Four former Nationals struggling with the A’s
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo knew he was taking a risk when he traded four of his top prospects to Oakland in December for left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez. But solid starting pitching is in short supply, and a temporary setback in the farm system was well worth adding one. Gonzalez has been better than Rizzo could have hoped so far in 2012, and Athletics general manager Billy Beane is probably wondering about a do-over.
Right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock, 24, was just about ready to push for a big league spot in Washington after a solid September call-up last year. He was rated the No. 3 prospect in the system by Baseball America before the trade. But in 13 games at Triple-A Sacramento, Peacock is 6-3 with a 5.09 ERA.
Meanwhile, lefty Tommy Milone made Oakland’s rotation but has had a roller-coaster year. In 13 starts, he is 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA. Five times he has gone seven or eight innings and allowed two runs or less. But three times he’s allowed five runs or more, including an eight-run disaster Wednesday in Colorado.
A.J. Cole, 20, earned big bonus dollars from Washington in 2010 as a fourth-round pick. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound righty had a fine first full season at low-A Hagerstown last year and was ranked No. 4 by Baseball America in the Nats’ organization. But he was so poor at high-A Stockton this spring that he had to be sent back to low-A Burlington.
The final piece of the trade was Derek Norris, a 23-year-old catcher. After tearing through the low minors with power and a dynamite batting eye, Norris was expected to rebound from a .210 average in 2011 at Double-A. But his on-base percentage — long his calling card — is a sub-par .326 so far in Triple-A.
