Major League Baseball Special: What to expect from Oakland Athletics in 2012...?
The Oakland Athletics are currently working hard in this year’s Spring Training and feeling confident ahead of next Major League Baseball season. The fans are expecting high from their team whereas some baseball experts are taking things slight easy regarding
A’s’ preparations and its potential winning chances in the coming big event.
Many think that once this Oakland based baseball franchise was considered one of the top competitive sides in the League, but as soon as champion manager Tony La Russa left the team several years ago, the A’s decline stared and still in that phase. Russa,
who went to manage the St. Louis Cardinals, earned more prestige and become one of the most successful executives of the League helping second best teams to win World Series titles.
However, now the Athletics no more possess services of a champion manager and looks in deep trouble. They not only want to explore some new areas of management-intellect that will give the right kind of stability, but they also looking for a new manager
as soon as possible to realise their players as how important is to be on top.
Realistically, the A’s are in rebuilding process, but this rebuilding process should have been started little earlier to achieve long term success from next season onwards as well. The offseason went with no crucial moves. Almost all the players are same
except Manny Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes.
Cespedes’ game needs some time and Ramirez’ has to serve a 50 game ban before playing full length Major League games. However, he still will be around in the Minors practicing and potentially looking ahead to make a drastic comeback around mid season.
Cespedes on the other hand is coming with a different background. He is a former Cuban international and recently joined the Athletics for a four year deal. The main reason as he has not received much attention from the A’s dedicated experts that he possesses
some different style and altogether different philosophy of game.
His defensive style of play does not match the A’s extra offensive approach. Though he is working hard in this year’s Spring Training with the team, but he still lacks how to put pressure on the opposition with an over charged series of full swings. The
coaches and the managers of A’s believe that Cespedes needs a year or so to perfect his game in the Major League.
Recently the team manager Bob Melvin has given centre field’s responsibility to Cespedes saying, "I think Cespedes is more comfortable in center, Reddick is more comfortable in right, With Coco, his versatility probably works against him in this respect.
To manoeuvre that all around would be difficult. I still feel like Coco is one of the best center fielders in the game.”
Melvin added showing little confidence of Cespedes, “There are a lot of variables with him you don’t have to deal with other players. There’s going to be some mistakes, and there’s going to be some aggressive mistakes. (But) you have to see how far you can
go."
In the meanwhile, though, the A’s are showing their support to every player including new ones, but at the moment they need to focus that how they can play like a one unit from next season onwards. Every Major League team is coming with huge energy and to
prove their thrust, the Oakland Athletics also need to perform together.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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