Kelley L. Cox-US Presswire
The Oakland A’s starting rotation is going to be their strength in 2013. They have a slew of young arms who are really coming together, and they have a slew of young arms in the minor leagues who are almost ready to compete at the big league level. This is going to be the strength of this team and it’s going to start at the top. Brett Anderson will have a full year this year as he returns from Tommy John surgery, and he has a chance to be as good as anyone in baseball. He has strike out stuff, and is still learning to pitch which is a dangerous combination for hitters. Here’s how the remainder of the Athletics rotation looks to start 2013.
1) Brett Anderson
2) Jarrod Parker
3) Tom Milone
4) AJ Griffin
5) Bartolo Colon
It was tough to put Colon in the rotation, but he threw the ball well before missing time due to a failed drug test. Dan Straily will most likely start the year in AAA, and he’ll be ready to go if one of these guys go down. Between him, AJ Cole, and Brad Peacock, the A’s aren’t going to have problems pitching for quite some time. We’ll see how this rotation fares in 2013.
Grant Balfour will close things out for the Athletics. He’s been a long-time set-up guy around the league, but the As found a use for him last season. Look for Ryan Cook to get his chances as well. It is a good problem for the Athletics. Billy Beane continues to find and develop talent.
