they need a public-financed stadium to compete, while maintaining the venerable Oakland-Alameda Coliseum (known for the moment as RingCentral Coliseum) at a level that can best be described as "habitable." Gary reported second-hand information last night of opossa in the pressbox, and while I believe it, I love the place. Their once-standard-ish generous acreage of foul territory could now be described as "massive" compared to contemporary parks, they have bullpens down the left- and right-field lines, and there's a nice cutaway behind home plate, giving even the catcher beaucoups room to chase down popups. A football-stadium shaped grandstand looms over centerfield, giving the mid-century modern ballpark a feel of pre-modern antiquity. The A's uniforms are the whitest of home-whites, with the Orioles, who they just played, coming in second. I don't know if that's scientifically true, but it feels true. This effect is augmented by the team's tradition of wearing white shoes, though they don't always polish them, so even nu shoes look less white than the unis they accessorize. [FIMG=500]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71epPLLdyLL.jpg[/FIMG] After copious research, I haven't been able to find any sponsor patches yet staining the 2023 Oakland uniform, and so the gorgeous elephant-on-the-baseball remains undesecrated by bad company. You'd figure there would be a 50th-anniversary-of-the-1973 team patch, but maybe that doesn't get debuted until Sunday. I really don't know. [FIMG=500]https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/32/23/64/23674131/3/1200x0.jpg[/fimg] A's president Billy Beane continues his quixotic goal of winning with the worst payroll in the game, and after losing 102 games in 2022 and nine of their first 12 this year, surely somebody is going to say that he's following in Connie Mack's white shoes and damaging his legacy by sticking around too long. That won't be me saying that necessarily, but somebody will. Young talent and middle-aged vagabonds fill their roster, with three hitters sharing their homerun lead at two. Billy's A's rarely take long to re-load, but with the team possibly half-packed for Las Vegas, this re-build may be harder than most. Catching for the A's is 25-year-old born-to-be-a-Met Shea Langeliers. The second-year receiver has your standard righthanded-hitting catcher profile of decent puncher's power but low batting average and sub-.300 OBPs. He's athletic enough to fake in left, though he hasn't yet as a big leaguer. He's a former first round pick and Braves minor league player of the year (he came over in the Garret Olson deal) so he probably has some growth yet to come. He tends to bat seventh or eighth right now but he shares the team's lead with two homers. [FIMG=500]https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/article/hero/shea-langeliers-GettyImages-1422041960.jpg[/FIMG] Currently holding down First Base is a 27-year-old rookie Ryan Noda. With lots of walks and strikeouts, and a loopy lefthanded swing and (so far) a low batting average, he's like a really poor man's John Olerud, and that makes sense, as the A's are the franchise equivalent of a really poor man. The more-or-less-OK placeholder the Athletics had gone with in the post-Olson era had been Seth Brown, but Brown is on the injured list right now and had been seeing more time in the outfield, so for now, you get a 27-year-old rookie, finally debuting after joining his third organization. [FIMG=500]https://www.si.com/.image/ar_1:1%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cg_xy_center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200%2Cx_2566%2Cy_579/MTk2ODQyNDI3MzY4MDg4NjM4/noda-2.jpg[/FIMG] What's that? The dogs need a walk? We'll be right back!

MFS62 Apr 13 2023 04:00 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: What's that? The dogs need a walk? We'll be right back! Waiting breathlessly. This is approaching all-time KTE status. Later

Edgy MD Apr 13 2023 04:06 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Staffing Second Base is longtime Houston part-timer, who has been a fulltimer in recent years with Oakland, Tony Kemp. One may associate the Kemp name with outfielding (Steve, Matt), and Tony occasionally fills in in left as well. He's 31 and probably never going to be a star, but he has enough secondary skills to hold down a temporary job at the keystone, a la Bob Bailor or Joe McEwing. But this is his third year on the gig for the undersized (5'6") lefty hitter. He's a smart, energetic player that you like your team to have but hate your team to need — or to start every day. He really stunk it up in the first half last year, but came back for a strong finish. He and his wife are totally the cutest. [FIMG=500]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/t_w1024/mlb/ndogr9ajuhjyqvfwoaog[/FIMG] [FIMG=285]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6b/88/79/6b8879db3bab040a3ff5c242318a24a3.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=225]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH-ho0uUUAQS2L5.jpg[/FIMG]

