The number of injuries the A’s suffer every year is ridiculous, and when they cluster at one position, you have to think there’s some cruel joke going on. Right now, Mark Kotsay is on the DL, Milton Bradley is on the DL, Bobby Kielty is unavailable with a sore calf, and Travis Buck is out with sore wrists. So, of course, in the top of the first inning of today’s A’s-Orioles game, Nick Swisher strains his left hamstring, and has to leave the game.
So with no available outfielders left on the bench, Marco Scutaro replaced Swisher in the lineup, and went into right field. Danny Putnam, who is primarily a corner outfielder but has played a few games in center in the minors, moved over to center.
Anybody care to give up a centerfielder for Brad Halsey?
1. Juan Pierre, even up?
2. Time to convert A Perez to CF
3. Pierre, you can have. Keep yer hands off Kemp, though. Not that he's anything much defensively. He's destined for cornerhood, no doubt.
It's a pity Bradley is so injury prone. I really enjoyed his play when he was on the Dodgers.
4. I offer Melky Cabrera and Tyler Clippard for Danny Haren.
5. 4 Ha! Good one.
6. You would think Larry Bigbie would be a nice short term solution.
7. Does Dan Johnson play OF? He hit a 3 run homer today in Sacramento.
How about Choo Freeman?
8. Dan Johnson does not belong anywhere near an outfield.
The A's have Charles Thomas in Sacramento, as well as Hiram Bocachica (whom they can't bring up until May 1). If the A's spend something to bring someone in, he has to be clearly better than Thomas. I don't think Freeman qualifies.
Bigbie's not much of a centerfielder is he? And can he hit anymore?
9. Bigbie is OPSing .977 in Vegas. He hit .400 in spring training as well. He is a corner outfielder though.
Freeman is OPSing .971
10. What happened to Doug Clark? He was a pretty good CF for the Rivercats last year.
11. 10 DFA'ed last year. Now a Richmond Brave.
12. Scouts say that Bigbie could play a passable CF. How far has Thomas fallen that he can't get a callup with all these injuries?
13. 12 Thomas is not on the 40-man roster anymore. And he can't hit. But he's a good fielder, and the A's might just live without any offense from him. After all, they're living without any offense from a whole bunch of guys right now, so what difference would it make?
I gotta believe Freeman's OPS so far this year is just a fluke. He's never hit before.
I don't think the A's would want a "passable" CF. Danny Putnam can probably give them a "passable" CF without giving away anything.
14. Rickey Henderson is ready and willing.
15. FWIW, the Chron is reporting that Swisher probably won't need to go on the DL. Of course, we've heard that about other players before, and in this case it's not clear that having yet another player who's too hurt to play but too healthy for the DL is really what we need. I hope at least one of Buck or Kielty is able to play tomorrow, because playing Scutaro in the outfield is just crazy.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=21
16. i'm sure florida would flip alfredo amezaga, heh. no-hit centerfielder AND shortstop, all in one package.
17. Wily Mo Pena straight up.
18. I would say the answer to the problem is Ryan Langerhans. But if he's the answer, that's one messed up question.
19. LatNam appears to have been the most psychic:
http://tinyurl.com/2kae5p