The A’s lost 3-1 in 11 innings in the season opener against the Mariners, but they rebounded today and beat the Mariners 4-1. The A’s only scored five runs in the two games against the Mariners as they only hit .188 with a .610 OPS. Cliff Pennington was 3 for 9 (.333 avg) with 1 run scored, 1 double and 1 stolen base. Yoenis Cespedes looked solid in his first couple of games with the A’s as he was 2 for 6 (.333 avg) with 1 run scored, 1 double, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Josh Reddick also got off to a good start in Japan as he was 2 for 7 (.286 avg) with 1 run scored, 1 double, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. The A’s didn’t hit well as a team but the pitching staff picked them up. The A’s compiled a 1.80 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP in the season opening series. Bartolo Colon (8 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, six strikeouts and a win) and Brandon McCarthy (7 IP, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks and 3 whiffs) gave the A’s a couple of outstanding starts to kick off the 2012 season. New closer Grant Balfour pitched in both games for the A’s working two scoreless innings and getting 1 save. Overall, I think the A’s are happy to come back to the States with a split.

The A’s have placed 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Dallas Braden on the 15-day disabled list due to a left shoulder injury. Braden pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the A’s last year and he was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Braden has now pitched in 94 games (79 starts) in his first five years with the A’s and he is 26-36 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The A’s are hoping that Braden will be ready to pitch some time in May.

The over/under for A’s wins in 2012 is 72.5. The A’s were 74-88 last year, but they have regressed over the winter, while the Rangers & Angels both got stronger. Unless a couple of the A’s young starters step up in 2012, I have a hard time believing that they can win near as many games as they did last year. With that in mind, I would take the under on A’s wins in 2012.

50-year old manager Bob Melvin did a solid job for the A’s last year. He led them to a 47-52 (47.5%) record last year. He now has a 540-560 (49.1%) record during the regular season in his first 8 years as a major league manager. He is also 3-4 (42.9%) in the post-season as a manager. The A’s gutted their pitching staff over the winter and they have not added enough firepower offensively to make up for it. Melvin is going to have a hard time keeping the A’s near .500 in 2012.

29-year old lefty swinging Seth Smith will likely open the 2012 season as the A’s starting RF. He played in 147 games for the Rockies last year and he was 135 of 476 (.284 avg, .830 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 15 homers, 59 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Smith has now played in 487 games in his first five years in the majors and he was 354 of 1,285 (.275 avg, .833 OPS) with 200 runs scored, 51 homers, 181 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Smith played in 107 games in RF for the Rockies last year and he had 1 assist and 5 errors while showing awful range there. Smith could also get some ABs at DH in 2012.

25-year old lefty swinging Josh Reddick will likely open the 2012 season as a backup for the A’s. He played in 87 games for the Red Sox last year and he was 71 of 254 (.280 avg, .784 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 7 homers, 28 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Reddick has now played in 143 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 93 of 375 (.248 avg, .706 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 10 homers, 37 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Reddick played in 56 games in RF for the Red Sox last year and he had 4 assists and 4 errors while showing excellent range there.

25-year old righty swinging Collin Cowgill could work his way into a platoon with Seth Smith. He played in 36 games for the D-Backs last year and he was 22 of 92 (.239 avg, .604 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Cowgill also played in 98 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 140 of 395 (.354 avg, .984 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 13 homers, 70 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Cowgill played in 10 error-free games in RF last year and he had 1 assist while showing out of this world range.

Jonny Gomes and Michael Taylor could get in on the action in 2012. Gomes played in 11 error-free games in RF last year while showing excellent range there. Michael Taylor played in 8 games in RF last year in which he made 2 errors while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR RF IN 2012: B

The A’s are going with 26-year old righty swinging rookie Yoenis Cespedes in CF in 2012. He played in 90 games in Cuba last year and he hit .333 with a 1.091 OPS. Cespedes also had 33 homers and 99 RBIs last year in Cuba. The A’s have high hopes for Cespedes as they hope he can help revive the offense. He has the reputation of being a decent defensive outfielder as well as being an elite hitter. Pitching is much tougher in the majors than it is in Cuba, so he might have an adjustment period early in 2012.

