Remember The Big Three?

Most Oakland A's fans remember the days of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito. But now it seems this once-dominant trio of aces has been reduced to shadows of their former, up-and-coming selves. And interestingly, all three enter this season with a lot to prove.

The Rise Of The Big Three...
Back in 2000, a diminutive, relatively unknown, 24-year-old righty named Tim Hudson went 20-6 for the AL West champion Athletics in just his first full season in the big leagues.

The following season two other youngsters, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, both of whom were also in their first full seasons on the big club, emerged as top-notch starters as well and the Big Three was born. Hudson improved in nearly every category except wins (he still won 18) and the A's won the wild card. The trio combined to win 56 games, with 21 of them coming from Mulder. Each one of them posted sub-3.50 ERAs, and not one of them was over the age of 25.

In 2002, it was Zito's turn to reach the 20-win plateau. Not only did he reach it, but he exceeded it, notching 24 victories, to go along with a 2.75 ERA and a Cy Young award. For the third year in a row, Hudson improved across the board, but the bullpen had a knack for coughing up his solid performances and he finished with just 15 wins. Mulder won 19. The A's won the division again. And again, not one of them had an ERA over 3.50.

In 2003, the Big Three was alive and well again, even though they didn't have a 20-game-winner. Hudson earned 16 W's, and posted a career-low 2.70 ERA. Zito finished a somewhat disappointing 14-12, but he did post a respectable 3.30 ERA. Mulder's win total dipped too (down to 15) despite a career best 3.13 ERA. He also led the league in complete games. But a hip injury limited him to 26 starts and he missed the playoffs, and the A's were sent packing in the first round for the fourth year in a row. Still, at the end of the season Hudson was 28, Mulder was 26, and Zito was 25, and optimism was high going into 2004.

...And Then The Fall
2004 was the beginning of the end. The A's missed the playoffs. Hudson missed time with an oblique injury and posted a career low win total (12) while his ERA shot up almost a whole run. Zito and Mulder's ERA's ballooned as well to 4.48 and 4.43 respectively. Zito also posted an unforgettable 11-11 record. And even though he won 17 games, Mulder was simply awful down the stretch, going 3-5 with a 6.62 ERA in his last 12 starts.

That's when Oakland GM Billy Beane decided to mix things up. He shipped Mulder to the St. Louis Cardinals for starter Dan Haren, reliever Kiko Calero, and minor league catcher Daric Barton (a deal that looks completely lopsided today). And he sent Hudson to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Charles Thomas, pitcher Juan Cruz, and minor league pitcher Dan Meyer. Zito was the only member of the Big Three to survive the 2004 off-season.

To put it into perspective, here's the average, full season these guys posted together as the Big Three:

Tim Hudson (2000-2004) 16 W, 3.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
Mark Mulder (2001-2004) 18 W, 3.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
Barry Zito (2001-2004) 16W, 3.49 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

And here's what they've done since:

Hudson with Atlanta (05, 06) 13.5 W, 4.23 ERA, 1.40 WHIP
Mulder with St. Louis (05, 06) 11 W, 4.74 ERA, 1.48 WHIP
Zito with Oakland (05, 06) 15 W, 3.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

Zito has clearly been the most consistent of the bunch. He's the only one who hasn't visited the DL since their forced break-up. And he has yet to miss a start in his 7-year-career. But it still looks like his "breakout" 2002 performance was a career best, not a preview of things to come. Hudson's return to his home state of Georgia simply hasn't been the feel-good story lots of people expected. He's been hurt, he's been wild, and he just hasn't been that number one starter he was in Oakland. As for Mulder, he had a solid 2005, and started off okay in 2006, but then suffered a horrid May and June. The Cards shut him down for a month, he made two more bad starts, then they shut him down for good in September. He had rotator cuff surgery later that month.

Looking Ahead
Despite reports that the Braves tried to trade him this off-season, Hudson says he's ready to prove his doubters wrong. And he has plenty of them. He turns 32 this season, he had an injury-free season last year, and his strikeout total went up. But his WHIP has increased each of the last four years and it's hard to ignore his career worst 4.86 ERA. He also gave up 25 gopher balls, perhaps a sign his two-seamer isn't sinking as much as it once did.

Mulder has to prove that he can be a productive big league pitcher again, after major arm surgery. He's not expected to return to the mound until July and we probably won't get a true sense for how good he will, or won't be, until 2008. He's never been a big strikeout guy, and a stitched-up shoulder probably won't help that improve.

Then there's Zito. Entering 2007, he's slated to start Opening Day again, just for a different Bay Area team. And after signing a 7-year, $126 million dollar deal a few months ago, it's up to him to show he's at least moderately close to worth it. I'd imagine another 15-win season with a near 4.00 ERA might not be enough. And of course if he does get hurt, the critics who said his deal was outrageous, will only give themselves a collective pat on the back.

There's no denying that so far, these guys pitched much better when they were all on the same team. But there's also no denying that their past success as the Big Three will always leave people wondering if this is the year when they revert back to their old form and flirt with 20 wins again.