Opinion: Street to not crack the roster

With Huston Street rockin' spring training by retiring all 9 of the batters he has faced, one would think that he would definantly be taking the roster spot of the injured Bradford.

However, I say not so fast; there are 4 reasons why Street will not make the club out of the spring:

1. Calling him up would use a player option
2. Oversimplification of Street's talent
3. Loss of possible clubhouse impact by a callup
4. Starting his arbitration clock

Well the first two reasons are not necessarily deal breakers as Street's talent will make those other player option obsolete. However the last two eerily focus on a former hotshot prospect who blazed through the farm system the same year as being drafted..

that would be Barry Zito. You see, Zito was selected in the first round of the 1999 amateur draft. After brief stops in A through triple A, Zito started 2000 with an awesome spring training. Of course, he did not start out on the A's roster; he started the season in Sacramento. And while his counterpart Mulder had a horrible spring training by statistical accounts, he still made the team in the fifth spot of the starting rotation.

Before Zito was called up to the A's on July 22nd, the A's were 51-44; after Zito's arrival, they were 40-26. He was a huge boost to the team especially when Mulder went down with a herrniated back in September. However, he was called too soon in the season and his arbitration clock started; he is a free agent after the 06 season.

As the A's are running a tight ship, Street is a luxury the A's cannot afford at the start of the season. If for some chance the pen should falter, Street can just as easily step into his role from Sacramento as he would if he was on the opening day roster.