Another Year Of Questions For A's Fans

Heading into the 2010 season, the Oakland A's appear to have the look of a team struggling to find an identity.

It's a far different look than they had at this time last year. They can only hope the results are different as well.

Last summers acquisitions, as strong as they appeared to be on paper, were curious at best. With a young pitching staff built to take center stage in 2012, general manager Billy Beane surrounded his not-ready-for-prime-time staff with a mixture of power and average that included Matt Holliday, Nomar Garciaparra, Orlando Cabrera and Jason Giambi.

The offense flopped and all but Garciaparra ended up on different teams by years end. Beane again had to go back to the drawing board during this past off-season.

So what did he come up with?

Kevin Kouzmanoff, Coco Crisp, Gabe Gross and Jake Fox.

While none of them will strike fear in a pitchers heart, it won't take much for them to out-perform last years pick ups.

All of a sudden, a pitching staff, that hopes to be buoyed by the pick up of Ben Sheets and the return of injured all-star Justin Duchscherer, may once again be the strength of the low-budget Athletics.

It still may be a roller coaster of emotions for A's fans.

If Sheets and Duchscherer are healthy and pitch like they have in the past, the staff including Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson, who both showed promise last year, may be a strong one.

But thats a big If.

Another If is the offense.

If Kouzmanoff, Crisp, Gross and  Fox perform like Beane think they can and If Eric Chavez can get back on the field, and If, Rajai Davis, and Ryan Sweeney can hit like they can play defense, the A's may have a chance to secure a winning record this season.

Only time will tell.

Maybe, instead of being the A's, they should be the I's. That is until all the "Ifs" turn Oakland into and "A" rated season.