Opinion

Good Choice, A's.

Haha, yeah, pun intended...

I'm certainly not the first to use wordplay after the Oakland Athletics' selection of UT-Arlington outfielder Michael Choice with the tenth pick of the first round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Just 20 years old, the college star will, if signed, bring one of the most potent college bats around to the A's system.

The board could not have fallen more perfectly for the New York Yankees Monday night.

Picking 32nd overall, they had several potential top-10 talents available for selection, including Middle Tennessee State outfielder Bryce Brentz, and LSU right hander Anthony Ranaudo.

Most years, Brian Cashman would scoop up the top available talent, pay him above-slot money, and that would be that.

But this was not most years.

Photo credit: Gallery 2 Images

The Oakland A's are currently in a battle between two other teams for the American League West title. The A's have some things that they need to work out to even consider being in contention for the division.

So, here are the seven things the A's must do in order to win the American League West division.

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The first round of the 2010 MLB Draft has just ended and Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos decided that his minor leagues weren't playing with a full Deck.

Last name pun, I swear.

The Chicago Cubs have a history of reaching for draft picks in the first round.  They did so again this season when they took Hayden Simpson, expected to be a second to fifth round pick, with the 16th pick of the first round.

Hayden went 13-1 in 15 starts for the South Arkansas Muleriders during his junior season.  He also had a 1.81 ERA and struck out 131 batters compared to just 35 walks in 99 and a third innings.

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken compared Simpson to major league stars Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt, which is big praise for D-ll pitcher.

As the Giants prepared to finish their three-game series in Pittsburgh yesterday, 54 games were in the book. Their record was 29-25, and at the one-third point of the season, it's easy to do the math. If they continue to play at this pace, they can expect to be 12 games over .500, or 87-75.

Much like last year.

Which is to say good ... but not good enough.

In an NL West now characterized by the surprising Padres, the resilient Dodgers, and the Ubaldo-led Rockies, 87 wins will fall short of first and will probably not lead to a wild card spot.

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Javier Vazquez, New York Yankees

Vazquez gave up two runs on one hit with nine Ks over seven innings as he improved to 5-5 with a 5.63 ERA.

Jeff Francoeur, New York Mets

Francoeur went 2-for-4 with a HR (six) and three RBI. He’s hitting .268 with 33 RBI.

Drew Stubbs, Cincinnati Reds

All day long, I'll be updating the 2010 MLB draft via running article/blog.

Hopefully, they'll be some good news coming out later today clarifying what's going to go down after the Nationals pop Bryce Harper at number one.

And come 7 p.m., I'll be there with instant analysis of each of the picks from the first-round.

Also, I'm no expert, but if you have any questions, let 'em fly!

Bronson Arroyo was again the victim of bullpen mismanagement.

Arroyo has a knack for being the best pitcher in the Central Division one night and the worst pitcher who ever pitched an inning the next night.

He pitched a very good game Sunday, giving up six hits and two runs in eight strong innings. His day was done, and he left the game trailing 2-1.