So far, so mediocre for the Oakland squad this spring.  The club has posted an 8-5 record, but that doesn't really mean anything this time of year.

The question mark coming into the season was...actually it was the whole team.  Billy Beane wanted to rebuild.  Well, he has some rebuilding on his hands for sure.  No Dan Haren, no Nick Swisher, no Mark Kotsay.  The team has a lot of young and inexperienced players in camp this year.  Some have looked good, some have looked like not so good.

Dana Eveland, acquired in the Dan Haren trade has been OK.  He has pitched five innings and given up two runs, but his control worries me.  He has given up 9 hits, 2 walks, hit a batter, and thrown 3 wild pitches, while only striking out 3 batters.  He should start the season in the minors...please!

Carlos Gonazlez has impressed so far this spring.  He is hitting .304 after 23 at-bats and his fielding is average.  From what I've read, the most impressive thing about him is his maturity and his plate patience.  If he keeps on impressing, he could end up on the opening day roster.  With competition from guys like Chris Denorfia (who is doing everything he can to lose the centerfield job) and Ryan Sweeney, Gonzalez is looking like gold!

Those are a couple of the young guys that I have been watching, but I've also kept my eyes on a few veterans that the team needs to be successful.  One of those guys is Mike Sweeney.  Sweeney was signed to a minor-league contract this off season is expected to compete for the DH job.  So far he is giving Jack Cust a run for his money and the two could end up splitting the DH duty.  Though, I wouldn't mind seeing Sweeney as the everyday DH.

The other two veterans that I was looking at are Joe Blanton and Rich Harden.  Both have been horrible this spring to say the least.  Blanton has pitched 11 innings and has given up 15 hits and 9 earned runs.  However, he has only walked three batters and struck-out 10, so maybe Blanton is just trying to get some pitches over the plate and isn't worried about the outcome.  Hopefully the same can be said for Rich Harden.  Harden has thrown 6 innings and has given up 6 earned runs on 11 hits.  Harden has walked 2 batters and threw a wild pitch in his last outing.  I'm hoping he is just trying to knock the rust off of his seldom used arm and will be ready to go for the start of the season.  Of course, I am more concerned about him being ready during the middle and end of the season than I am about the beginning.

As I look at this team and think about what they can do, I am being optimistic that this team can win 70 games.  Anything more than that would warrant Bob Geren being named AL Manager of the Year.