Fred Inglis of Fox 2 in Oakland

Fred Inglis, a 2-time Emmy Award winning reporter (1996, 2007), from Fox 2 in Oakland was good enough to give me a couple minutes on the Oakland A's.


Baseball-Rumors: A lot of fans have been scratching their heads about the A's signing Emil Brown, especially with them already having Travis Buck, Ryan Sweeney and Chris Denorfia. Did they bring in Emil to give one of the other 3 a challenge or are they serious about him starting?

Fred Inglis: Emil Brown is expected to bat against only left handed hitters. Check his numbers, he is terrible against RHP. He will not remind you of Jay Payton or Shannon Stewart, that’s for sure. He is making over $3 million so he will get a good look, but you’re right, there are several candidates who will get a chance to play. He does have more MLB experience than many of the other guys, like Ryan and Chris, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t stay on the team all season.


Baseball-Rumors: With Hudson, Zito and now Haren gone, is it just a matter of time before Joe Blanton is traded?

Fred Inglis: It sounds more and more like Blanton is headed elsewhere ( Dodgers?). It may bring in someone for that outfield position that Brown is vying for. I talked to Billy Beane two weeks ago and he admitted the team we see now may not be the team that we see opening day. They really have loaded up on relievers lately, Devine, Foulke. You gotta wonder if Street is the guy who gets moved instead of Blanton.


Baseball-Rumors: Jack Cust really came up big for Oakland last season. Was 2007 a fluke or do you expect him to put up good numbers again in 2008?

Fred Inglis: Signing Mike Sweeney today means Cust will only have to face RHP. That should help his batting, but it may also mean he’ll play outfield and scare the hell out of us with his glove. I talked to Cust two weeks ago also, and he says he will take a drug test everyday if they want and you gotta hope getting mentioned in the Mitchell Report doesn’t have a negative effect on the field. He’s a fast ball hitter.. why do they throw fastballs to this guy? He strikes out too much, but they if the A’s keep playing for the 3-run Homer, who else will do that?


Baseball-Rumors: Bubba Crosby has missed a lot of games due to injury. Can he stay healthy next season and, if not, who is the next in line?

Fred Inglis: Bobby Crosby is starcrossed and if he and Rich Harden ever drive in a car together, it seems a crash would be inevitable. I’m not sure if a healthy version of Bobby Crosby is all that big a deal. Marco Scutaro where are you? I know Beane likes Bobby, but with all those injuries dealing him would get nothing in return. It’s going to be do or die season for Bobby. He must get over this or he becomes expendable for a bag of peanuts.


Baseball-Rumors: Who's the one young prospect you see coming up and making an impact for this Oakland team in 2008?

Fred Inglis: Fresh face? I don’t know the new six dozen or so players they picked up in the Haren and Swisher trades. I know my friends in Arizona Fox station say Carlos Gonzalez is a can’t miss prospect. But who knows? Jumping from AA to MLB is a leap for anyone.

I do like the A’s new starting pitcher…. Justin Duchscherer. He’s got more fire and guts than people think and his hip is fine then look for him to do well.

Daric Barton seems ready to make club in Spring and make an impact.