Email a copy of 'Rich Hill: This Summer's Sought-After Arm' to a friend
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By Connor Byrne | at
Email a copy of 'Rich Hill: This Summer's Sought-After Arm' to a friend
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A'sfaninUK
“What’s more, the A’s don’t look like a highly talented team destined for an appreciable turnaround.”
Um, they have 13(!) guys in the DL -most since the early 70’s in team history. If they cut that in half within a month and stay less than 10 games under .500 they certainly could still make the postseason – even being deadline buyers. They are self-sabotaging their season in making extremely questionable moves in who they’re bringing up – going with AAAA scrubs over actual prospects (Zach Neal? Seriously???) Mengden, Chapman, Healy and Overton should be on the big league team right now imo, and the sooner they do that the sooner they will start winning games.
They also could trade Hill and still contend if Gray comes back as the one we all know – like Straburg who stunk until he went on the DL then came back with a vengeance, I predict Gray will do the same this year. If Henderson Alvarez can throw 6+ of under 4 ERA ball that would make all the difference.
But keeping Hill and having a month of a fully healthy Gray-Hill-Alvarez-Mengden-Manaea rotation would turn around their season in a hurry. Bring up Overton and even Alcantara as relievers to help out the already-taxed guys and they will win. The offense looks way better than last year and the bullpen is good when its not being asked to throw 5+ every game.
Niekro
That is a lot of if’s and expectations of guys returning from injury/ being called up to perform at a moderate level immediately and the fact all the teams in the division are better maybe you can argue the A’s being better than the Angels but its a close argument even in that.
A'sfaninUK
Lowrie went 2-4 last night in his return, Reddick’s injury isn’t going to effect his plate discipline and do you believe 5 bad Gray starts are his new norm, after never being at all bad ever in his life?
The A’s are also better than the Astros and possibly the Mariners in that if Seattle has any injuries to key players, they have no depth whatsoever to cover them. I’d bet they have some injuries eventually over them not having injuries.
Bottom line: the AL West has no clear best team other than Texas, who’s still in-progress on that front but will definitely take the division once Darvish returns..
My point is that I take umbrage with the comment that they “don’t look like a highly talented team destined for an appreciable turnaround.” – that’s way off base if you don’t add “currently” or “if no one returns from the DL” to it, they simply are not a bad team at all when they don’t let Neal, Graveman or Triggs pitch.
cubsfan2489
Cry a river because they aren’t going to go to the playoffs
Bransonreynolds
God you suck. So do the A’s.
A'sfaninUK
Its still May, and they won’t suck all year. You however, for that personal attack, will continue to suck your entire life until you learn how to create a valid counterpoint to someone you dont agree with. Buh bye!
Bransonreynolds
Your counterpoints are garbage fanboy reactions and you never admit when you’re wrong and you ALWAYS think your opinion is the end all be all. You fill these sections with paragraphs of uselessness.
arc89
The A’s are not contending this year and I am a A’s fan. They have been in rebuild mode all year long. they have some great prospects in the minor so its contend in 2018. that being said if Hill keeps pitching the way he has been they will get a great prospect in return. Look how they were able to flip 3 potential FA last year. In return for those 3 they have Khris Davis, Manaea, and Mengden all having great years so far. So any team wanting Hill it will take a great prospect for him. Some team will over pay for him.
seamaholic 2
Other than Manaea and Barreto the A’s system is awful. Bottom 10 at least. Go to any list and look at the 3, 4, 5 guys on it. All are the sort of players you’d find in the high teens on a good farm.
arc89
My bet seamholic this is a complete guess on your part. Ever heard of Matt Chapman? Richie Martin? Renato Nunez? Of course you haven’t since you made that statement. Maybe you mistaken the A’s for the angels.
A'sfaninUK
What a dumb, trash statement. Dont even bother talking if you believe this, because you literally do not know anything about the A’s.
Like, Manaea isn’t even in the system, he’s in the bigs. Chapman, Healy, Alcantara, Overton, Martin, Nunez, Olson, DANIEL FRICKIN MENGDEN AND HIS 0.79 ERA in 57 IP, Gossett, Meisner….god damn what a dumb post you made. You need to apologize for it.
