A's Extras (Plus a M and some Pads)

1) Kevin Cameron: Cut, SL, FB
5/25: 34 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 4 Sliders.

• Cameron is a 6-1, 190 pound righty. The 29 year old has a medium frame that can add a ton more muscle. He is a lanky, skinny guy. He can add a lot more muscle to his lower half. He came from a high 3/4 release with clean mechanics. His cutter has some cut. His slider is a 2-7 with a little bite. He does not have enough to be a major league reliever.

7th: Cut (85-89), SL (76)

8th: Cut (86-89), SL (77-79)

9th: Cut (87-88), SL (74-81) - 4 SL

2) Dan Giese: FB, SL, CU
5/6: 93 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs, 4 Sliders.

• Giese is a 6-2, 200 pound righty. The 32 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He can add a lot more muscle to his lower half, as he has a very thin lower half. He came from a high 3/4 release with some cocking action and works from the stretch only. His fastball has a little run in on righties. His slider is a 2-7 offering with average bite. Classic tweener who just doesn't have the stuff to be a starter or the strong out pitch to be a reliever.

1st: FB (86-88), SL (77-79) - FB

2nd: FB (86-87), SL (74-79) - SL

3rd: FB (86-88), SL (76-79) - SL

4th: FB (87-88), SL (76-78) - FB

5th: FB (87-88), SL (77-79) - SL

6th: FB (86-88), SL (76-79) - SL

3) Clayton Mortensen: FB, SL, CU

9/4: 100 pitches. 5 strikes swinging. 4 Sliders, Fastball.

• Mortensen is a 6-4, 180 pound righty. The 24 year old has a big frame that can add a lot more muscle. He can add a ton of muscle to both his lower and upper half and has a lot of projection left. He came from a high 3/4 release with fairly clean mechanics, though he lands hard on his front leg and appears to over rotate his throwing shoulder. His fastball has good run in on righties and good sink. His slider is a power pitch that is a 1-7 offering with above average downward action. His change has some fade from lefties and some sink that he will throw to righties. I don't think he can be a starter and he could have a spot as a middle reliever in a bullpen.

1st: FB (91-93), SL (87-88)

2nd: FB (90-93), SL (85-86), CU (83-86)

3rd: FB (89-90), SL (85-86), CU (85) - 2 SL

4th: FB (90), SL (82-85), CU (81-82) - 2 SL

5th: FB (89-91), SL (83-85)

6th: FB (88-91), SL (84-85), CU (82)

7th: FB (88-90), SL (82-85), CU (82-84) - FB

4) Josh Outman: FB, CB, CU, SL
6/19: 25 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs.

• Outman is a 6-1, 185 pound lefty. The 24 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle, but he does have a thick lower half. He has a drop and drive release with cocking action and came from a high 3/4 release. His fastball has some run in on lefties and some sink. His change is pretty straight with some sink. His curve is a 11-5 with above average depth. I like him and think he can be a 3, but he needs to recover full strength from TJS.

1st: FB (86-90), CB (71), CU (80) - 2 FB

2nd: FB (88-92), CB (71), CU (80)

5) Denny Stark: FB, CU, SL

5/25: 20 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Stark is a 6-2, 210 pound righty. The 34 year old has a medium frame that is an athletic build and a very thin lower half where he could add more muscle. He came from a high 3/4 release with fairly clean mechanics, though he is pretty scrunched up until break. His fastball has good run in on righties and solid sink. His change has some fade from lefties and some sink. He is a 4-A guy who should be able to be a cog in a pen, but just doesn't have the necessary command.

4th: FB (92-93)

5th: FB (92-96), CU (86-88)

6) Wade Leblanc: FB, CU, CB

6/19: 63 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 4 Changeups.

• Leblanc is a 6-3, 200 pound lefty. The 25 year old has a medium frame that can add a lot more muscle. He has a very thin, athletic build that can add a lot more muscle to his lower half. He came from a classic drop and drive delivery with pretty clean mechanics. He has a high 3/4 release. His fastball has some run in on lefties and some sink. His curve is a 11-5 with average depth that serves as his out pitch, but it doesn't have great movement or has good command of it. His change is pretty straight with good sink. He is an average pitcher, one whose stuff will play up because of his stadium and the league, but his best seasons will be ERA's of 4.50.

1st: FB (84-88), CU (80), CB (72-74)

2nd: FB (86), CU (81-82), CB (72)

3rd: FB (84-86), CU (77-79), CB (69-72) - 3 CU

4th: FB (84-86), CU (77-79), CB (71-75) - CU

7) Josh Banks: Everything

6/19: 46 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Curveball.

