Daily Archives: April 1, 2004

By Bruce Markusen
Spring Training Edition

From Madness To A Miracle?

After the stench of last yearís odious mess at Shea Stadium, fans of the New York Mets should be excused for excessive hyperventilation this spring. For the first time since the pennant-winning season of 2000, the Mets have a team that borders on the likeable. More importantly, they may have the makings of a club that can set a reasonable goal of competing for the National Leagueís wild card berth. Yes, itís amazing what can happen when a new front office adds one of the gameís three best defensive center fielders, finds a powerful rookie shortstop who resembles nothing close to the feeble limitations of Rey Ordonez, and fortifies a shredded bullpen with a playoff-tested veteran and a group of hardball-humming youngsters.

At the very least, the Mets will be a much improved defensive team in 2004. Mike Cameron, whoís used to playing spacious outfields, should have little trouble making the transition to the tricky winds and mind-numbing airplane noise of Shea Stadium; the Mets can point to pages of statistical analysis that declare Cameron as the gameís best defensive center fielder. With Japanese sensation Kaz Matsui and sophomore stud Jose Reyes (assuming his hamstring problems donít become chronic) manning the middle infield, the Mets may have the kind of athleticism and range that the rival Yankees can only dream about at second and short. (Letís just hope that Super Joe McEwing receives a minimum of playing time this summer.) The decision to flip-flop Mike Piazza and Jason Phillips is long overdue, improving the teamís catching while doing minimal damage to first base. And if Shane Spencer and Karim Garcia end up platooning in right field, theyíll be more than adequate (and better than wrong-way Roger Cedeno); both are limited in range, but are surehanded and can throw, with Garcia possessing one of the gameís most underrated outfield arms.

All of the past transactions aside, the Mets may have some options on the trading block for future improvements. Several teams have called to inquire about the availability of Vance Wilson, one of the National Leagueís better backup catchers. The Mets are saying no for now, but theyíll change their minds for the right price, knowing that they have both Phillips and Piazza available to catch immediately, with top prospect Justin Huber primed for arrival in 2005. The Mets also have depth in their bullpen, thanks in part to the luring of ex-Marlin Braden Looper, which is always a nice springtime commodity. Some members of the Metsí brass would like to make room for 26-year-old Orber Moreno, who has resuscitated his career after suffering a torn labrum during his days with the Royals. (And no, heís no relation to “Omar the Outmaker,” the original O. Moreno.) The much improved Grant Roberts is one pitcher who has drawn interest from other teams; he could end up as the Metsí fifth starter, in the bullpen, or in some other major league market during the season. Tyler Yates is another attractive commodity to rival clubs, but the Mets have no intention of trading the hard-throwing right-hander, who will probably start the season at Triple-A Norfolk.

With catching and pitching to spare, what do the Mets want in return? Theyíre still on the lookout for outfield help and have talked to the Blue Jays about Jayson Werth, whoís out of options but is still only 24, and to the Pirates about Sabermetric favorite Craig Wilson, who just canít seem to win the favor of manager Lloyd McClendon. Both Werth and the underrated Wilson would make sense in right field, either as everyday players or in a platoon with Garcia. Another possibility is Baltimoreís Jay Gibbons, who can be had for the right package of young pitching. A left-handed swinger, Gibbons could platoon with Spencer, who has never mastered right-handed pitching (a .313 OBP and a .371 slugging mark over the past three years)

Don Malcolm has an interesting analysis of the 2004 Red Sox over at Baseball Primer. He isn’t convinced that Boston is as good as many people think they are. Sadly–and I’m not being facetious—Nomar Garciaparra was placed on the DL (joining Trot Nixon) with Achilles’ tendinitis:

“It will be three weeks without playing in games, for sure,” Epstein said. “It’s similar to Trot’s situation. The whole point of an aggressive rest and rehab routine like this is to knock the injury out. It’s a long season. It’s a long career. We want to make sure we put this behind us so it doesn’t become more chronic.”

