by The GM on August 21 at 12:31PM
It's been a few days since I last wrote, but I am going to leave you with the last two parts of my looking back series.The focus of this piece is going to be on former Texas League MVP, Andre Ethier.
Ethier is a special talent. So special, Oakland actually drafted him twice. The first time was in the 37th round in the 2001 draft. The second time was two years later in the 2nd round. While in the organization, Ethier quickly became one of the best prospects in all of baseball. In 2005 he won the Texas League MVP. However, Oakland never game him a chance to showcase his talents on the big league level and they traded him away to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez right after the 2005 season.
In his rookie year, Ethier batted .308 while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 55 runs. It was not a super impressive year, but very solid for a first year player. Being able to step in and play the way he did his rookie year was just a small indication of how much talent he has. So far this season, Ethier is hitting .295 with nine home runs and 48 rbi.
I know that it is still early on in his career, but Ethier has shown that he can hit for average with his disciplined approach at the plate. His power numbers haven't been impressive, but they should increase down the road.
Why Oakland traded a future All-Star for a known club-house cancer is beyond me. This trade never should have happened. Score one for the Dodgers.
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