Sheets to the wins

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

Athletics great Rollie Fingers has been quoted as saying "Baseball is 90% pitching". That makes sense, coming form a pitcher, but may seem a bit lopsided, as hitting, base running and defense need to figure in somewhere. Such an analysis would favor a club like the A's, who have made their focus to be building a stable of young hurlers (arguably at the cost of any viable offense).

The emphasis is even more understandable, considering the setting. Oakland's massive foul territory, cavernous outfields, and dense marine layer air all favor the pitcher, resulting in a .20 drop in batting averages. This setting, ideal for a fledgling pitching staff can dampen offensive production, and also limits Oakland's ability to attract free agent hitters.

So what does a pitching-heavy team, in a pitcher's park do to improve their roster? Sign a big name free agent pitcher. Obviously.

In a move that is sure to please A's fans, Billy Beane singed 4 time All Star Ben Sheets to a 1 year contract, at $10MM plus incentives. Not bad for a guy who didn't throw a single pitch in 2009. Coming off rotator cuff surgery and a year rehabbing, the 31 year old Sheets will either return to form, or fall short of the staff ace role he played in Milwaukee over the last 5 years. Oakland fans have their fingers crossed. Sheets' career 3.72 ERA goes a long way to mitigate risk of injury, or least make the risk worthwhile.

Whereas Sheets does add a veteran presence to a young staff, and a brand name to the roster, his effectiveness has yet to be determined. In classic Oakland fashion, Beane reserves the ability to trade him at the deadline should the As' fall from contention. This tactic has netted the bulk of of young talent in the A's system over the last 3 years, and helped replenish one of the strongest minor league systems in baseball.

This first half-commitment to the last 3 seasons has been particularly difficult for fans, but those in the know understand it. Each season requires an effort to field a competitive team, but a competitive team means 25 players of major league caliber. Those valuable pieces don't grow on trees, and often have to be self-incubated. The A's made their push in 2006, and continue to pay the price, having to re-tool, and re-aim for 2011.

So far the process is going well, at the cost of finishing sub .500 3 years in a row. Whether or not the 1 year addition of Ben Sheets accelerates the goal remains to be seen.