Missing Giambi? Not these A's

By Sean Rogers Sports Central Columnist

In season previews, one of the main enigma's was the Oakland Athletics. Where do you place a team that lost their closer, star first baseman, and leadoff hitter? After losing Jason Isringhausen, Jason Giambi, and Johnny Damon, Oakland fans had many questions left to be answered.

In the offseason, General Manager Billy Beane attempted to answer the questions. He traded 3B prospect Eric Hinske to the Toronto Blue Jays for closer Billy Koch, a risky proposition. To fill in Giambi's hole at first base, Beane dealt prospects Mario Ramos, Ryan Ludwick, and Jason Hart to the Texas Ranger's for super-prospect Carlos Pena. Damon's hole was never filled, although Beane dealt reliever Mark Guthrie to the Mets for David Justice.

Were these questions answered? Many A's fans were curious. Beane had been an effective general manager in the past, but some of the moves seemed questionable. A's fans cringed at dealing Mario Ramos for Carlos Pena, because Ramos had been rumored to be on the trade block to Pittsburgh for Brian Giles, an established slugger.

In Beane's first trade, Eric Hinske went to the Blue Jays for Billy Koch. So far, both teams have benefited. Hinske immediately made the Blue Jays and won the starting spot, and he has started off the season strong. Koch, meanwhile, blew his first save opportunity, but converted his next two, and appears to be the only reliable Oakland reliever at this point.

When Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez briefly went down with an injury, Oakland fans began to wonder if Beane should have kept Hinske as a backup plan. However, would Hinske be able to progress as well as he has thus far while being stuck behind an all-star? Beane appeared to have solved the closer hole adequately.

The next hole Beane had to fill was that of leadoff hitter Johnny Damon. Beane never got around to filling Damon's spot at the top. Currently leading off for Oakland is Jeremy Giambi, who is hitting over .350 with more homeruns, RBIs, and runs than his big brother. Giambi is not a prototypical leadoff hitter, but considering that Damon only hit .256 last year, he has actually been an improvement thus far. Beane also traded to fill Damon's outfield position to get David Justice. Justice has been a huge surprise so far for the A's, providing leadership as well as a bat that is making some remember his 2000 near-MVP season.

And as usual, Oakland's first baseman is leading the league in home runs. However, that first baseman isn't Jason Giambi - it's Carlos Pena. Pena has been a huge surprise after a cold spring, hitting 4 homeruns in his first week on the A's. While Pena has struggled reducing his strikeouts, he has been effective for Oakland. In addition, he has provided strong defense, bailing out some errant throws by shortstop Miguel Tejada.

At the end of last year, Oakland wondered if their opportunity to win a world series had evaporated. As a small market club, they have often been forced to manage the team with a higher sense of urgency than some clubs, knowing that they will not be able to resign their free agents. However, with the offense strong once again (even without RF Jermaine Dye, who is out recovering from a broken tibia), and the pitching still looking unbeatable, Oakland's best chance at a World Series may very well be right now.