A'sfaninUK
They were in first place in late April until injuries happened. Over the next 4 weeks, they are replacing McBride, Triggs, Smolinski, Neal & Ladendorf with Reddick, Gray, Alvarez, Phegley & Hendriks (and possibly Mengden if he continues to have a sub-1.00 ERA at AAA) – if you don’t think thats an absolutely, season-changing scenario, then I can’t help you other than to point to the standings in August and say “see?”
Bransonreynolds
“You however, for that personal attack, will continue to suck your entire life until you learn how to create a valid counterpoint to someone you dont agree with. Buh bye!” Good call douche. your counterpoint here isn’t valid at all, you personally attack and then just literally name the players in the farm system. You’re not disproving his point at all. The A’s are on the edge of almost every writers bottom 10 farm systems. Manaea’s in thie bigs because of injuries and has got lit up. If your huge ego hasn’t figured it out yet, no one on here can argue with you because you never think you’re wrong. You just type more. Start contributing to a discussion and stop trying to overpower people on a message board you freakin loser.
coombs11m
Other than A’s fans I don’t expect any other fans to know how good the A’s farm system really is. The A’s infield will be one of the best in baseball within a few years, and they have a lot of young talented pitching.
cubsfan2489
The A’s aren’t doing anything this season. He never said it wasn’t because of injuries. Face it, they just, suck.
A'sfaninUK
They went 13-12 in April, you probably weren’t even a baseball fan then, like all fake Cubs “fans” now.
BoldyMinnesota
It’s funny cause you call other people clueless
A'sfaninUK
It’s funny because I back up my comments with facts and numbers and you are just a worthless troll.
BoldyMinnesota
You called the one Cubs fan clueless because he said there rotation was set and they have a good closer in rondon because he disagreed with you. In my eyes, a healthy athletics team is the 4th best team in that division, maybe 3rd. And I bet more people agree that you are the troll here, or at the very least, very biased, not me
Bransonreynolds
JFisnasty knows whats up. Just another fan obviously doesn’t even know what a troll is or that he’s the worst of them. All he does on here is tell other people why they’re wrong. Not even that he thinks they are and that they’re entitled to their position on subjective topics, but that they ARE wrong, because he knows everything. Please. He’s got a mouth like O.Co’s plumbing, just spews sewage all over the place. If baseball played out like the numbers, they wouldn’t even need to play the game. The guy obviously doesn’t have an eye for baseball and can just look at site’s of numbers where people do all the work for him. I’m tired of his garbage.
seamaholic 2
Even with them all back they’re a bottom 3 team in the AL, and frankly, I think person for person even the Twins are better.
arc89
seamholic just has nothing better to do than post nonsense here. i proved he was wrong about the A’s minor leagues system which he could easily look up. He is just wishing his team won even one world series.
rycm131
With the A’s it seems like you have a better chance of making the big league roster being outside of the top 30 prospects than being a top 10 prospect. I constantly see guys who are not anywhere on the prospect list get promoted and start while the top guys tear it up in the minor leagues
A'sfaninUK
That is a very valid point. Whoever decided Zach Neal over Daniel Mendgen (or even Overton or Alcantara) needs to be fired.
kingfelix34
I’d pick the Angels making the playoffs before the A’s, Trout, Pujols and Kaulhoun can get them to .500 once all three get hot. Once they get there anything can happen.
coombs11m
They need to let Nunez, Chapman, and the other prospects develop down in the minors. Can’t bring them up to early like the Jays did with Graveman and ruin them. The A’s aren’t going anywhere this season. My opinion they should trade Hill before old age gets to him.
yankees500
Great well written article.
TJECK109
Wonder if the D-Backs would rather have hill or Miller right now?
rmullig2
They should keep him until the deadline. If he continues to perform at a high level he will bring a top prospect back. At this point they could get a mediocre return at best because not everyone is sold. A solid year would make him the best starter on the market.
CubsFanFrank
I vividly remember the last time Lou Pinealla came to the mound for the man known then as “One Pitch Rich,” and knowing that it was the final time he’d be seen in a Cubs uniform. 8 years later, and perhaps I was mistaken.
4ATalent
Still can’t believe the Red Sox didn’t resign this guy. They got to see first hand what he can bring.