Edgy MD Apr 13 2023 04:27 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Another guy who is good to have but probably not so good to play every day is Jace Peterson, currently playing every day at Third Base for Oakland, on the back end of a long career as a utility man that you've seen in Atlanta and Milwaukee. Space-Face Jace is a high-percentage base-stealer in recent years, so he may be a good bet for somebody trying to take advantage of the nu rools. He's got four appearances on the mound in his career, so if you see a game get out of hand, you may see him get the call one more time. He and Dansby Swanson are married to a pair of sisters — not their own sisters, but two women who are sisters to each other, and both professional soccer players. Swanson's wife is the better soccer player (Olympian and World Cup champ Mallory Swanson), but that's only fair, because Dansby is the better baseball player. Jace wears a merkin beard and was a college football player and kind of brings that sort of footbally intensity despite his mostly lightweight stat line. He also bring post-season 'sperience, so there's that. [FIMG=500]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/w_270,h_154/mlb/peevzea0kfif49jsdi32[/FIMG]

metirish Apr 13 2023 04:33 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Great work Edgy

Edgy MD Apr 13 2023 04:53 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

I don't want to tell you that the A's are starting career utility guys all over the infield, but then I couldn't tell you that their current Shortstop is longtime Astro reserve Aledmys Díaz. Aleddy made the All-Star team as a rookie, when he was the first player in MLB history to sustain a .500 batting average through his first 50 at-bats, but that's the sort of sustaining that is unsustainable, and he was OPS-ing at .384 when last seen, so I don't see him lasting long. The 32-year-old from Cuba has three things going for him: (1) he's probably the best Aledmys in baseball history; (2) he can plausibly blame Carlos Correa for the lack of opportunities in his career; and (3) if it helps, he can probably get you José Altuve's autograph. Alemdy's grew up on the same block and was friends with José Fernandez, is well liked throughout baseball, and got a game-winning RBI in his first game as an A. Maybe I'm wrong and he lasts with this team. He's got a two-year deal and stuff, but damn, do these guys have a lot of filler. [FIMG=500]https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/styles/article_video_thumbnail/public/short_form_video/hero/030823_A_s_Kotsay_on_Aledmys_Diaz.jpg[/FIMG] There you go. He's a professional hitter.

MFS62 Apr 13 2023 07:22 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

As Casey Stengel might have said, "If you don't have an outfield, you're going to give up a lot of triples". We're waiting for the rest of the squad. Later

Frayed Knot Apr 13 2023 07:31 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: There you go. He's a professional hitter. Kotsay should know, after all, cuz he was a professional hitter.

