The Big Little Guys: The Saga Of Tom Everidge and Brad Kilby

             The past few seasons the A’s roster has been in serious flux with the old-timers and youngsters gracing the 25-man roster. Some made their mark, like Frank Thomas did in his MVP-caliber 2006 season, and Andrew Bailey did in his remarkable Rookie of the Year 2009 campaign. Kurt Suzuki has been invaluable to the young pitching staff as they grow as capable Major League pitchers, but there’s been so much uncertainty amongst all the other new faces. This constant state of uncertainty has created ample opportunities for anyone able to make their mark.

            Despite the opportunities on the A’s roster, it’s been a hard road for some to making a lasting positive impression on the big league roster. Just ask Travis Buck. After a promising 2007 rookie campaign he’s constantly been bitten with the injury bug and has been riding the Oakland-Sacramento shuttle ever since. Getting buried with Buck in the organizational depth chart along with Buck have been Tom Everidge and Brad Kilby, two local products slowly but surely climbing the ladder.

            It’s hard not to root for them either. Everidge is a local boy, drafted in the 10^th round of the 2004 draft out of Sonoma State. Since Everidge is a first baseman has had a hard time getting noticed despite posting respectable to eye-popping numbers. If you haven’t noticed over the last few years, the A’s first base prospect with the flock of reporters following him around like lost puppies has been Daric Barton, the highly touted acquisition of the Dan Haren trade.

            Everidge got his shot after paying his dues again and again when Barton and Jason Giambi both went down with injuries. Promoting Everidge at the time was a no-brainer since Everidge had been mashing the PCL pitching to the tune of a .382 batting average. He made an impression on Manager Bob Geren until Daric Barton returned and reclaimed the First Baseman spot.

            Now Everidge has more obstacles to make the big-league roster. In addition to Barton, Everidge has competition from prospects Sean Doolittle and Chris Carter, both of which are playing first base in addition to the outfield.

            Brad Kilby is a player I’ve been cheering on for much longer. As a fellow SJSU alumnus, I watched Kilby pitch for the Spartans before he was drafted in the 29^th round of the 2005 draft by the A’s. I knew I was watching a special player at SJSU when I watched two consecutive SJSU games in the 2005 season. The first game Kilby pitched well. The second game Kilby was the Designated Hitter and batted clean-up.

            I watched Kilby slowly rise through the system until finally in 2009 when the A’s couldn’t ignore his stats any longer. A 2.13 ERA in 63 1/3 innings with 77 strikeouts at AAA Sacramento tends to get noticed. Kilby managed a greater first impression than did Everidge. It’s certainly even harder to be ignored when you have a 0.53 ERA in 17 innings and 20 strikeouts at the Major League Level.

            Kilby’s performance certainly made fellow southpaw Jeff Gray expendable as he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs in the Jake Fox trade. I’m hoping to see Kilby nail down a Major League Roster spot at the end of Spring Training. I’m hoping the same for Everidge, but am decidedly less optimistic for him. Nevertheless Everidge and Kilby are a shining example of perseverance through the trials of the minor leagues to fulfill the dream of putting on a Major League Baseball uniform. Well done. Make room for the big little guys.