Countdown to Opening Day 2012: #29 Oakland Athletics

By Andrew Marcus

Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

To help pass the time between now and the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season I am going to be examining a different team every day. Starting with the Astros, working toward the Phillies. I will give you my projected starters, breakout and bust players, each team's X-Factor and top prospect.

PROJECTED LINEUP

2B Jemile Weeks
LF Coco Crisp
RF Josh Reddick
DH Seth Smith
C Kurt Suzuki
1B Daric Barton
CF Yoenis Cespedes
SS Cliff Pennington
3B Josh Donaldson
**Manny Ramirez (suspended 50 games)

PROJECTED ROTATION
Brandon McCarthy
Bartolo Colon
Brad Peacock
Jarrod Parker
Tom Milone
**Dallas Braden (may miss start of season)
**Brett Anderson (out until July)

PROJECTED BULLPEN
Closer - Brian Fuentes
Set-up - Grant Balfour

Top Prospect - Jarrod Parker (RHP)

Breakout

Jarrod Parker - Slights adjustments have been made to Moneyball since 2002, like Mr. Beane  does not mind base stealers now, as long as they do so at a high percentage (ex: Crisp and Weeks). But one thing that has not changed is his dependency on young pitchers. This year the A's traded Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez and brought in three guys that will most likely round out the rotation. Parker is the best of the new litter and in Oakland he will be thrown right into fire as they try to get the most out of him before they have to pay him or trade him. Parker will benefit from the Oakland Coliseum and could even be in the running for Rookie of the Year.

Bust

Seth Smith - I know - as Jonah Hill says a million times to Brad Pitt, "he gets on base." But Smith's career .348 OBP is not enough to sell me on a part-time player going from Denver to the Bay Area. If he could only hit 15 homers for the Rockies what is he going to do with the A's, in a lineup where he will be the guy expected to drive in runs? He's penciled in to split time with Jonny Gomes, but I can't even see the combo cutting it if they want to contend.

X-FACTOR
Manny Ramirez - ManRam is back with half the hair he had in L.A. and even more baggage. The failed drug test will keep the future hall-of-famer (if you forget about the steriods thing) out until June. And if I know anything from watching Moneyball, Billy Beane is just praying Manny can play well enough from June to the trade deadline so he can move him for more young pieces. Hopefully he can at least be a veteran voice that can help the youngsters and not give Oakland more headaches than the losing will already bring about. And if everything works perfectly, Manny is hitting in the middle of the order for a surprise playoff contender. Who knows, because as of writing, the the decision to add another playoff team this season has yet to be decided.

LAST YEAR'S RECORD: 74-88

Will Manny be Manny after 50 games?  And in a good way?

PROJECTED FINISH: 4th in the American League West

***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME
 

Check back tomorrow for the New York Mets