| | March 7
In our first installment of The Rights (and Wrongs) of Spring, we told you to ignore spring training performances, to not get too worked up if J.R. Phillips clubs nine home runs and leads the Cactus League in slugging percentage.
Actually, we were lying.
Sort of.
You see, there are spring training performances worth watching. Witness, Carlos Perez of the Dodgers, who got beat around last year like a "contestant" on a bad Jerry Springer Show (not that we advise ever watching that eyesore).
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Rumor Central
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Brad Radke is one of the most underappreciated pitchers in baseball. Toiling in an obscure land known as the Minnesota Twins, Radke won 20 games in 1997 and finished fourth in the AL last season with a 3.75 ERA.
Plus, he never misses his turn in the rotation, is just 27 years old and becomes a free agent after the 2000 season. Thus -- surprise, surprise -- the Twinkies are thinking of dealing him, due to their likely inability to pay him anything close to his market value.
Rumors are flying fast, including one that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are offering a slew of prospects for Radke, who is a Tampa native. Names mentioned include former No. 1 picks Bobby Seay and Matt White.
White was one of the "loophole" free agents from the 1996 draft and the Rays signed him to a $10 million contract. So far, he's done little in the minors, posting a 5.21 ERA in Class A last year. He still has a 95-mph fastball, but it is apparently straighter than A.C. Green.
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As you may remember, Perez pitched four straight complete games for the Dodgers in September 1998 after coming over from the Expos and was then signed to a $15.6 million, three-year contract in the offseason. He proceeded to make Todd Van Poppel look like a Cy Young candidate, going 2-10 with a 7.43 ERA, allowing 116 hits (and 23 home runs!) in just 89.2 innings, effectively ruining the Dodgers' playoff hopes all by himself.
Perez saw his fastball dip into the low 80s last year, although he had regained velocity by season's end. He pitched in relief in Monday's game against the Orioles and it wasn't a pretty sight: six hits and five runs in two innings.
The Dodgers' rotation appears set with Kevin Brown, Chan Ho Park, Darren Dreifort, Eric Gagne and Orel Hershiser, so Perez is most likely headed to the bullpen.
Here are a few other pitchers coming off miserable 1999 seasons to watch this spring:
Jeff Fassero, Red Sox. Like Perez, Fassero doomed his team's playoff chances nearly by himself, going 4-14, 7.38 in 24 starts with Seattle. The Red Sox signed him and penciled him in their rotation. Fassero was terrible last spring, so another bad spring could be a sign of things to come. He pitched Monday and allowed two hits, three walks, two runs and one home run in two innings.
Jaret Wright, Indians. With Wright, it's probably impossible to know how he'll pitch until the regular season begins. After a 6.06 ERA last year, he's reported to camp in better shape and with a new attitude. We'll see how that translates to the pitching mound. Wright pitched two hitless innings in his spring debut Monday.
Chan Ho Park, Dodgers. A 5.23 ERA in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium is pretty awful. Park still had a good strikeout rate last year, so his problems seemed to be more of location than stuff. A good bet to bounce back.
Rolando Arrojo, Rockies. After an All-Star season in 1998, Arrojo slipped to 7-12, 5.18. Obviously, that ERA is unlikely to improve in Coors Field. Still, he's worth checking to see if he's in sound health.
Joey Hamilton, Blue Jays. Shoulder problems were a factor as he went 7-8, 6.52. Even if healthy, he's not a good bet to return to his San Diego numbers. Why? San Diego is a good pitcher's park and the AL is going to add a few points to his ERA anyway.
Random thoughts
J.D. Drew went 0-for-4 on Monday. Tony La Russa probably has him working out at the minor league complex today.
The Yankees have lost their first five spring games after Monday's 15-1 drubbing to the Indians. Joe Torre has not yet been fired.
Injury update
Quotes like this scare you. Scott Rolen, on his back problems, to Jayson Stark of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "And that shocks me. I didn't think I was going to be old yet. And I'm old now."
Rolen was working on a rundown drill on Sunday when he "just about fell over." He was fine five seconds later, but it still leaves concerns about Rolen's ability to play a full, healthy season at Philadelphia's "cushy AstroConcrete" (as Stark put it).
Aside: Kind of ironic, how the Phillies will invest millions of dollars in players, yet not spend anything to upgrade the condition of their playing surface. And you wonder why the Phillies have had one winning season since 1986.
Position battles
The Astros have a crowded outfield but Daryle Ward is making a point to earn significant playing time behind Moises Alou, Roger Cedeno and Richard Hidalgo. He homered Monday, after homering Sunday off Roger Clemens.
Fantasy corner
Darryl Kile's ERAs since 1994: 4.57, 4.96, 4.19, 2.57, 5.20, 6.61. Looks like one good season out of six to us, considering the first four of those came in the Astrodome. Kile was terrific in 1997, but that's been it. Yes, his numbers were doomed in Coors Field, but his road ERA last year was was still a hefty 5.89.
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ALSO SEE
Exhibition roundup: Pedro gets loss but is happy nonetheless
ESPN.com's spring training 2000 coverage
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