James Simmons

Simmons regressed a good bit at Triple-A Sacramento, allowing 139 hits and 47 walks in 119.2 innings, fanning just 81. The decay in both his strikeout rate and command are most alarming, though somewhat predictable given his less-than-stellar stuff. He allows far too many hits, doesn't keep the ball on the ground enough and showed poor control against advanced hitting. The A's expected much better when they placed him at Double-A Midland for his professional debut in 2007 after making him first-round pick, and there's now considerable doubt that he'll even develop into an innings eater in the majors.