Edgy MD Apr 13 2023 09:02 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Some managers can have a little bit too much of a soft spot for players that remind them of themselves. With Mark Kotsay, that could be any number of these guys. Hey look, the white shoes of the Athletics is so brand-critical that they're included in some versions of the logo. https://cdn.ssref.net/req/202303071/tlogo/br/OAK-1973.png> This is as good a time as any to give individual shoutouts to the golden anniversary-celebrating members of the 1973 Oakland Athletics. Cool! Vern Hoescheit! [FIMG=325]https://images.bonanzastatic.com/afu/images/2097/f03f/f27e_11240182389/img001012.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=170]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bj2JHgl2-1I/W8cJqPWSfOI/AAAAAAAAO3g/Kj8zTv049Tg2mRFMongi8vTMnqSwDBDYgCLcBGAs/s1600/1973-TRADED-RAY-FOSSE.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://images.bonanzastatic.com/afu/images/2596/7660/92/483b2e6f6d3cf_66095b.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THT-Green-1973.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61GN+CJ1lHL._AC_SY445_SX342_.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://site.unbeatablesale.com/ATGPW211418.JPG[/FIMG] [FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iJcAAOSwiC9icwxg/s-l500.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Il0AAOSwnkFgndW8/s-l500.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1562/5775/products/IMG_20230101_234411062.jpg?v=1672635831[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://www.historyforsale.com/productimages/jpeg/21119.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~GoAAOSwSYdkB7kx/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/fJMAAOSwStdkIeW7/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nYSKXlm_7Pg/TQe-JjGM7yI/AAAAAAAABEQ/kSmh80kRvpI/s1600/73topps430.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/916FwYOToAL._AC_SL1500_.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/sgAAAOSwFwZjUDV4/s-l500.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BkIAAOSwrcBitsph/s-l500.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=170]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91kPLTiwrsL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T1/images/I/51efPIEVgSL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Vq0AAOSw54pgn0es/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T1/images/I/51mTFowMwsL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg[/FIMG][FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/31YAAOxy63FS-DpC/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG] Not just Vern Hoescheit! Deron Johnson! Glenn Abbott! it's a Mets coaching convention!! The 1973 A's were all just a pretext for a future Mets coaches recruitment event! I'm not sure who should be more pissed — Dick Green after Topps immortalized him making an error, or Deron Johnson after Topps froze him in time, forever staring meekly at his own popup. Perhaps it should be Horacio Piña, for never getting a card at all showing him as a 1973 Athletic, despite joining them way back on November 30, 1972. That Rob Gardner card is him in a Mets uniform with an Earl Scheib paint job, right?

batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2023 10:04 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: [FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/31YAAOxy63FS-DpC/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG] That Rob Gardner card is him in a Mets uniform with an Earl Scheib paint job, right? Doubtful. Gardner had played for several organizations in between his Mets and A's stints. A photo of Gardner in a Met uni would've been at least six years old when Topps designed his '73 card -- not necessarily unprecedented but by '72 or '73, Topps wasn't using six or seven year old photos anymore. And Gardner's photo for his '73 card was take at a Spring Training facility. Back then, Spring Training photos that made it onto actual Topps card were taken at the home facility of the player being photographed. And the background of that card looks nothing like Miller-Huggins or the Payson Complex where the Mets spring trained back then.

Fman99 Apr 14 2023 06:35 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

A 9:40 PM EDT first pitch means that even with the new brisk pace I'm unlikely to get more than halfway through this one. My son washes dishes at a local pizzeria and works on Friday nights, though, so I am usually up late enough to go pick him up from work, in the 10:30-11:30 range depending on how busy they are. Saturday and Sunday 4 PM starts are better for me.

stevejrogers Apr 14 2023 07:12 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: [FIMG=170]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/31YAAOxy63FS-DpC/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG] That Rob Gardner card is him in a Mets uniform with an Earl Scheib paint job, right? Doubtful. Gardner had played for several organizations in between his Mets and A's stints. A photo of Gardner in a Met uni would've been at least six years old when Topps designed his '73 card -- not necessarily unprecedented but by '72 or '73, Topps wasn't using six or seven year old photos anymore. And Gardner's photo for his '73 card was take at a Spring Training facility. Back then, Spring Training photos that made it onto actual Topps card were taken at the home facility of the player being photographed. And the background of that card looks nothing like Miller-Huggins or the Payson Complex where the Mets spring trained back then. The back of the card says he was a MFY in 1972, though he was in Oakland in the start of 1971! On to Baseball-Reference…hey his profile pic is as a Met! Hmmm…interesting transaction log which would explain never being in an A's uni when The Man From Topps came around… Seems like a brief return of the old KC A's-MFYs transaction shenanigans: [BLOCKQUOTE]April 9, 1971: Traded by the New York Yankees with Ron Klimkowski to the Oakland Athletics for Felipe Alou. May 26, 1971: Traded by the Oakland Athletics with Darrell Osteen to the New York Yankees for Curt Blefary. November 24, 1972: Traded by the New York Yankees with a player to be named later to the Oakland Athletics for Matty Alou. The New York Yankees sent Rich McKinney (December 1, 1972) to the Oakland Athletics to complete the trade. May 31, 1973: Purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Oakland Athletics. July 16, 1973: Previous purchase by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Oakland Athletics voided and player returned. [/BLOCKQUOTE] BTW, that was his last nationally released trading card, as the rest of his listings on TCDB are team issued All-Time Roster (Mets, MFY, Brewers) or all time greats (Syracuse Chiefs) sets and Topps archived buy backs.

