Good afternoon and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2009 Cactus League. It's Jeff Suppan (0-0) vs Josh Outman (0-0) in Maryvale at 2:05. Here's the full A's lineup.
Outman is a 24 year old starter acquired in last season's Joe Blanton trade. He went 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in 6 outings (4 starts) for Oakland in 2008. He was the Phillies 10th round pick in 2005. Here's an excerpt from Outman's entry in John Sickels' 2009 prospect book:
Josh Outman is the winner of the coveted Coolest Name in Baseball Award in the Pitching Category. He also has an 88-93 mph fastball, a hard slider and a decent changeup.
Sickels rates him as a B- prospect. Jeff Suppan, on the other hand, is Jeff Suppan.
The first game thread of 2009 is now open.