Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Oakland Athletics?

Just because it’s Prospects Month here on the blog doesn’t mean we’re going to abandon Fantasy Baseball and the goal of winning your fantasy league altogether. Instead we’ll simply just refocus our efforts and give it a prospect or young player twist much like we did with our New York Yankees post. The goal is to still help you win your league and dominate the later rounds of your fantasy draft so rest assured, we’re still here. 

With that in mind we will not be talking about Sonny Gray or Sean Doolittle in this post and we likely won’t talk too much about new arrivals Jed Lowrie, Yonder Alonso and Rich Hill. Instead we will focus on the younger guys that may not be household names yet outside of many Oakland based homes. That player list includes outfielder Billy Burns, Mark Canha and Henderson Alvarez. 

Burns is an outfielder that will likely get the everyday starting job for the Oakland A’s. The Athletics need an everyday center fielder to replace Coco Crisp and Burns seems to be that guy after a strong 2015 campaign. Burns hit .294 with 25 stolen bases and 70 runs scored in 125 games last season and can add a high runs scored total, batting average and stolen base total to your team very late in the draft. If you reach the 20^th round or so and he’s still there it may be in your best interest to grab him. 

Another name you may not know from the Oakland A’s is Mark Canha. Canha is not likely to have a starting job when the team breaks camp this season but he should still get plenty of opportunities throughout the year. Canha is listed as a first baseman and the backup to Yonder Alonso and is also listed as an outfielder. This is especially important as the A’s search for a suitable backup to injury-prone left fielder Coco Crisp. Canha will be the first out of the trenches and into the field if and when Crisp goes down. Keep him in your queue just in case.

Finally we have Henderson Alvarez was acquired this offseason after the Miami Marlins cut ties with their former farm hand. Alvarez is a big question mark heading into the season after tearing a muscle in his shoulder and undergoing a serious surgery on it. Alvarez will not be ready on Opening Day and may not be ready at all in 2016, although he is expected to be, but he is still a name that should be on your watch list. Alvarez was an All-Star for Miami in the last season he pitched in 2014 and the talent is there as long as his shoulder allows it to be.

So there you have it, three Oakland Athletics prospects and/or young players that can help you win your Fantasy Baseball league’s this spring. Hope the information helps and if it did feel free to share this and any of my fantasy posts to help out others as well. Thanks!

Recap: Yankees 6, A's 2

Masahiro Tanaka tossed 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball and the Yankees cruised past the A's, 6-2, in a Thursday matinee at Yankee Stadium.

Just Like the Old Days: Tanaka logged arguably his best outing of the season in this one, holding Oakland to just one earned run and two hits while walking one and striking out six. He ran into some trouble in the second -- the A's scored twice on RBI doubles by Billy Butler and Mark Canha -- but it ultimately proved to be nothing as the veteran recorded the win.

His Knee Must Be Healed: Batting with two men in scoring position and one out in the fourth, Jacoby Ellsbury delivered probably the biggest hit of the game -- a clutch two-run single off Jesse Chavez to break a 2-2 tie. Ellsbury, activated off the DL on Wednesday, was able to lace one just fair down the right-field line to give the Yankees the lead -- the ball barely clipping the corner of first base as it flew by in mid-air. 

An All-Star Selection and a Home Run: If his first-inning home run and two subsequent singles didn't already make him happy, Brett Gardner can at least take solace knowing he's now on the 2015 AL All-Star team -- an announcement made on the stadium jumbotron between the fourth and fifth. Gardner will fill the spot previously occupied by the Royals' Alex Gordon, who will miss the event due to a recent injury.

Staying Hot: Mark Teixeira continued his great week with an RBI single in the third, a liner on a 2-2 sinker that plated the aforementioned Ellsbury. It was Teixeira's eighth ribbie of the homestand and third of the series, bringing his total on the year to 62.

A Good First Impression: Making his major league debut following a few months with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Cole Figueroa went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles -- the latter of which likely would've driven in a run had it not bounced into the stands. Figueroa is expected to be one of the Yankees' backup infielders for the time being, joining Gregorio Petit as a defender capable of playing second, short and third.

Next Up: The Yankees will look to keep their momentum going on Friday when they visit the Red Sox for a weekend at Fenway -- beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET and airing live on MLB Network. Michael Pineda (8-5, 3.79 ERA) will get the nod for the Yankees hoping for a third straight quality start, facing surging Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz (7-6, 3.27 ERA).