Edgy MD Apr 14 2023 07:50 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

It's a nice array of 1973 cards, featuring both the terrific and the terrible. I'm sure it's mostly the unusual angle of the shot, but Dave Hamilton's form makes him look like somebody who has never seen anybody throw a ball in his life, but read about it in a book and decided to give it a try.

MFS62 Apr 14 2023 08:19 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: I'm sure it's mostly the unusual angle of the shot, but Dave Hamilton's form makes him look like somebody who has never seen anybody throw a ball in his life, but read about it in a book and decided to give it a try. And Reggie also doesn't look smooth doing whatever he's doing. His left arm is sorta' blurry and I can't figure out why they're showing him throwing a baseball that way, as though he's pitching. And of all the players shown, whether they were good or not, whether they played well against the Mets or not, I never liked Sal Bando. And I can't think of a good reason why. Later

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 14 2023 08:39 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

I like that Reggie card, I have it somewhere

stevejrogers Apr 14 2023 10:09 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

They haven't been arranged or noted in ways that I'd like for public consumption, but I cobbled together trading card lists of everyone who played at least one game per season for the 1971-1975 dynasty A's 1971 AL West Champions 1972 World Champions 1973 World Champions 1974 World Champions 1975 AL West Champions

batmagadanleadoff Apr 14 2023 10:31 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Bill North's Earl Scheib job didnt exactly conceal his Cubs uniform. Sloppy crop. Also, I was certain last year that the '73 Mets would be celebrated this year. But so far, no 50th anniversary patch. And no Old-Timer's game. How Wilponian.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 14 2023 10:43 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Tue A's current unis go back almost 40 years to the Tony Larussa McGwire Canseco Eck squads, back when the A's and Davey Johnson's Mets were the best teams in baseball. Also, Fosse and Tenace have virtually identical batting stances.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 14 2023 10:52 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

I didn't remember that they did "Boyhood Photos of the Stars" in the 1973 set. I only recall them from 1972. http://ultimatemets.com/cards/DanielMurphy1972boyhood.jpg> http://ultimatemets.com/cards/NoahSyndergaard1972boyhood.jpg> http://ultimatemets.com/cards/JacobdeGrom1972boyhood.jpg> http://ultimatemets.com/cards/MattHarvey1972naked.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Apr 14 2023 11:00 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I didn't remember that they did "Boyhood Photos of the Stars" in the 1973 set. I only recall them from The Hunter Boyhood Photos card (and the Fosse card) are both custom or DIY cards.

Edgy MD Apr 14 2023 11:06 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

The only Fosse card from '73 has him in Indian garb. As for Hunter, I just liked the custom card a lot better than his actual 1973 card, and thought it felt authentic, even though I knew it wasn't. I never realized until just yesterday that Gardner's card was a paint job. Ray Fosse, by the way, got honored with a uniform patch last year, with a design that nicely mashed up his catching career and his broadcasting career. [fimg=500]https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/25/20/22/22348980/13/rawImage.jpg[/fimg]

Benjamin Grimm Apr 14 2023 11:23 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Okay, but there do appear to be actual "Boyhood Photos" cards from 1973: https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/73/73-342Fr.jpg> https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/73/73-341Fr.jpg>

ashie62 Apr 14 2023 11:36 AM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Terrific cards The "centerpiece" of the Matt Olson trade, Christian Pacheco, was just sent to the Phillies for RP Brad Sullivan Esteury Ruiz, the "centerpiece" of the Sean Murphy trade leads off now and has shown signs that he may indeed have a major league future

batmagadanleadoff Apr 14 2023 12:03 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Okay, but there do appear to be actual "Boyhood Photos" cards from 1973: https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/73/73-342Fr.jpg> https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/73/73-341Fr.jpg> My bad. The Hunter card is the real thing. [FIMG=777]https://collectauctions.net/ItemImages/000029/E7049a_lg.jpeg[/FIMG]

kcmets Apr 14 2023 12:25 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

[fimg=375]http://ultimatemets.com/cards/MattHarvey1972naked.jpg[/fimg] "Fellas! Can't a guy chew 'n screw without being hounded by youse reporters?"

