Can a Careless Whisper Cure Reddicks' Batting Woes?

If you are an A's fan and let's face it you probably are because you are actually reading my blog then you're probably well aware of Josh Reddick's new theme song Careless Whisper by Wham ... it's quite the unusual walk up song but since premiering it on Monday in the first of a three game series against the Chicago White Sox Reddick has been hitting. He went 2-4 Monday night with a triple and 2-5 Tuesday night with a two-run home run. The fans in Oakland love it and so do the other players. Here's a longer version of video than just the Vine clip that has been circulating on Twitter.
The big question though is should we be believing that the 2012 Reddick has returned? I'm gonna say, "No," at least not yet. I know that every A's fan wants to believe it and with the song, it's really hard not to. Yet, let's not be too hasty! It's only two games so I am not ready to eat my words just yet. Back on April 6th I said that the A's should send Reddick down to Triple-A Sacramento. The guy couldn't hit, desperately needed to shorten his swing and was basically just fanning everything. His batting average in April? .241. Could have been worse but you'll see that even when we move on to May, it's only gotten worse.

However I did say that I would totally take it all back if he turned it around and no, I am not ready to do that .... YET. These last two games he's appeared to be the 2012 Josh Reddick who hit 32 bombs and batted .241. 

I'm certainly not questioning that his defense is still superior to almost every other right fielder out there. In 2013, while fighting a wrist injury that required off season surgery, he barley lost out on winning the Gold Glove to Boston's Shane Victorino. He made two insane "Spider-man" like grabs to rob San Francisco's Mike Morse of two home runs in the first game of spring training. So I have never questioned his defense but his offense has been pretty bad, really ugly even. As much as you want to believe he's back, I still need more proof.

In the month of May Reddick is batting .216 with eight strikeouts, only two walks and just three RBI. All three RBI came in the last two games against Chicago. So am I NOT ready to take back all of what I wrote about Reddick but I will take back the fact that I thought he should be sent down, for now. Here's what I said about Reddick after the first week of the season in my article on OPSN Five Changes the A's Need to Make Right Now:

"1. Send Reddick Down to Triple-A: Reddick is currently hitting .100 in 22 plate appearances with eight strikeouts. Now some question why I would single out Reddick when Josh Donaldson‘s batting average is similar to Reddick’s. I would answer that by looking at Reddick’s numbers in Boston and his numbers post 2012.  You would see that they are not that different meaning his so-called breakout year could very well have been a fluke. Donaldson’s breakout year was only last season so I would keep him and give him a chance to turn it around. Reddick has had his chances. Let’s be honest, Reddick slumped down the stretch in 2012 and started 2013 on a slow note. Granted he was injured in April slamming his wrist into a wall in a game in Houston. The wrist injury did not affect his defense as he was in the running for the AL Gold Glove in 2013 and his excuse that the injury hindered his swing is worth a grain of salt but he’s repeatedly said that he is 100 percent healthy this season so there is no excuse for batting .100 even in the first week of the season."

I had a chance to reread it and I still stand by the majority of my convictions but I will say that my wanting him sent down to Triple-A was, and still is, a bit rash. Can a simple Careless Whisper bring back the 2012 Reddick? I absolutely hope so and the past two nights have shown a marked improvement but two ballgames in the grand scheme of 162 means next to nothing. To believe he's back after two games is just naive.

I will say that I am pleased with his recent success and if he keeps it going then I will take back every negative thing I have said about him, however true it may have been at the time but that, my friends, is still a promise. I want to see our boys in the white cleats win as much as y'all do so ... I'd say let's have fun with the song for sure but don't see it as a sudden cure for Reddick's offensive woes at least not just yet. Let the numbers be your guide. Remember Reddick is still batting a measly .233 on the year with just two homers, so don't let his bravado fool you. In my opinion he still has something to prove at the plate.

