Righty reliever Brad Ziegler is off to a great start to the 2011 season for the A’s. Ziegler has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the A’s so far this year and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He looks like the pitcher he was way back in 2008 when he was a rookie and if he keeps that up, he will be a big asset for the A’s going forward. The A’s already have one of the best bullpens in the A.L. and when Ziegler’s on, he’s going to be hard to hit because the the pen is loaded with hard throwers and he gives batters a much different look.

In 1980, righty starting pitcher Matt Keough was a very solid pitcher for the A’s. He pitched in 34 games (32 starts) for the A’s in 1980 and he was 16-13 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Keough had 20 complete games and 2 shutouts during the 1980 season as manager Billy Martin rode him hard. Keough was never the same after the 1980 season. He pitched in 170 games (155 starts) in his 7 years with the A’s and he was 50-75 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

Back in 1965, the Kansas City A’s made lefty swinging outfielder Rick Monday the first ever #1 overall pick of the Amateur Draft in Major League History. Monday played for the K.C./Oakland A’s from 1966-1971. He played in 639 games for the A’s and he was 542 of 2,059 (.263 avg, .780 OPS) with 285 runs scored, 62 homers, 256 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. Monday went on to play 19 years in the majors, appearing in 1,986 games in which he was 1,619 of 6,136 (.264 avg, .804 OPS) with 950 runs scored, 241 homers, 775 RBIs and 98 stolen bases. Monday made 2 All-Star Games in his major league career. Monday was solid with the A’s, but his career took off after he left Oakland.

32-year old righty swinging LF Josh Willingham has been hitting the ball pretty well for the A’s this year as he is leading the team in homers and he’s second on the team in RBIs, just one behind Hideki Matsui. Willingham has played in 20 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 15 for 67 (.224 avg, .700 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The A’s need Willingham to stay healthy this year because they are counting on him to be a force in the middle of the lineup all year long.

Young lefty starting pitcher Brett Anderson has been amazing so far this year for the A’s. He has started 4 games for the A’s so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 1.63 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He has only given up 26 hits in his first 27 2/3 innings so far this year and he has only walked 3 batters as he is showing off amazing control. Anderson has 21 strikeouts this year as he has outstanding stuff. If he can stay healthy he can make a run at the A.L. Cy Young Award because he’s just that good. The key for him will be if the A’s give him enough run support so he can start piling up some wins.