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Searching for diamonds on three losing teams
DIAMOND NOTES: April 20
Three managers were gone before the 20-game mark, and Buddy Bell might not be far behind if the Rockies don't get CPR. It has become such an open season on managers that no matter how strong the denials from above, Tony Muser, Buck Martinez and Jerry Narron have to work with the perception that they are living on the edge.
In Narron's case, it makes no sense because he doesn't have his No. 1 starter (Chan Ho Park), his closer (Jeff Zimmerman) or Hall of Fame catcher (Ivan Rodriguez), nor did he select the rodeo of relievers that has made for a rough ride, at least until John Rocker left. In Muser's case, it doesn't seem inevitable unless Allard Baird is overruled by owner David Glass, which seems unlikely unless George Brett is willing to manage and Glass wants him.
There is a logical question to be asked: considering the direction of the industry, is this just passing one glass of Kool-aid around in a circle? Does Luis Pujols have a chance to win in Detroit, which owners say is a seriously precarious financial situation? Does whoever gets the Brewers job -- Jerry Royster, Robin Yount, Bob Melvin (who interviews Monday), Cecil Cooper, Paul Molitor -- have a chance? And can anyone manage in that Tower of Terror known as Coors Field?
Phil Garner was considered one of the brightest young managers in the game when his '92 Brewers won 92 games, but after a decade of bad teams, payroll slashes and bad teams, he left Detroit beaten. "We have people say Tony Muser hasn't had a winning season," Baird has said. "But it's not easy in these markets. I look at far more important issues, and Tony and our entire organization is on the same page."
One GM says, "The biggest thing is that these organizations have to look not only in the mirror, but at what Oakland, San Diego and Minnesota have done. It's about talent, being aggressive and being patient. That's hard to do. Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Detroit were tied to the opening of their parks, and when their talent wasn't there, they panicked into some bad contracts that set them back further."
Detroit. Randy Smith's supporters argue that he didn't have enough time to develop the talent stream, and that while the current team -- with three utility players and three DHs in the lineup -- is undertalented and overpriced, there is some hope. Jeff Weaver is a frontline starter, and Steve Sparks is not only good, but invaluable to a young team. Nate Cornejo has a chance to be a command starter, and former No. 1 pick Seth Greisinger is nearly ready to join the rotation after years of injury. RHP Kenny Baugh and LHP Andy VanHekken are legit prospects, so Pujols can develop a pitching staff in a pitchers' park. But while Andres Torres looks like a keeper in center, there are mixed reports on infielders Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago and 1B Eric Munson. Impossible? No, but it may be awhile before they get into 90-win level.
Milwaukee. Whoever gets this job gets an owner (Wendy Selig-Prieb) who will be understanding and try to make it work. There is some hope with Ben Sheets and Nick Neugebauer at the front of the rotation, if they stay healthy, and Glendon Rusch. But there isn't much they can trade, and they have some inflated contracts. "They have rebuilt their scouting, but it's going to take (scouting director) Jack Zduriencik some time," says one personnel director. "They've had a lot of arm blowouts, and the only players we really like are (RHP) Mike Jones (19), (OF) Cristian Guerrero (21) and RHP Ben Hendrickson (21). That's not a lot to work with."
Colorado. The problem here is less talent than the locale. If the commissioner's office would allow them to carry 30 players and have a five-man manager's decision list, maybe it would work. But all one has to look at is what happens to pitchers when they leave Colorado -- Darryl Kile, Pedro Astacio (3-0 this year), Gabe White (0.00 ERA) -- and one sees how good pitchers get worn down by the Eight Miles High Blues; it also makes one wonder why there isn't a line a block long to go after Mike Hampton. This team has three very good young players in Juan Pierre (Mickey Rivers?), Juan Uribe and Jose Ortiz, and two superstars in Larry Walker and Todd Helton. If Jack Cust can improve defensively, he could be a Dante Bichette in that park, and the Double-A Carolina Mudcats club is loaded, with OF Choo Freeman going off, 3B Garrett Atkins a big-time hitting prospect and starting pitchers like Jason Young, Aaron Cook, Cory Vance and Chandler Martin.
None are hopeless. But it's sure a whole lot easier being Grady Little.
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| 2001 SEASON STATISTICS |
| AB |
HR |
RBI |
R |
OPS |
AVG |
| 57 |
4 |
10 |
7 |
.557 |
.140 |
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News and notes: Rough start in Texas
Has this Rangers start been a nightmare? Of course. But let them win half of the eight games they blew after leading from the sixth inning on and they'd be 9-7, not 5-11. The bullpen has been a disaster, and they badly miss Pudge Rodriguez, who now is going on the disabled list for the fourth time since July 2000. The center-field defense is an unanswered problem, and Carl Everett -- the Buster Douglas lookalike, as one fan points out -- can't cover the ground. But when Park gets back next month and Colby Lewis returns, the rotation will be pretty good, as Kenny Rogers has been outstanding, Doug Davis has been very good and Ismael Valdes adequate. ... But watching John Rocker's stiff delivery compared to what he threw like in 1999 -- when he had 38 saves and fanned 104 in 72 1/3 innings -- makes you wonder if he'll ever regain the looseness and life again.
