MLB Team by Team: 2008 Oakland Athletics

Considering the uphill battle the Oakland Athletics, as well as other small-market teams, have to face, it's amazing that last season was their first losing one since 1998. And there are those who are happy about that, since it puts the whole "Moneyball"/Billy Beane genius thing on the back burner in their minds.

And, while they go into this with major questions yet again, the league shouldn't take the A's lightly, if for no other reasons than this: a new stadium is coming to bring new streams of revenue, and Beane is being challenged to rebuild, and he lives for challenges. Long story short, may want to pick on the A's while the picking's good.

OFFENSE: D

At the plate, the A's have had to preach a different sermon than other teams, the gospel of get on base and take pitches above all else, out of necessity. With the severe lack of power this year's club has, it's looking like that will be more important than ever. Third baseman Eric Chavez is the lone name left, and he's hurting (battling a back injury, recovering from shoulder surgeries), and losing production (last season: .240, 15 homers, 46 RBI). Second baseman Mark Ellis had a good year (.276, 19 and 72), and did DH's Jack Cust (.256, 26 and 82) and Dan Johnson (.236, 18 and 62), but they aren't going to be enough to put the numbers this team will need on the board.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 1 Buck RF 2 Brown LF 3 Ellis 2B 4 Cust/Johnson DH 5 Chavez 3B 6 Denorfia CF 7 Barton 1B 8 Suzuki C 9 Crosby SS

STARTING PITCHING: C+

A lot of Oakland's fortunes could ride on the health of Rich Harden and Justin Duchscherer. Joe Blanton did a solid job last year (14-10, 3.95 ERA), but if Harden (1-2, 2.45 in very limited action due to shoulder troubles) and Duchscherer can't contribute mightily, he won't be enough. Chad Gaudin and Lenny DiNardo did OK, but they need more run support than these Athletics may be able to produce.

PROJECTED ROTATION: Blanton, Hardin, Gaudin, Duchscherer, DiNardo

BULLPEN: D

And there may not be a lot to look forward to out of the 'pen either. Houston Street has been battling injuries and inconsistency (16 saves in 21 opportunities last year, but 76 of 96 career) all of his career, Santiago Casilla had to turn and watch balls leave the park so much (six homeruns in 50.2 innings), he could've used a chiropractor. Alan Embree could push Street for the closer's job, but he isn't a whole lot better. And the others in the pen are just starting out or have a history of unreliability. Manager Bob Geren's blood pressure could be severely tested from the sixth inning on each night this season.

CONCLUSION

The Athletics go into this season without Nick Swisher, but they've gone into seasons without stars like Johnny Damon, Miguel Tejada, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Jason Giambi, and numerous others in the past, and have barely blinked. This year, Swisher's absence just about empties the cupboard, and going up against the nightmarish power of the Los Angeles Angels, the improved Seattle Mariners, and even the somewhat better Texas Rangers, it's hard to see any other result but the A's reaching the bottom before starting to rise again. Just like it's hard not to see them rise far again, and soon.

PREDICTION: 68-94, fourth in American League West