Bobby Crosby

Crosby managed to replace the "if only he could stay healthy" complaints with "if only he could hit" refrains as he managed to rack up 556 at-bats of pure suck. He's owed $5.25 million in 2009 in the final year of his long-term contract, and the A's would love to rid themselves of the contract in order to make way for Cliff Pennington or Adrian Cardenas. Assuming he returns for his final season, he's the type that could be stapled to the bench if the A's fall out of contention by late July.

Injuries limited Crosby to under 100 games for the third straight season, and he's hit .240 or lower in three of his four seasons in the majors. Nagging injuries tend to sap power, and there's little reason to think Crosby will avoid injuries in 2008.

Crosby had an injury-filled 2006 season, the most serious of which was a back injury that limited him to just 60 at-bats following the All-Star break. Absolutely nothing went right all year, and he's vowed to make an effort this offseason to regain some flexibility in hopes to avoid the myriad of injuries that have derailed his career since a promising 2004 rookie campaign. He'll come cheap and offers a lot of upside.

Crosby missed the first two months with broken ribs sustained on Opening Day, and then was sidelined for much of September with an ankle injury. In between, he endured a prolonged slump that is typical of a young player. He's not striking out a ton in the majors, which should keep his batting average respectable.

Crosby showed the power most expected, but a poor average against left-handed pitching (.194) kept his overall average down. He hit just .208 after the All-Star break, but his walk rate (33 BB in 255 AB) was an improvement from his early numbers. Since his batting eye remained intact despite a prolonged slump and some uncharacteristic struggles against lefties, there's no reason to think 2005 won't bring better numbers. Think Rick Aurilia circa 1999–2000 as opposed to Jose Valentin.

Crosby posted a solid season (.308/.395/.544, 22 HRs, 24 SBs) at Triple-A and will be the A's shortstop in 2004. He's shown good power and will be among the favorites to win AL rookie of the year.

Slick-fielding shortstop who is starting to hit his stride at the plate, it'll be interesting to see where he ends if Miguel Tejada remains in Oakland beyond 2003. He or Esteban German is the likely long-term solution at second base. His solid defensive reputation will get him to the big leagues quickly, possibly as soon as late 2003.