Five Changes the A's Need to Make Right Now

Obviously it is not time to panic. No, it’s only been seven scheduled ballgames.  At this point the Oakland Athletics have won two out of the five games that they have actually played, out of the six that have been scheduled and with their ace 24-year old Sonny Gray on the mound there’s a decent chance they can emerge out of the first seven days of play with three wins and three losses. In a week, I’d call that unscathed. There was a rain out that turned into a double header and the next day a 12-inning marathon that ended in a 3-2 win. Then another game was canceled due to weather. So, like I said, no time to panic ...

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Ok, so why is everyone panicking and what can be done to quell the nervousness that is surrounding what should be a strong team? Problem number one: closer Jim Johnson who was acquired from the Orioles this off season. There  are lots of issues with this. The A’s gave up relatively nothing in Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later, who ended up being catcher David Freitas. They did, however,  take on the $10 million a year that Johnson makes and with a budget like Oakland’s he’s a player they are going to have to work with. So far he is responsible for two of the A’s losses. Letting what should have been an easy 9th inning where the A’s had the lead turn into a complete nightmare. And it’s not the type of nightmare where he gave up home runs. There were hits, there were walks and both blown saves were far from pretty. The fans are already up in arms with two arguments or complaints for Oakland’s general manager Billy Beane and manager Bob Melvin. The first is why didn’t the club keep their closer of the last two years who was let go to free agency when they could have afforded him? The second is why don’t they demote Johnson from closer and demote him now? As I mentioned panic has begun to set in in Oakland.

The other major is a HUGE lack of offense. When Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin both went down, Parker to season ending Tommy John surgery, everyone suspected that the A’s problem would be their starting pitching. Personally, I barely even flinched. I put more stock in Gray, Dan Straily and now that I have seen him pitch Scott Kazmir than either Parker or Griffin. Parker can be effective, so can Griffin but neither are entirely as consistent as I’d like and Griffin’s propensity for giving up home runs is quite staggering. Not shockingly, at least to me, is that the starting pitching and relief pitching by every pitcher but Johnson has been great. Collectively the A’s entire staff has an ERA of 2.44 which is pretty good considering Johnson’s alone is 22.00. The collective batting average of the team? .214. They aren’t letting teams score runs they are just not scoring any and the deficits in their lineup are not the ones you’d expect.

There are already some easy changes that could be made that would benefit the club. They have enough depth at almost every positions to correct these issues. Some may find them my suggestion bold, others may see them as obvious.  However you see them, here is my take on five ways the A’s can easily improve their two key issues: offense and the closer situation.

To Find Out What Five Changes I think the A's need to Make CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC. 

You can find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB

My Collaborative Article with John Flesta on VAVEL.com for an A's 2014 Season Preview

I was asked to assist on an A's preview by John Flesta (you can follow him on Twitter @jflesta). You may or may not like what I have to say but I would love to hear your opinion so please check it out! I think John's preview of the 2014 Oakland Athletics is great! I hope you enjoy reading it and any feedback is welcome!

Here's the link to the interview on VAVEL.com: 

Oakland A's 2014 Season Preview

The Return of Spiderman??

Is A's Reddick Already Having a Comeback Year??

It’s a Wednesday and the first game of the Cactus League between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants has just ended.  Oakland won the game 10-5 over their cross bay rivals. The high score and A’s 16 hits, however, aren’t the only topics of conversation.  Josh Reddick‘s name is on everyone’s lips.

Getty Images

Reddick is the right fielder for the Oakland Athletics. He scaled a ten-foot wall, not once but twice, to rob the same Giants’ hitter,Michael Morse, of two home runs. Many in the media were already calling Reddick’s first home run robbing catch the “Catch of the Year” and the top web gems of the season after only the first day of spring training games. Regarding the catch fellow A’s outfielder Sam Fuld said,

“The first one he made was the best play I’ve ever seen, on the field or as a fan or anywhere. Best play I’ve ever seen live, and then it just got wacky with the second one. You’ll never see that ever again.”

He also went 1-3 on the day with a RBI. Not bad for a guy who had a very disappointing 2013 campaign.

To Finish this story head over to OPSN - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a MLB Advanced Media Affiliate  

A's Reddick Makes the "Catch of the Year" in first Spring Training Game (Twice!)