…”The doctor ordered a lot of rest and sitting on my couch,” Garciaparra said. “He says he’ll talk to me once a week. I’m sure it’ll be more to make sure I am sitting on my couch, which I will be. It’ll definitely be hard, but I’ll be cheering them on.”

Pedro Martinez was smacked around in his last outing of the spring. Michael Holley has a good piece on the mercurial Dominican in the Boston Globe this morning. Jayson Stark reports:

Behind the plate, a section full of scouts scratched their heads. Martinez had touched 90 mph on just a couple of fastballs. He delivered them from an arm slot noticeably lower than the Pedro of old.

“I could never give that guy a three-year contract,” said one scout. “He’s got two years left in him. Tops.”

…Pitching coach Dave Wallace chalked it all up to a case of the “spring-training yips.”

“He’s just anxious to get going and get through spring training,” Wallace said. “I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff happen this time of year.”

But this was, in reality, as strange as it gets. And Martinez’s body language had communicated real frustration — such as the time he got so irritated over not getting a low strike call from plate ump Marty Foster that he caught Varitek’s toss back to the mound with his bare hand.

Never a dull moment with Martinez and the Red Sox, huh? Yankee fans should resist the temptation to feel smug here. I suspect that Boston and New York will go back-and-forth sending players to the DL during the season. Like Boss George says, it’s how you finish that counts.

I went back and re-read Robert Ward’s infamous “Reggie Jackson in No-Man’s Land” article last night (it is in Glenn Stout’s collection of Yankee writing, “Top of the Heap”). Man, it’s still funny. They sure don’t make ’em like Jackson–or Billy the Kid, for that matter–anymore. Ward spoke with Jackson during the slugger’s first spring training with the Yankees, but the article didn’t appear until June (in Sport magazine), by which time tensions had eased considerably between Jackson and Thurman Munson. When the piece came out, the feud was fired up all over again. It would continue throughout the 1977 season, ending of course when Jackson hit four home runs on four consecutive pitches (with a base on balls inbetween) as the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the World Serious.

Anyhow, here are some of Reggie’s finest moments from the article:

“I’ve got problems other guys don’t have. I’ve go this big image that comes before me, and I’ve got to adjust to it. Or what it has been projected to be. That’s not ‘me’ really, but I’ve got to deal with it. Also, I used to be known as a black athlete, now I’m respected as a tremendoous intellect.

…You know…this team…it flows from me. I’ve got to keep it all going. I’m the straw that stirs the drink. It all comes back to me. Maybe I should say me and Munson…but really he doesn’t enter into it. He’s being so damned insecure about the whole thing. I’ve overheard him talking about me…I’ll hear him telling some other writer tha he wants it to be known that he’s the captain of the team, that he knows what’s best. Stuff like that. And when anybody knocks me, he’ll laugh real loud so that I can hear it…

You see, that is the way I am. I’m a leader, and I can’t lie down…but ‘leader’ isn’t the right word…it’s a matter of PRESENCE…Let me put it this way: No team I am on will ever be humilated the way the Yankees were by the Reds in the World Series! That’s why Munson can’t intimidate me. Nobody can. you can’t psyche me. You take me one-on-one in the pit, and I’ll whip you…It’s an attitude, really…It’s the way the manager looks at you when you come into the room…It’s the way the coaches and the batboy look at you…The way your name trickles through the crowd when you wait in the batter’s box…It’s all that…The way the Yankees were humilated by the Reds? You think that doesn’t bother Billy Martin. He’s no fool. He’s smart. Very smart. And he’s a winner. Munson’s tough, too. He is a winner, but there is just nobody who can do for a club what I can do…There is nobody who can put meat in the seats [fans in the stands] the way I can. That’s just the way it is…Munson thinks he can be the straw that stirs the drink, but he can only stir bad.”

Catfish Hunter, who had played with Jackson in Oakland years before, told Ward, “The thing you have to understand about Reggie is that he wants everyone to love him.”

Alex Rodriguez is no Reggie Jackson, but I get the feeling that he wants everybody to love him too. I don’t think Rodriguez is capable to making any “straw that stirs the drink” comments, but I wouldn’t put it past him for his mouth (insecurities) to get him in trouble sooner or later.