My Wife, Jeannine, and I celebrated our anniversary Monday night with a nice dinner at a local restaurant and a trip to the theater to see “Moneyball,” an interesting movie made even better if you are a baseball fan.
As I was thinking about the movie Tuesday night, about how Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane evaluates and moves players, this item scrolled across the bottom of the television screen — the Kansas City Athletics have traded first baseman Kila Ka’aihue to Oakland for minor league right-handed pitcher Ethan Hollingsworth.
That means in the span of eight months, Beane has traded for Hollingsworth and traded him. Apparent in the wheeling and dealing is that Hollingsworth, a 2005 Plainfield South graduate who was selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2008 draft out of Western Michigan University, likely has a major-league future — and with a Royals team that is on the rise.
The first time Hollingsworth was traded was Jan. 24, when the Rockies received right-hander Clayton Mortensen in return. Mortensen had pitched briefly in the majors for the A’s, and he was 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 581/3 innings this season with the Rockies.
This time, the A’s are receiving a left-handed hitter in Ka’aihue who still is considered a prospect even though his brief stints in the big leagues have not turned out well. Both trades suggest Hollingsworth is a wanted commodity. The 24-year-old projects as a back end of the rotation type, or perhaps a reliever, when he does break into the show.
This season as a starter at Double-A Midland, he finished 6-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 942/3 innings. He was a Texas League All-Star but could not participate in the All-Star game because he was injured at the time. He was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento late in the year and made two starts, going 1-0 with a 5.06 ERA in 102/3 innings.
That brought his regular-season season totals to 7-5 with a 3.76 ERA. In 1051/3 innings, he struck out 73 and walked 27. He also made one appearance in relief, allowing two runs in 21/3 innings, as Sacramento lost the Pacific Coast League championship series to Omaha, which for now is where Hollingsworth has been assigned by the Royals.
Meanwhile, the A’s after the season had sent Hollingsworth to the Arizona Fall League, where he was on the roster of the Phoenix Desert Dogs. Invitations to the AFL normally are reserved for top prospects.
The Royals’ spots in that developmental league were previously allocated, so they reportedly are putting Hollingsworth in the Arizona Instructional League, which got under way this week. There they will see firsthand what their latest acquisition has to offer; he throws a sinker and four-seam fastball, a slider, curve and changeup, with good command.
He may be joining the ideal organization. The Royals have young, can’t-miss talent in place or on the way at most of the everyday positions. The only reason they did not finish higher in the AL Central standings this season was their pitching was not good.
The master plan is to better the staff, and Hollingsworth should have the opportunity to show he can be one piece of that improvement.