Righty reliever Brad Ziegler is off to a great start to the 2011 season for the A’s. Ziegler has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He looks like the pitcher he was way back in 2008 when he was a rookie and if he keeps that up, he will be a big asset for the A’s going forward. The A’s already have one of the best bullpens in the A.L. and when Ziegler’s on, he’s going to be hard to hit because the the pen is loaded with hard throwers and he gives batters a much different look.

In 1980, righty starting pitcher Matt Keough was a very solid pitcher for the A’s. He pitched in 34 games (32 starts) for the A’s in 1980 and he was 16-13 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Keough had 20 complete games and 2 shutouts during the 1980 season as manager Billy Martin rode him hard. Keough was never the same after the 1980 season. He pitched in 170 games (155 starts) in his 7 years with the A’s and he was 50-75 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

Back in 1965, the Kansas City A’s made lefty swinging outfielder Rick Monday the first ever #1 overall pick of the Amateur Draft in Major League History. Monday played for the K.C./Oakland A’s from 1966-1971. He played in 639 games for the A’s and he was 542 of 2,059 (.263 avg, .780 OPS) with 285 runs scored, 62 homers, 256 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. Monday went on to play 19 years in the majors, appearing in 1,986 games in which he was 1,619 of 6,136 (.264 avg, .804 OPS) with 950 runs scored, 241 homers, 775 RBIs and 98 stolen bases. Monday made 2 All-Star Games in his major league career. Monday was solid with the A’s, but his career took off after he left Oakland.

32-year old righty swinging LF Josh Willingham has been hitting the ball pretty well for the A’s this year as he is leading the team in homers and he’s second on the team in RBIs, just one behind Hideki Matsui. Willingham has played in 20 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 15 for 67 (.224 avg, .700 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The A’s need Willingham to stay healthy this year because they are counting on him to be a force in the middle of the lineup all year long.

Young lefty starting pitcher Brett Anderson has been amazing so far this year for the A’s. He has started 4 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 1.63 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He has only given up 26 hits in his first 27 2/3 innings so far this year and he has only walked 3 batters as he is showing off amazing control. Anderson has 21 strikeouts this year as he has outstanding stuff. If he can stay healthy he can make a run at the A.L. Cy Young Award because he’s just that good. The key for him will be if the A’s give him enough run support so he can start piling up some wins.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy has been outstanding for the A’s so far. He has started 3 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has only walked 2 batters while whiffing 14 in his first 22 innings as he is pounding the strike zone. McCarthy has career highs of 7 wins and 101 2/3 innings in his first five years in the majors, so he has been injury prone. He was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball but injuries have kept him down. Maybe he is a late bloomer and if he is he will be a HUGE asset for the A’s going forward.

The Oakland A’s have placed lefty starting pitcher Dallas Braden on the 15-day disabled list due to a stiff left shoulder. Braden has started 3 games for the A’s this year and he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Either righty Tyson Ross or lefty Bobby Cramer will likely replace Braden in the starting rotation. Ross has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He has the higher upside because of his stuff. Cramer has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP. I think that Ross or Cramer would do a good job so I think the A’s will be o.k. until Braden is ready to return to action.

UPDATE: (5/11/2011) - Dallas Braden will undergo surgery to repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder which will likely cause him to miss not only the rest of the 2011 season, but, probably part of the 2012 season.

The Oakland Athletics have acquired 28-year old lefty reliever/starter David Purcey from the Blue Jays for 24-year old righty reliever Danny Farquhar. Purcey pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays this year and he was 0-0 with a 11.57 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. He has now pitched in 59 games (21 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 5-10 with 1 save, a 5.42 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Danny Farquhar came into this season as the A’s #22 prospect according to Baseball America. He pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the A’s in AAA-ball this year and he was 0-0 with 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Farquhar came to the A’s over the winter in the Rajai Davis deal, so the Blue Jays must have really wanted him back.

Starting 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff is off to an all-around terrible start as he isn’t hitting or playing good defense so far this year. Kouzmanoff has played in 9 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 5 for 29 (.172 avg, .394 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has also made 3 errors already this year after making only 12 in all of 2010! The A’s were trying to replace Kouzmanoff all winter long but they couldn’t get a 3B who was better at the price they wanted to spend. So for now, Kouzmanoff appears safe, but if he continues to have problems the A’s might turn to Andy LaRoche at 3B.

Righty swinging infielder Andy LaRoche and righty swinging 1B/OF Conor Jackson are both off to fast starts for the Oakland Athletics in 2011. LaRoche has been playing all over the diamond for the A’s so far this year. He has played in 5 games this year and he is 4 for 9 (.444 avg, 1.111 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. Jackson has played in 3 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .844 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. It’s comforting for the A’s to know that they have these guys on the bench in case injuries rear their ugly heads in 2011.