Edgy MD Apr 14 2023 12:31 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

That's why you need to drag your feet on your KTE essays. You hate write about a guy just as he leaves. Seth Brown had been staffing Left Field for the Oaklanders, but he's hit the Injured List in one of those misfortunes with a silver lining, because his replacement has been Brent Rooker, one of those AAA sluggers who tends to get called up, but never gets enough playing time to show what he can do. But now, with the leftfielder hurt on a last-place team, he's getting his swings in, and in a few short games (since the start of this thread in fact) he's taken over the team lead in homers with three. He's a righthanded hitter who seems to have gone from the bench to the cleanup spot in a week. He may be still looking to stick at 28, but the dude slugged .649 in AAA last year, and a former SEC superstar, so he deserves this. Big dude. [FIMG=500]https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2023/04/13/5d1bde05-67a0-4f9f-9784-1d2412c9db53/thumbnail/1200x630/2ce85f709e2b32669ddfdea9222c2f1e/ap23102831779788.jpg[/FIMG] Center Field appears to be where the fun is, because that's the province Esteury Ruíz. Esteury is a swift and slender young Dominican with a lot of Mickey Rivers in his game. His 169-lb frame has clearly left him with his share of doubters, because he's already on his fourth organization, but the A's saw him as the big get in the 50-player offseason three-way trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, so clearly Billy Beane believes a bit more than most in his 2022 minor league season that saw him hit .332 / .447 / .526 // .974 with 16 homers and 85 steals in 114 games across AA and AAA. Apparently, he doesn't get big exit-velocity scores, but who wouldn't want to take a chance on a minor league line like that, especially when the speed plays on defense also? [YOUTUBE]fQWfFUsW7UQ[/YOUTUBE] The emergence of Ruíz has bumped longtime centerfielder Ramón Laureano to Right Field. Ramón is sort of the Steve Henderson of the team in that he looked like a real run producer coming up, and has been a fixture with the team in the middle of their lineup for several years, but his power can disappear for months at a time. Still a solid big leaguer who hits free agency this offseason with a pretty smokin' sizzle reel with which to market himself. [YOUTUBE]voAAXD5jt5Q[/YOUTUBE] Veteran journeyman Jesús Aguilar takes the David Justice turns at Designated Hitter. He's 33, zoning out with his headphones on the team flight, and reminding the GM that all that talk is fine, but it's for everybody else and not for him. That's just speculation on my part, and a single All-Star season back in 2018 doesn't make anybody David Justice, but you've got to work with you've got. You may remember him from recent seasons with the Marlins where he followed two solid seasons in 2020-2021 by kinda playing himself out of town in 2022. He carries a LOT of extra weight, and if you have any notion that new rules and closer bases will lead to him increasing his steals, please note that he has a career total of one in 771 games, so his next stolen base will increase his total by 100%. His first one came last year, but I think it only happened because the catcher fell down a well or something. He's probably the slowest offensive player in the game, almost certainly the slowest non-catcher, and is probably more Mo Vaughn than David Justice in that regard. He's probably not that big now, as he usually starts seasons around 260 and finishes them around 290, but his legs are older than his 33 years. [FIMG=500]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/t_2x1/t_w1536/mlb/rrxzwopd87upo3djjemy.jpg[/FIMG]

Frayed Knot Apr 14 2023 12:54 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Edgy MD wrote: ... Center Field appears to be where the fun is, because that's the province Esteury Ruíz. Esteury is a swift and slender young Dominican with a lot of Mickey Rivers in his game. It would be even better if the two were combined and he became named Esteury Rivers.

stevejrogers Apr 14 2023 01:34 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

BTW, it's hitting me that in a couple of those lists that I posted there is a comment with just Allan Lewis' name. That is because The Panamanian Express has only one card to his name indexed on that site, a 1969 postcard set released under the name “Mike Andersen Postcards” and it's image has yet to be uploaded. I might add it to the lists as it's better than not having a card period, but he is the only player on those early 1970s A's that doesn't have an image of him in cardboard form on the TCDB site.