Coco Crisp will likely move back from LF to CF if Cespedes gets injured or has problems with major league pitching. Crisp played in 133 games in CF for the A’s last year and he had 2 assists and 1 error while showing good range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2012: B

32-year old switch-hitting Coco Crisp is shifting from CF to LF in 2012 for the A’s to make room for rookie Yoenis Cespedes. Crisp played in 136 games for the A’s last year and he was 140 of 531 (.264 avg, .693 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 8 homers, 54 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. He has now played in 211 games in his first two years with the A’s and he is 221 of 821 (.269 avg, .724 OPS) with 120 runs scored, 16 homers, 192 RBIs and 81 stolen bases. Crisp has now played in 1,043 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 1,081 of 3,927 (.275 avg, .735 OPS) with 583 runs scored, 75 homers, 419 RBIs and 218 stolen bases. Crisp didn’t play in any games in LF last year, but he should be outstanding defensively there. Crisp played in 133 games in CF last year and he had 2 assists and 1 error while showing good range there.

31-year old righty swinging Jonny Gomes will likely back up Crisp in LF in 2012. Gomes played in 120 games for the Nationals & Reds last year and he was 65 of 311 (.209 avg, .714 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 14 homers, 43 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 781 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 573 of 2,367 (.242 avg, .780 OPS) with 343 runs scored, 118 homers, 364 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. Gomes has whiffed 726 times already in his career, so his power also comes with some holes in his swing. Gomes played in 73 games in LF last year and he had 1 assist and 2 errors while showing poor range there. Gomes could also get some ABs at DH for the A’s this year.

26-year old righty swinging Michael Taylor comes into this season as the A’s #6 prospect according to Baseball America. Taylor played in 11 games for the A’s last year and he was 6 for 30 (.200 avg, .614 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He also played in 93 games in AAA-ball last year and he is 95 of 349 (.272 avg, .816 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 16 homers, 64 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Taylor played in 3 error-free games for the A’s in LF last year. He is likely going to start the 2012 season in AAA-ball.

Seth Smith. Josh Reddick and Collin Cowgill could also see time in LF for the A’s in 2012. Smith played in 25 games in LF for the Rockies last year and he had 4 assists and 0 errors while showing awful range there. Reddick played in 21 games in LF for the Red Sox last year and he had 1 error and 1 assist while showing off excellent range. Collin Cowgill played in 18 games in LF for the Diamondbacks last year and he had 1 assist and 0 errors while showing off out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR LF IN 2012: B

The A’s have placed 28-year old righty reliever Joey Devine on the 15-day disabled list due to right biceps soreness. Devine pitched in 26 games (0 starts) for the A’s last year and he was 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has now pitched in 68 games (0 starts) in his career with the A’s and he is 7-2 with a 1.57 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Devine has missed two of his four years with the A’s due to injury, so I’m not surprised that they have shut him down for a while.

UPDATE: (4/11/2012) - Joey Devine will miss the entire 2012 season as he needs the second Tommy John Surgery of his career.

The A’s have claimed 26-year old righty swinging infielder Brandon Hicks off waivers from the Braves. Hicks played in 17 games for the Braves last year and he was 1 for 21 (.048 avg, .139 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. He also played in 104 games in AAA-ball last year in which he was 91 of 361 (.252 avg, .779 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 18 homers, 50 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Hicks has now played in 33 games in parts of two years in the majors and he is 1 for 26 (.038 avg, .146 OPS) with 8 runs scored and 1 RBI. Hicks’ best defensive position is shortstop, but he can also handle 2B or 3B.

The A’s could use any combination of lefty swinging Brandon Allen, Seth Smith or righty swinging Jonny Gomes and Manny Ramirez at DH in 2012. 39-year old righty swinging Manny Ramirez might take over full-time at DH after his 50-game suspension is up. He played in 5 games for the Rays last year and he was 1 for 17 (.059 avg, .118 OPS) with 0 runs scored, 0 homers and 1 RBI. Ramirez has now played in 2,302 games in his first 19 years in the majors and he is 2,574 of 8,244 (.312 avg, .996 OPS) with 1,544 runs scored, 555 homers, 1,831 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. Until Ramirez is back, look for Brandon Allen (1B), Jonny Gomes (OF) and Seth Smith (OF) to handle DHing duties for the first 50 games of the 2012 season, if not longer.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE DH IN 2012: C-