Oakland Athletics Minor League System Overview
By Joe Barbieri and Josh Goldfine SportsTicker Staff Writers
Eric Byrnes -- OF -- Major League Regular: Byrnes should be in a big league outfield by now. And he would be, if he were in another organization. A pure hitter with an excellent idea of the strike zone, Byrnes should at least get more than a cup of coffee this season.
In 2001, the 25-year-old Byrnes batted .289 with a career-high 20 home runs and 25 steals in 28 attempts. He then added three homers in 38 at-bats with the big club. Byrnes ended the season ranked tied for second in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in steals, despite his having played only 100 games in that circuit.
Over the winter, he tore up the Dominican Winter League to the tune of a .345 average, 11 homers and 37 RBI in 41 games. Fans in the Dominican Republic gave Byrnes the nickname, "Captain America."
Athletics General Manager Billy Beane said recently that Byrnes had the most passion of any player he had ever been around in the game. Byrnes is a solid all-around player with a good speed/power combination and a strong throwing arm from the outfield. The UCLA product has also endeared himself to the Oakland organization with a career .391 on-base percentage in the minor leagues.
Click here for original article