I’m going under the knife on Friday and not to be overly dramatic but my odds are 50/50. That’s a 50% chance I come out of it just fine and a 50% chance I come out of it healthy but also whine and moan far too much about it. It’s hip replacement surgery because apparently I’m too hip and something has to be done about it.
I am reminded of my only other surgery, which was to repair a hernia back in 2012. On the 2nd night after the operation my dog Poochini was attacked in the kitchen by a racoon, forcing
me to leap out of bed which only took about 5 minutes. I am optimistic that my recovery this time around will be less eventful.
Unlike with Tommy John surgery I won’t be out of commission for 15-18 months so that’s good. I’ve never met Tommy John but I did once interview his son, who should be named Tommy Johnson but isn’t. I have yet to interview anyone who is named for hip replacement surgery but my schedule should be wide open the next 6 weeks if you know anyone.
Oh wait this isn’t a blog about my medical history or technically even about the Golden Girls, it’s about the A’s. So then let’s talk about them.
It’s CPL Time!
January is Community Prospect List month and I have it on good authority that Connor Ashford is on it. I don’t mean that he will be voted as the A’s #7 prospect, I mean that he will be unveiling the CPL very soon. What suspense exists with this year’s CPL?
Presumably Leo De Vries will sweep through the 1st spot but even spots 2 and 3 could be somewhat contentious between lefty SPs Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold, the latter of whom appears higher on most pundit lists but who also has yet to throw a pitch in pro ball.
Then it gets more interesting than it was a few days ago, with some outlets anointing the newly signed wunderkid Johenssy Colome to be the A’s 4th best prospect while others simply try to figure out how to pronounce his name.
In mix for the top 10 you also have “polarizing prospect #1” Henry Bolte, whom ANers generally agree is somewhere between the A’s best and worst prospect, Wei-En Lin, who was surprisingly jumped to #4 by Baseball America but sits at #19 on MLB Pipeline, Braden Nett, who takes that #4 spot on MLB Pipeline, Tommy White, who may be my whipping boy but is also #7 on MLB Pipeline, Devin Taylor, who had a strong debut at the plate in A ball but comes with questions around his defense…It should be interesting to see where “AN Crowdsource” settles on these critters.
3 Strange Off-Seasons
It seems teams are vying for the “You Did Whaaaa?” off-season award. Obviously the off-season is not yet over and a few marquee free agents remain on the market as does every player via trade. But so far you have to wonder what the following teams are thinking…
#1: The Mets
The Mets went into the off-season reasonably deep on the infield with Francisco Lindor flanked by Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil, and Ronny Mauricio, but a bit thin in the outfield.
So they dealt away Brandon Nimmo and acquired Marcus Semien, furthering the gap, then went out and signed Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette to play on the infield. Even without McNeil they now have 6 infielders and still need to figure out their outfield.
Even more baffling is how they are saying they intend to address the logjam. Apparently the strategy is place players not where they belong but rather where the Mets need someone. Polanco has never played an inning at 1B but comes with the terrific credentials of being a bad 2Bman. Bichette hasn’t played 3B before but has thrived as a terrible SS and boasts a noodle arm. Baty is actually a strong defensive 3Bman so the Mets are talking about moving him to the outfield.
#2: The Giants
Buster Posey came in with guns blazing, shocking the baseball world with his pre-trading deadline deal for Rafael Devers. The move was widely applauded even though the Giants’ only top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, happens to be a 1B/DH type himself.
Wherever that boldness came from, Posey has kept it in his back pocket this winter. The Giants actually played much worse following the Devers acquisition and stumbled to an 81-81 record, so the ‘aggressive Giants’ have gone out and added…Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle? With no meaningful additions around the diamond to address a lineup that was as ineffective as it was, frankly, dull?
#3: The Yankees
While the Dodgers and Mets are living up to their reputation as big spenders committed to pushing the envelope in a bid to win the World Series, the Yankees have stayed mostly on the sidelines all winter.
Their chief competitors have been busy: Toronto added Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, and Kazuma Okamoto while Boston has gone out and bolstered their rotation with Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray.
The Yankees’ biggest move so far? Probably reaching an impasse with Cody Bellinger. Stay tuned. They retained Trent Grisham when he accepted their QO and re-signed Tim Hill, but Grisham and Hill are, and Bellinger would be, mere “hold serve” moves.
Meanwhile they have lost most of their highest leverage relievers: Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Mark Leiter Jr. all left in free agency and have not yet been replaced. They did just acquire Ryan Weathers, which is probably more exciting than re-signing Ryan Yarbrough, but it’s been a slow off-season for a team usually known as “going for it”.
Thoughts on the off-seasons these 3 organizations have had? On the upcoming CPL? On the metric Wins Over Replacement Hip? On Rue McClanahan? The floor is yours.