The chances of the Indians being able to make a deal or two to add payroll for their run in the AL Central are slight. The Tribe now project to 2.7 million attendance, 300,000 less than the numbers for which they had budgeted. But with their young pitching and all the arms they have in their organization, if this is their down period, compared to the Tigers, Royals and Twins, it's a relatively positive stretch. ... The Diamondbacks expect to get Erubiel Durazo back by early May, and he will play. Bob Brenly always uses a defensive lineup behind Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, but he goes to offense with the other starters, and in spring training had planned to play Durazo at first base behind the non-Randy/Schill starters to get his bat into the lineup.
Other owners insist that Peter Angelos' addition to the labor negotiation team has nothing to do with promises made not to put a team in Washington until he sells. "He's a brilliant lawyer with great and varied labor union experience," says one owner. "He also came in as pro-union, pro-player and a dove and has become a hawk. That is a message to the players about what happens when you've dealt with this industry for awhile." Adds another executive: "This was a great move because it will get the Democrats off their backs. Angelos is the Democrats' biggest contributor, and we know that as long as they have Terry McAuliffe as their party chairman, everything they do will be about the money."
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| 2001 SEASON STATISTICS |
| GM |
W-L |
IP |
BB |
K |
ERA |
| 4 |
2-1 |
28.2 |
5 |
13 |
2.20 |
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Around the majors
Kevin Towers says "we're finally getting our money's worth out of Randy Myers. Alan Embree worked with Myers this winter on the mental process of relieving and closing, and it appears to have really helped Alan. He's been a different pitcher. So maybe that $17 million waiver claim doesn't look so bad." ... Ha ha ... Brian Lawrence's ability to use both sides of the plate and get groundballs has solidified him in the Padres' future, and they hope to get Adam Eaton back by August 1. Privately, Pads' people believe that two out of the Jake Peavy/Ben Howard/Dennis Tankersly troika will be in San Diego by the All-Star break. Then go look at the bats on Lake Elsinore's roster -- Xavier Nady, Tag Bozied, Jake Gautreau ...
The Giants' starting pitching has been one of the storylines of the early season, and as Ryan Jensen went down, Jason Schmidt returns next week. And at Fresno, Joe Nathan's velocity is back up to 92, and the Giants now believe he's going to get the final three miles per hour back by the end of the season, which would be a huge addition. After all, Nathan is 12-6 in the big leagues. Damon Minor's return will give Dusty Baker an opportunity to platoon at first base and try to light a fire under J.T. Snow, as the Giants have to get more out of the 6-7-8 part of the order this season.
It hasn't been easy for Tampa Bay, but Carl Crawford's big start at Durham gives them some immediate hope for someone to dream about other than Brent Abernathy. ... The powers of the NL Central are struggling to keep their pitchers healthy. The Astros have lost Wade Miller, which has rushed Tim Redding back to the big leagues. That might not seem like a bad thing, but Jimy Williams' middle relief is soft, and some in the organization had hoped Redding could be groomed to pitch in front of Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner. Incidentally, with Morgan Ensberg starting slowly, some note that converted third baseman Keith Ginter is hitting .330 in New Orleans, where they are playing 2001 Texas League MVP Jason Lane in center field.
The Cubs believe workhorse Jon Lieber will only miss a start or two and that Juan Cruz will get straightened out. "We really haven't played well defensively yet," says GM Jim Hendry. "We're capable of playing better than we have." Bill Mueller's return would help, but it should be noted that several teams -- the Cubs, Marlins, even Robby Alomar and the Mets -- have struggled on the lightning fast turf in Montreal. That turf is one of the National League's biggest home-field advantages, as the Expos are the only team with traditional turf. "It should apply to us and the Blue Jays, as well," says Twins GM Terry Ryan, as those two clubs are the only ones in the AL with turf. ... Mark Prior will make another start or two in Double-A, then move up to Triple-A, but he'll be in Chicago by the All-Star break. And the Cubs also expect Kyle Farnsworth back in a couple of weeks and Tom Gordon within two months. ... Then there are all the Cardinals injury problems. Woody Williams may not be back until mid-May, Garrett Stephenson is a couple of starts away, Rick Ankiel is just beginning to throw in the minors and Josh Pearce was their only available minor-league starter. "In spring training, we kept hearing that we had too much pitching," says Walt Jocketty. "Now, three weeks into the season, we're thin."
Jim Bowden says, "Scott Williamson's stuff is coming back so well that he'll either be a closer or a starter by midseason." Seattle, with serious questions about how long Edgar Martinez is out, has been looking for an outfielder (as well as a left-handed reliever, and a power setup man), and called about Ruben Mateo, among others. Last year, Pat Gillick tried to get Juan Encarnacion from the Tigers at the trading deadline, but the Reds got him this winter and are very happy with his development. ... Jerry Manuel doesn't sound as if he's going to sacrifice Jeff Liefer at-bats to give Jose Canseco an opportunity to come up and try to hit home runs for his place in baseball history. By the way, hats off to the White Sox for firing the nitwit who played a Whitesnake song with Chuck Finley pitching. The personal problems being encountered by Finley's wife are not humorous. ... Rick Sutcliffe may now be the sport's best national color announcer, and certainly the best prepared.
Orioles GM Syd Thrift has been calling around trying to trade for some positional talent, but when clubs ask about Sidney Ponson, Thrift says Peter Angelos won't deal him. He will trade Jason Johnson, but clubs are worried about his physical condition to the point where they're not dealing players to get him. Scott Erickson will be available in time, especially if Erik Bedard and Rick Bauer develop.
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