Every year, as teams head into spring training, they begin a process whereby they use the temporary boost in roster size to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle with untested, unsigned, unheralded free agents. Usually these guys are veterans who are looking for one last chance at an MLB season, or former prospects who have been injured and cut elsewhere, and even guys who have obvious talent but for whatever reason, have just flat out failed with other teams.

The A’s are short on veterans – as is their norm, but they’ve picked up some interesting guys for this year’s spring training last shot extravaganza:

Erubiel Durazo – 1B/DH – A former Athletics first baseman who was cut after his recovery from injury was, to say the least, slow. Durazo was at one time the franchise player of the team, so the fact that he’s back, even if only with a spring training invite, is no small deal. Here’s hoping he’s learned how to field during his time away, because his form with the bat in the Mexican winter leagues has been filthy – and i’m talking three-home run game filthy.

Derek Thompson – RP – A 26-year-old pitcher, Thompson was a 1999 1st rounder for the Indians who the Dodgers picked up (via the Cubs) in the 2002 Rule 5 draft. When he missed the following season through injury, the Dodgers cut him, then picked him up again for spring training a few months later, with DT debuting for LA a year later after a somewhat meteoric rise from AA ball. Coming off Tommy John surgery, so there’s a chance he could bounce back strongly… and also a chance he’ll just be filling a space. Comes from the same town as A’s prospect Jeff Baisley.

Erasmo Ramirez – RP – 1998 11th round draftee for the Giants who looked a hot prospect but has bounced around between AAA and the majors for several seasons with Texas, allocating him the dubious distinction of being a AAAA player. If anyone tells you this scrub is the next big thing, you might want to point out to them that getting the ball past the bat is helpful in winning ballgames, because this guy won’t get you more than a K every two innings. Will surprise if he sticks.

JJ Furmaniak – IF – 2000 22nd rounder for the Padres, Furmaniak hit .343 in his first year of pro ball, then .220 the year following. That’s been his story ever since, lighting it up with 31 homers in a season and a half of AAA, leading to a trade to the Pirates, where he promptly fell off the table, hitting only 8 dingers over the subsequent 18 months, and ending the 2006 AAA season with an average of just .213 – could this be another bounce back year? He plays infield. Kinda like Mark Kiger, the kid the A’s cut just weeks after his MLB debut in the ALCS series.

Vince Faison – OF – Wasn’t this guy on The Sopranos? 1999 Padres 1st round draftee who hit for .300+ in his debut season in Arizona rookie league, but never hit better than .253 over the four following seasons (and more often than not barely stayed above the Mendoza Line). Padres sent him to the Mariners where he began to find his stroke, hitting .267 in a short AAA run before the M’s cut their losses. Faison then dove into the indie leagues, hitting .303 with 15 dingers in a season with the Jackson Senators of the Central League, leading the Yankees to pick him up and send him down to AA ball, where he began to show power (14 homers) and contact (.260 avg). The Yankees didn’t see enough to keep him, so will the A’s be his last shot?