"As the playoffs unfold it is a good time to look at the type of player it takes to be successful over the course of the 162 game-season.A good starting point is to recall the players the A's have had on the roster as they made the playoffs five times since 2000. The A's have built championship teams before and are trying to do so again.The club has featured pitchers such as Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Jason Isringhausen, Billy Koch, Keith Foulke (in his prime) and Cory Lidle. On the offensive side, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez, Ramon Hernandez and Jermaine Dye have all been in the playoffs as an Athletic.Names we hear about in today's playoffs include Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Jim Thome, Evan Longoria, Prince Fielder, Mark Teixeira and Vladimir Guerrero.When October baseball rolls around, the "varsity" pitching staff dominates the playoffs. Not the 3-4-5 starters, but "real" pitchers win in October. Josh Beckett, Derek Lowe, James Shields, Carlos Zambrano, Mark Buehrle, C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey and Cole Hamels have all been counted upon by their teams to star this fall.How close are the A's to regaining the type of player it takes to be one of the eight teams to make it to postseason play? What are the prospects for a successful 2009 season in Oakland? What players should the A's target as potential free

agents? Trades?First, the A's have to determine how close they are to developing players who can be consistent winning performers over the long season.First baseman Daric Barton is a mystery. In 2007, Barton hit the ball with authority during a September call-up. His success in '07 didn't carry over to 2008. What should the A's do? Should they abandon Barton and rework the position? Should they wait to see if minor league phenom Sean Doolittle hits in AAA before deciding if they have a future quality player at a key offensive position?I would give Barton another shot at the job. One may have to realize that Barton will not develop into a legitimate power hitter in the majors, but he may be a productive .280 hitter with occasional power. At his age (23), Barton is simply too young to give up on.It would be a good idea to take some pressure off Barton by adding a free agent such as Casey Blake, who can play third as well as first and hits right-handed.Former Athletic Jason Giambi, a free agent this winter, most likely would cost too much for the A's budget. Giambi probably will remain in N.Y. at a discount, and/or will command real interest in the market this winter from other contenders.Should the A's resign Mark Ellis? The excellent second baseman may become a manager some day. Ellis is coming off shoulder surgery and won't have a large market. If healthy, I'd resign Ellis to a two-year deal and allow him to groom his eventual successor at second base. Ellis didn't hit much in '08 while fielding his"