Edgy MD Apr 14 2023 03:08 PM Re: Get Straight A's on Your KTE Test

Tonight, the phenomenon that is Kodai Senga matches up against James Kaprielian, a rare MLB-er of Armenian-American descent. Kaprelian, like many Oakland players, came to town as part of a big trade from years prior. In his case he was bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in the Yankee system when he was exchanged (with two others) for Sonny Gray. It's his second season holding down a spot in the Oakland rotation. He's a legit big-league starter, but he's lost the luster of first-roundiness that got him here. He's got mid-nineties heat that he can dial up to 97 in a key spot, but his secondary stuff is meh, so he has to hit his spots. I guess that might suggest he's got a little Pelfrey in him, but with his strong upper body, Roman nose, and receding hairline, in an Oakland uniform, he kind of looks like a young Art Howe. [FIMG=500]https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/BNG-L-AS-0908-4.jpg?w=525[/FIMG] Carlos Carrasco works tomorrow against Shintaro Fujinami. Like Senga, Fujinami is in his first MLB season after coming over mid-career from the NPB. Like Carrasco, he's looked pretty lost his first two starts. giving up eight in 2 1/3 his first time out, and five in 4 1/3 his second. But hey! Those are good trend lines, so watch out!! Eleven years ago, drafted at 18, he was actually the higher rated prospect over Shohei Ohtani, so, um, yeah, that's what 11 years will get you. He's a hard thrower, a mix between a drop-and-driver (getting down really low like Tom Seaver) and a slinger (whipping his arm way out there at a straight 3/4 angle like Randy Johnson). He's been effectively wild through a lot of his career, but sometimes he's just wild-wild. With seven walks in 6 2/3 innings so far, the play against him seems to be to wait him out and let him beat himself. Fujinami was one of the few guys the strapped A's brought in this offseason who didn't get the MLB minimum, so they're kinda behind the 8-Ball if he can't find himself. Too bad he and Senga couldn't match up with each other, but the Japanese media will get two stories out of their visit. Ten Cranebucks says he hits Mark Canha. [FIMG=500]https://www.si.com/.image/ar_16:9%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cg_xy_center%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200%2Cx_1351%2Cy_419/MTk2NDAzNTA1MzMyNzU4MDAy/fuji-2.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=500]https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3554dfe/2147483647/strip/false/crop/5095x3396+0+0/resize/1486x990!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F30%2Fc5%2F3af10352453f98624c9fe8aa40af%2Fbrewers-athletics-baseball-02450.jpg[/FIMG] Closing out the series, we'll see Max Scherzer lock horns with the one and only JP Sears. Sears is at least the third former Yankee farmhand in this thread, having come over in the YO FRANKIE! Montas trade. He's a flyball pitcher who is (keyboard-shortcut)susceptible to the longball(/keyboard-shortcut), but Oakland sees as a guy who can get a lot of outs in the copious foul territory of Oakland-Alameda RingWorm Coliseum or whatever it's called. Pretty sly to be begging for a new ballpark while building your team around the current place. The bullpen has been mostly a punching bag so far, despite featuring good buddies like Jeurys Familia and Trevor May. The former has started pretty well and the latter has had a foul smell. But as a unit, the pen is probably better than they've played so far. OLD FRIENDS ON THE OAKLAND PAYROLL Apart from May and Familia, the A's brag of former Mets farmhand Adam "Makes Me Wanna" Oller, currently bouncing back and forth from AAA, and their longtime GM/president Billy Beane came up with the Mets back when James Watt was the secretary of the interior. OLD OAKLAND GUYS WE ARE NOW FRIENDS WITH Mets leftfielder Mark Canha had his name mis-spelt and mis-pronounced for seven years in Oakland before joining our noble cause. Opposite him in right for the last two months of 2021 was Starling Marte, who donned the white shoes for the stretch run that season before becoming Metly in 2022. Get your rest, enjoy the series, and between innings, remember that Danny Mendick is hitting .341 for Syracuse.