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Astros brace for Central race
Posted: Monday March 13, 2000 04:08 PM
In the latest installment of our continuing series of Spring Training updates from SI's baseball writers, CNNSI.com caught up with Stephen Cannella in Kissimmee, Fla., where he is covering the Houston Astros. CNNSI.com: After losing Mike Hampton , Carl Everett and Derek Bell in the off-season, do you think the Astros still have a shot at winning the NL Central? Stephen Cannella: They can win it, but it's not the definite it has been the last couple of years. Most of the other teams in the division have improved. In losing those three guys, the Astros have come back to the pack a little bit. Hampton not being here is especially tough. Moises Alou's offense will make up for the loss of Everett ,and Bell wasn't much of a factor last season, anyway. Replacing an ace like Hampton in that rotation, however, will be extremely difficult.
CNNSI.com: You mentioned Alou. He missed all of the '99 season with a serious knee injury. How has he looked so far this season, and can he regain his '98 form? Cannella: Based on the way he's looked this spring, the Astros firmly believe he will return to his '98 form. He walked in the first day of camp and started spraying line drives all over the place. Alou says he's going to pretend that he didn't miss any time at all. So far, it's looked like hasn't. He's back on his old schedule and he's playing well with less soreness in the knee than he thought he would have. The knee isn't 100%, but it is certainly good enough to play on. The Astros are counting on Alou to make up for a lot of the offense that Everett took with him to Boston. The only change might be Alou's playing time, as Dierker might give him a day off here and there. CNNSI.com: There have been rumors that the Astros may be looking to trade Alou to pave the way for Daryle Ward in the outfield. Cannella: I don't think they will end up moving Alou. In fact, there were some rumors a few weeks back that Houston was looking to trade Ward. I don't see either one of those things happening. Two players, Alou and Richard Hidalgo , are coming back from pretty serious injuries. I don't believe they'd trade either of them because the Astros need some depth in the outfield. Ward proved that he can hit in the majors last season, and they need to find him some at bats. I think there will be a lot of shuffling in the outfield, with Alou becoming the full-time rightfielder. CNNSI.com: Hidalgo hit over .300, but last year his average dropped to .227. Will he be able to rebound? Cannella: He had a severe knee injury last at the end of the season. Even though he was hitting poorly before the injury, I think you'll see the player from two years ago. The Astros are counting on him to have a big year. The Astros are going to need to score a lot more runs to make up for of their loss of pitching depth. CNNSI.com: Former Cy Young winner Dwight Gooden is in camp. How has he looked so far? And what are the chances of him finding a spot in the rotation? Cannella: If you asked me three weeks ago, I would have said Gooden had very little chance of making the rotation. That has changed, because of a couple of reasons. First, he has looked really good. In his first two appearances this spring, Gooden has retired all 12 batters he's faced. Second, Scott Elarton is not going to be ready for Opening Day. Dierker says he would be happy if Elarton came back in May. With Elarton out, there is an open spot in the rotation. Gooden looks like a pretty good bet to start the year as the team's fifth starter. Based on the way he's pitched in camp so far, the Astros have been pleasantly surprised. CNNSI.com: Is Octavio Dotel ready to take a spot in the Astros' rotation? Cannella: Yes. Dotel is a good young pitcher with a great arm, and the organization is high on him. The only problem is that he is a young, and you just can't be sure if he will produce. He's definitely in the rotation -- probably in the No. 3 spot -- and he has been since the day the trade with the Mets was made. Having Doc Gooden on the team is also good insurance in case Dotel falters. CNNSI.com: Houston will open the season in Enron Field. Has the club adjusted its approach this spring because of the change? Cannella: I don't think the Astros have changed their philosophy about
how they will put this team together. Enron Park will create a lot more offense
than the Astrodome, which was hellish in every aspect. A guy like Jeff
Bagwell , for instance, who 30 of his 42 homers on the road last year, will
benefit tremendously. You could see him hitting the 50-homer mark playing in
Enron. Another difference is the outfield. Because the park is very deep in
centerfield, it was important to get a guy like Roger Cedeño , who
has a ton of speed. There is a lot of ground to cover out there. Cedeño
hasn't played a lot of centerfield in his career, but they are happy with what
he's shown so far in spring. He certainly has the speed to cover ground, but
whether he'll be a good centerfield we'll have to
see.
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