In the Oakland Athletics very first spring training game of 2014, right fielder Josh Reddick, made what everyone is calling "The Catch Of the Year." He did it not once but twice! Not only that, both times he robbed the same hitter, the San Francisco Giants' Michael Morse, of a home run!

Image courtesy of Getty Images

His first catch over the right field ten-foot high fence is considered the better of the two but when you look at them side by side you can hardly tell the difference. The A's RF, nicknamed "Spiderman," can be seen literally jumping and scaling the fence while at the same time looking over his left shoulder to catch a ball that literally made a catcher in the Giants bullpen jump out of his seat. Apparently he thought the ball was going to land in his lap when it landed in Reddick's Glove.

Can it REALLY be the "catch of the year" if it isn't even March yet? The answer from many is "yes." In fact, most everyone that witnessed the catch feel the same way A's outfielder Sam Fuld felt when he said,

"The first one he made was the best play I've ever seen, on the field or as a fan or anywhere. Best play I've ever seen live, and then it just got wacky with the second one. You'll never see that ever again."

To Read the Rest of the Article Go to Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports 

One more pic for your viewing pleasure via USA Today Sports

It's a MIRACLE! Reddick and the Athletics Avoid Arbitration!!

Getty Images

As an A's fan, recently,  I have expressed my displeasure that the arbitration situation between RF Josh Reddick, 26, and the Oakland Athletics was going to be taken all the way to an arbitration hearing, one there was no way Reddick was going to win. He asked the Athletics for $3.23 million after a dismal year in 2012 and wouldn't accept the A's offer of $2 million.

Reddick has been compensated well over his four year career first with the Boston Red Sox and then with the Athletics. Last season made $510,000 and has made well over a million dollars professional career.

MLB.com's Jane Lee just reported that the Athletics and Reddick have avoided arbitration with a one year deal. The details of his salary have not been released but it is expected to be around the midpoint of the two offers at about $2.625 million.

This is great news for the Athletics. Arbitration hearings do not always end with the warmest of feelings between the two parties.  Had they gone to a hearing it would have only been the third time during Billy Bean's tenure as general manager of the A's and the first time in nine years. The Athletics have only gone into an arbitration hearing twice since 1997; first in 2000 with pitcher Ariel Prieto and second in with Juan Cruz in 2005. Prieto is currently on the coaching staff with the Athletics proving that unpleasantness doesn't always go hand in hand with an arbitration hearing, but often times it does.

For More News From Around the League Check out MLB Nation

A's, Josh Reddick Appear Unable to Avoid Arbitration Hearing

Reddick a No-Show At A's Fan Fest on Saturday Leaves Fans Wondering, "Why?"

Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick was suddenly and mysteriously absent from the Athletics' Fan Fest Saturday. Schedule to appear along with many of his teammates, Reddick sent out a couple of  last minute tweets Friday night, 

@JoshReddick16 Hey A's fans. Sorry I couldn't make it out there today. Just didn't work out for me this year. Ready to get back to winning another AL west

@JoshReddick16 title and go even farther this year! See y'all in the spring!

Truly, his absence can be attributed to anything from him being tired or his having another last minute engagement. Some of his twitter followers even speculated that it could have something to do with his off season left wrist surgery. That scenario is very unlikely. The surgery was reportedly very successful and Reddick is expected to report to spring training, in less than two weeks, completely healthy.

A more likely scenario is that Reddick was a no-show at Fan Fest because he has yet to negotiate a contract with the team for 2014. It is looking as though he is going to end up taking the team all the way to an arbitration hearing. These hearings are not pleasant as the team must explain why the player does not deserve the amount of money he is asking for and the player must make a case that he does deserve a higher amount of money than the club is offering. These proceedings, presided over by a panel of three judges, often cause unpleasantness between the two parties as the club must note negative things in their side of the argument. When asked if the looming arbitration hearing had anything to do with Reddick's absence at Fan Fest, A's general manager, Billy Beane said only, 

 I have no idea. I know he's a signed player. That's why it's not a big deal."

