Over a dozen players from the A's organization participated in the Winter Leagues this year, hoping to stay sharp and get a head start on the competition in Spring Training. Some players overwhelmed the competition, such as Marco Scutaro, who hit .335 to place seventh in the Venezuelan League, while others struggled at times statistically, like Steve Smyth, whose seven losses led the Mexican League.

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But as far as the A's front office is concerned, any experience in the Winter Leagues is good experience. "For us, anybody who wants to go down there gets a check mark in their corner," assistant to the general manager David Forst explained. "We don't push guys toward Winter ball. We feel like if you don't really want to go down there, if we make you go, you're not going to get anything out of it.

"Marco is one of those guys who continues to improve and show his consistency by going down to Venezuela every year and working on his game. For a guy like Smyth, who's trying to get back to the Major Leagues, to go down and get that kind of competition, pitching in games that matter, certainly does nothing but help his standing here."