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Who Is Tommy Milone?

I admit that it’s sorta hard to write about the A’s these days. The team has been slated to land in your backyard the past few years whether you live in Oakland, Fremont, or San Jose. And with a half-abandoned fan base and the third lowest attendance per game with no star power coming into the 2012 season, it was easy to see why people may be more attracted to a matinee showing of Titanic 3-D than A’s baseball.

But then there’s Tommy Milone.

Out of nowhere, the A’s have a pitcher who is giving A’s fans, East Bay dwellers, occupiers, and baseball purists around the country reason to watch the A’s at work. Well, at least every 5th game. Tommy Milone, boasting an even 2.00 ERA (4th best in the AL entering Monday) and a WHIP that’s 2nd best in the AL has helped the team forget about not having Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill. Hitters are baffled by Milone, hitting .185 over four games and the 3-1 pitcher has been an inning away from a complete game twice already this young season.

Looking back a few months ago, recall the general uproar and sense of hopelessness when Billy Beane traded away Gio Gonzalez for a bundle of players, ruining the climax of the Bay Area Arms Race. One of them was this Milone “kid”, a 10th round pick by the Nationals in 2008 out of USC who has rarely issued the base on balls wherever he has pitched. In fact, his control is his trump card, and though he lacks much of a fastball, his Greg Maddux-like knack for being able to place it where he wants and slip in a curve or change-up as needed has given him more and more success. Now he is in the A’s rotation helping them to an impressive start where just a short while ago some were wondering if the team would make it out of April alive.

If Milone can keep his control and does not get exposed for not having a great fastball, he can help keep the A’s lurking in the AL Wildcard, or at least from having a fire sale at the trade deadline. Remember, two wildcard teams make it in this year, and with Rangers looking like they’ll wrap things up by 4th of July, the A’s need to compete well against the Mariners and struggling Angels. They can do that – have done that, and should be fun to watch as Milone could be an arm of the future for the A’s. Oh, and he can do this too.

It would be great if the A’s could have one certain thing about their future, wouldn’t it?

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