To Read the Rest of my Article go to Sports Unbiased - Your Site for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions!

Salary Arbitration and Hearings in MLB Explained

Kinda ... to the best of my understanding at least. I knew a bit prior to writing this piece for Sports Unbiased, did some research, tried to simplify it a little and well, here's what I came up with ....  you may find it a little bit boring but it's one of those things that people who are into baseball should probably know about more so than just like "oh that guy's a free agent" or "so and so is up for arbitration" ya know? Here's my understanding of the process .....

With Major League Baseball’s arbitration hearings beginning today and running through February 21st, I thought it might be nice for those new to baseball, casual fans and even fanatics like myself to take a little refresher course on what salary arbitration and arbitration hearings are. I mean, we hear them talked about every year but what is really going on?

Charles Rex Arbogast

All this is largely based on free agency so I need to preface this article by saying that free-agency in MLB is different from free-agency in any other sport, in that a player cannot become a free agent without six full years of big league service.

Let’s go over the basics of salary arbitration in MLB. Really, the most complicated part of the process is deciphering who is eligible in the first place, after that things become a lot less complicated.

Read More on Sports Unbiased - your site for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions!

UnPlanned Blog - Oakland A's News - Good and Bad ... There should be 4 names on the short list for 3B GG!

Wasn't planning on even using the internet today but I as any addict would, logged on just once ... this once made me discover a couple of things! One that was beneficial for me and the other that just made me f*ckin' pissed off so here I go writing my strong opinions once again ... 

Number 1 - The Good News

The good new is that I was unexpectedly featured AGAIN in this week's Fan Friday edition of The Crown Sports! It's not a special on A's fans this time but I was included!! Very Cool! Thanks for the #OaklandSockSwag Love Crown Sports! Much appreciated!

Here's the link:  http://thecrownsports.com/2013/10/25/fan-friday-4/

Check the pics out if you like! You've probably seen them before but I am always excited when another person or the media recognize me! It's an honor! :-)

Number 2 - The Annoying News ....

Well the Athletics have been honored with 2 Gold Glove Nominees for 2013!! That's great right? But it's not as ideal, even for a team that often gets overlooked. Once again Josh Donaldson's the A's AmAzing 3rd Baseman (you can follow him on Twitter @BringerOfRain20) was snubbed, just as he was for the 2013 All-Star Game. Now I understand (as most of you would begin to stop me here) - I know that 3rd base is as packed a position as shortstop was in the early-mid 00's with Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra! I understand all this and what a tough choice it must be. But I have to stick up for the fact that Donaldson is not as good or better than the three who made the shortlist, Longoria, Machado and Beltre. All of those names belong on the short list but doesn't Donaldson's as well? I mean how bad would it be to give a little recognition where it's due by putting 4 names on the short list, for example. I mean is that really making it a LONG LIST? lol. But in all seriousness, Donaldson't one catch alone, where he dove head first over the left field tarps only to still hold up that ball in victory should put him on that list and we aren't even counting other aspect's of his play this season  Batting over .300 with 24 HR's, .301 BA and 93 RBI's. But those stats don't effect the Gold Glove that Donaldson at the very least deserves to be on that short list - his hustle and success on the field should say enough why there should be 4 names on the short list for 3B Gold Glove for this 2013 MLB Season that is going to be decided by the week's end! I sincerely hope he is on the list for MVP (even if it is in the top 10, Josh Donaldson deserves to be given some well deserved and well fought for recognition! 

Here's the article .... http://www.mlb.com/news/article/oak/as-josh-reddick-and-yoenis-cespedes-are-gold-glove-finalists?ymd=20131025&content_id=63350004&vkey=news_oak


So anyways, that's as about as much as I feel like talking about today ... And I am sure I could have pontificated more but I'm tired ... just two quick things that needed to be addressed today .... #LetsGoOakland!!!!!

#RESPECTOAKLANDBASEBALL!!


**SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to MARK ELLIS of the Los Angeles Dodgers on his 2013 GOLD GLOVE nomination!! We Love You in Oaktown Elli!**