Oakland As: Spring Training Information

By Arin
Location: Phoenix Municipal Stadium - Phoenix, Ariz.
Pitchers and catchers report: Feb. 14
First game: Feb. 27
Schedule

Projected Lineup

1) Travis Buck (RF)
2) Mark Ellis (2B)
3) Matt Holliday (LF)
4) Jason Giambi (DH)
5) Eric Chavez (3B)
6) Kurt Suzuki (C)
7) Daric Barton (1B)
8) Bobby Crosby (SS)
9) Ryan Sweeney (CF)

Projected Rotation

1) Justin Duchscherer
2) Dana Eveland
3) Sean Gallagher
4) Dallas Braden
5) Gio Gonzalez

Bullpen

Closer: Brad Ziegler
Setup: Joey Devine, Santiago Casilla
Others: Jerry Blevins, Matt Wuertz, Russ Springer
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Things to watch for: There are a few things that I will be keeping my eyes on this spring. On the offensive side of the ball, I will be looking to follow Eric Chavez and his health. If he can be 100% healthy this season, then the A's have a tremendous asset on their side. Also, will Matt Holliday be able to handle playing his home games in McAfee Stadium? It's definitely not Coors Field, so his numbers should have a drop off this season.

Pitching wise, I have to wonder how the young rotation will handle things this season. It will take some help from the offense this season to keep the bullpen from being worked to death like in previous seasons.

Key Battles: The outfield is full of battles this year. Matt Holliday is really the only consistent starter in this group. Ryan Sweeney, Travis Buck, Chris Denorfia, Jack Cust, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis, and Eric Patterson will all see playing time this year.

In the infield, there could be a few battles, but with some of the larger contracts, the battles might be short lived. Look for Chris Carter, Cliff Pennington, and Jack Hannahan could all push for bench roles this season.

Pitching is a huge question mark for me. There could be numerous younger pitchers up and down this season with the rotation not fully set. Brett Anderson, Josh Outman, and Jake Simmons could all be heavily leaned on.

Season Outlook: Normally, I would go into the season thinking that the A's have a shot at the division title, but not this season. I honestly think that 70 wins would be a success for this team. If they had a stronger pitching staff, I would say that this team could make a push for the playoffs. Having said that, I still think that Oakland will finish above Seattle and Texas in the West this year. Go ahead and give the division to the Angels.

Arin covers the Oakland A's, Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts on his blog Arin It Out.