Oakland's "Big Three": A Retrospective

With the 2007 Major League season about a third of the way complete, the team with the National League's fifth-best record - the Atlanta Braves - and two of its bottom feeders - the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals - share something in common: each team carries a pitcher whose previous job was in the starting rotation of the Oakland A's. In that same vein, those three pitchers, namely, Tim Hudson in Atlanta, Barry Zito in San Francisco, and Mark Mulder in St. Louis, also share a common trait.

All three saw better days back in Oakland.

The 2001 season was the first that the three were together in the A's starting rotation. Oakland's newly-anointed "Big Three" consisted of two first-round picks in Mulder and Zito (1998 and 1999 respectively) and a 6th-rounder (1997) with plenty of promise in Hudson. They didn't disappoint as they recorded in a collective 678 2/3 innings in 104 starts. Mulder had a 21-8 record with a 3.45 ERA, 153 strikeouts and only 51 walks allowed, finishing second in the AL Cy Young Race and 13th in the MVP voting. Hudson went 18-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 181 strikeouts, and finished sixth in the Cy Young vote. Zito finished 17-8 with 205 strikeouts despite a 4.35 ERA. In addition, all three pitchers had at least three complete games (Mulder with six, Zito and Hudson with three apiece, and of course, a collective .691 winning percentage didn't hurt.

With the Big Three leading the way for a highly potent offense that featured All-Stars Jason Giambi, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye, Oakland racked up 102 wins. It should've been enough to clinch the AL West Division crown, except the Seattle Mariners had to spoil it by winning 116 games and breaking the Major League record. The A's went on to the American League Division Series to face the New York Yankees and took a quick 2-0 lead going into Game 3 in Oakland, but then Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter changed the whole series with one of the best defensive plays in postseason history. His memorable cut-off flip to catcher Jorge Posada to tag out Jeremy Giambi at home plate ended a possible 7^th inning rally, and the Yankees won Game 3, 1-0. The momentum swung in New York's direction and never changed course again as they won Games 4 and 5, stealing the series right out of Oakland's hands.

The two following years would bring back-to-back division crowns for general manager Billy Beane's "Moneyballers", but also consecutive losses in the ALDS. The worst realization at the end of the 2004 season was that the Big Three would have to meet their end, as well. With each pitcher's success and popularity growing since the '01 season and the growing value of their position players' contracts, it was obvious that the small-market A's couldn't afford to keep everybody. Beane had to make a decision and in the off-season Hudson was traded to Atlanta, and Mulder to St. Louis.

A Georgia native, Hudson arrived in Atlanta with high expectations and a four-year, $46-million contract extension as he began a new era with the team he rooted for as a child. His first year in the Braves' rotation went well as he posted a 14-9 record and a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts, helping Atlanta win its fourteenth consecutive division title. However, 2006 would be troublesome for Hudson and his teammates as his 13-12 record was seen as a step backward and his 4.86 ERA was the worst of his career as the Braves found themselves out of the postseason for the first time since 1990.

Having dedicated himself to staying healthy and sharpening his mechanics, Hudson has seen moderate success in 2007. After pitching seven innings Wednesday night and allowing only six hits and two earned runs in a win against the Milwaukee Brewers, his record improved to 6-3, and his 2.77 ERA is in the top ten in the National League. With veteran starter John Smoltz injured, the Braves will need Hudson even more to help gain ground on the Mets, who have a four-game lead in the NL East. Hudson was brought to Atlanta with a hefty price tag in hopes to help regain their division dominance, and his worth may have to be proven now more than ever.

Upon arriving in St. Louis for the 2005 season, Mulder continued his old tricks with a 16-8 record and a 3.64 ERA in 32 starts. Having struck out 111 batters and only walking 70, he appeared to be the front-line starter he was expected to be. However, Mulder struggled in 2006, starting only 17 games. He recorded a 6-7 record and a highly uncharacteristic 7.14 ERA, and ended up on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. It was believed that the injury was the reason for the decline in his performance.

After trying to make a return after the All-Star break with a non-surgical rehabilitation, Mulder underwent arthroscopic surgery in September to repair a partial tear in his rotator cuff, ending his season and threatening the chance to re-sign with St. Louis after his current deal had expired. After briefly flirting with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, Mulder re-signed with St. Louis in January for two years and $13 million. In 49 career starts in St. Louis, Mulder has a 22-15 record, but with a 4.74 ERA in 298 1/3 innings.

Zito was retained in Oakland after the 2004 season in the hopes that having won the 2002 Cy Young Award, his experience and success could lead a new group of young starters past their first-round playoff woes and into the World Series, but after falling short in the 2006 League Championship Series to the Detroit Tigers, the dream died yet again. That following December, Zito left Oakland as a free-agent, and entered into a long courting session with several teams including the Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Zito, a California native, decided to stay in his home state and signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, the richest contract for a pitcher in Major League history. Whether or not the contract was actually deserved was debated early as he struggled in his first couple starts after jumping across the San Francisco Bay and into the National League. He allowed 10 earned runs in his first 11 innings, and San Francisco lost both games. He then lost three of his next six decisions with an 8.47 ERA in the games he lost, surrendering 18 hits and 13 walks in 19 innings.

After picking up a win with a seven-inning outing on May 23, Zito showed signs of recovery Wednesday night, blanking the Mets with a similar seven innings pitched and six hits allowed, and striking out seven in a 3-0 Giants' win at Shea Stadium. He has allowed only one run, 10 hits, and three walks in his last 14 innings. His record now sits at an even 5-5, and with the Giants' record at 24-27 at the bottom of the NL West, they will need this latest stretch to be the beginning of a great reversal in fortune for the newly-hired ace who has fit in quite well in the San Francisco clubhouse. His camaraderie in the early goings of this season has helped take the pressure off of the other Barry, embattled slugger Barry Bonds, as he continues his controversial chase of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. He was brought on board to also take the pressure off the pitching staff as they battle to compete in the NL West.

In today's game, where single decisions are expected to bring about immediate change, it's also surprising to see how much more drastic change six years brings about. This highly-touted triad of young arms was expected to do great things on the mound, before and after their eventual exit from Oakland, but they have yet to produce the same consistent success individually. With Mulder due to return mid-season and the possible re-emergence of Zito and Hudson, it is possible that they may be able to return to their previous form, but it will take a long time to regain that status they held six years ago, when they began a run of dominance in Oakland that, due to reasons out of their control, ended a lot sooner than it probably should have.