• Banks is a 6-3, 210 pound righty. The 27 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle to his upper body. He has an athletic build with a strong lower body. He has a classic drop and drive delivery and comes from a high 3/4, almost over the top release. His fastball has some run in on righties and some sink. His cutter has some cut and a little sink. His split has some diving action. His curve is a big breaking 12-6 with above average depth. His knuckle ball has some movement. An extra arm, organizational guy.

4th: FB (86-89), Cut (85-87), Split (80)

5th: FB (84-89), Cut (85)

6th: FB (87-92), Cut (86), Split (77-80), CB (67-72), KNU (72) - FB, CB

8) Michael Ekstrom: FB, SL, CU

6/19: 7 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Ekstrom is a 5-11, 190 pound righty. The 26 year old has a small frame that can add a little more muscle, mostly to the lower body. Athletic build with athletic lower half. He came from an over the top release with a weird cocking action that has his elbow move almost in a mini circle as he is ready to pitch, this puts a lot of extra pressure on his elbow. His fastball has some run in on righties and a little sink. His slider is a 2-7 with modest bite. He looks like he could be a middle reliever, but won't ever be anything more.

9th: FB (90-93), SL (83-85), - SL

Chart Observations: SEA @ MIN

• King Felix Hernandez started for the Mariners and did not have his best stuff. He also grimaced noticeably on the mound. Hernandez did not throw many curveballs, which I think may be his best (and most underutilized pitch) in favor of more changeup to the left handed heavy Twins lineup. Hernandez was sitting at 91-95 with his fastball, a mid 80's slider, a high 80's changeup that doesn't move much and a low 80's curveball. Felix is still amongst the best pitchers in the game irregardless of this one outing and is still a # 1 starter for a contender.
• Francisco Liriano opposed him (those 2 start and the final is 9-6?). Liriano pitched well through the 1st 3 innings, but then struggled to command his fastball to get ahead of hitters to set-up his plus changeup. Liriano was 90-92 with his fastball and threw a mid 80's slider and low 80's change. Liriano had right handers flailing at his changeup and lefties struggled to contact the slider, but with his velocity in the low 90's and struggling to command it, hitters were able to get into fastball counts.
• Sean White showed me an off-speed pitch in addition to his fastball sitting at 91-94. He threw a low 80's changeup and a low 80's curveball. Neither of these pitches were very special. White has a plus fastball, but has command issues and still appears to be looking for a 2nd pitch. Safeco can only cover up so much, but this kid appears to be a decent 10th guy in the bullpen.
• Denny Stark is currently in the middle of his obligatory 2-week call-up he gets every season. Stark actually featured a fastball at 91-95, much harder then I thought he threw. He also showed a mid 80's slider and mid 80's changeup. The fastball velocity helps explain why he keeps getting chances, but his lack of command coupled with no other real above average offering explains why he keeps riding the bus from Seattle to Tacoma.
• David Aardsma continues to showcase himself, sitting at 92-95 with his hard 4-seamer and was popping in sliders at 81-84. Aardsma has always had the stuff to close. A strong reliever when his command is right, has he finally figured it out?
• Miguel Batista attacked hitters with a fastball at 92-94, a cutter at 86-88 and a changeup at 79. His velocity is back and his cutter has enough movement for hitters to not square it up. I still think he is a little over exposed as a set-up man, but a middle reliever that can give you 2 or 3 innings at a time to bridge a gap are valuable (just not as valuable as what they are currently paying him).
• Luis Ayala was one of the pitchers that I have tabbed to regress this season. He pitched with a fastball at 89-91 and a slider and changeup that sat in the low to mid 80's. Ayala's slider just doesn't seem to have the same bite as it used to and he has begun to mix in more changeups (a fairly straight pitch and is a little below average) and his moving 2-seam fastball. I just don't see how he can last the full season in the pen.
• Matt Guerrier went after guys with a fastball at 90-91, a slider at 82-85, a curveball at 77-78 and a changeup at 83. His fastball is just average, but his slider and curveball are each above average pitches while his changeup drops just enough to make a hitter swing over the top of it. His plus command also allows his pitches to play up. Still think he is more of a middle reliever then an 8th inning guy.
• Joe Nathan didn't show too much of his formerly over-powering slider. He still features a plus fastball (93-95), but the slider was everywhere radar gun wise (82-87) and he also threw a slightly above average curveball (81-83). He is still a quality closer and is amongst the best in baseball and I think his slider will bounce back soon enough.