|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Not many matches for Sheff
Updated: Wednesday February 21, 2001 3:39 PM
Throughout spring training Sports Illustrated senior writer Jeff Pearlman will field your baseball questions. Click here to submit a query and check back next Thursday to read more of his answers. On my maddening (one can only hear Dream's "He Loves U Not" so many times) four-hour drive from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale yesterday, I had time to think. And think. And think. Hence, my all-terrible New York 1980s (and early '90s) team: C: Junior Ortiz 1B: John Mayberry 2B: Kelvin Chapman SS: Paul Zuvella 3B: Alvaro Espinoza OF: Omar Moreno, Terry Blocker, Henry Cotto Utility: Mike Fischlin Rotation: Steve Trout, Anthony Young, Ed Whitson, Carlos Diaz, John Montefusco Closer: Doug Sisk On to your questions ...
What is the deal with this new demand by Gary Sheffield? Are the Dodgers
really going to move him? He has mentioned the Yankees, Mets and Braves as
possible destinations, but I really don't see the Yanks getting involved.
Sheffield would be a great fit for the Mets, but what would they have to give up?
(Alex Escobar?) The Braves make the most sense, but will they want to pay
Sheffield? Or is all of this just a ploy to milk Murdoch for a big
extension ?
Sheffield can be a weird dude. He's bright and talented and a good clubhouse guy, but (and it's a BIG but) he's very fragile (sensitive-wise), and his ego can get carried away. Sheffield is insulted that L.A. hasn't offered him a lengthy extension in light of all the wonderful things he's done for the team. Uhhh ... yeah. You've been there less than three full seasons. The Dodgers are serious about trading him, but the options stink. The Mets need a power-hitting outfielder, but the Dodgers' request for either Mike Piazza or Edgardo Alfonzo is assininely (I made up a word) laughable. And they don't want to part with Escobar, their top prospect. Atlanta, too, would be something of a fit, but Sheffield is absolutely, positively NOT Bobby Cox's type of player. The jewelry, the swagger -- no way. Either the Dodgers are going to receive little in return, or Sheffield will have to increase the number of teams on his wish list.
I think you're a witty guy and all, and you seem to have a good knowledge of the
game, but don't you think you're jumping on the Marlins bandwagon a bit too
soon? They are not better than the Mets, and if you and your peers would get off
the Mike Hampton trip for a second, you'd realize that with the addition of a
workhorse (Steve Trachsel) and the increasing maturity of Glendon Rusch (who has
more in common with Tom Glavine than Brad Penny!), the 2001 Mets rotation is
deeper than last year's. My question is: When the Marlins don't contend for the
wild card, who else will challenge the Mets (or Braves, if the Mets win the
division)?
Paul, don't let the world's problems -- hunger, war, the Backstreet Boys -- make you so moody. Yeah, the Mets still have an above-average collection of starting pitchers. But to say they've improved their staff, well, that's just nonsense. Trachsel is a workhorse in the proud tradition of Craig Swan and Pat Zachry and Mark Bomback. He pitches many an inning, and gives up runs in more than half of 'em. I'm more of a Kevin Appier guy, but the argument circulating through the Big Apple (Appier wins 15, Hampton wins 15, hence all is equal) is garbage. Hampton offers many more quality starts. Appier and Trachsel will have their moments, but they'll also get hit -- sometimes hard. The Marlins have a slew of young, powerful arms, and a nice, balanced lineup. Will they outdo the Mets? Yes.
Do you think Juan Gonzalez can stay healthy, and how much do you think Ellis
Burks can help the Indians?
Gonzalez has mystified me for a loooong time. Sometimes he looks as if he wants to play, sometimes he doesn't. He says he's in mucho pain, but maybe he's just in an ornery mood. Will he stay healthy for 155 games? It's very, very hard to imagine, especially with an iffy back. On the bright side, he'll surely be happier in Cleveland than he was in Detroit. Gonzalez never really wanted to be a Tiger, and he clearly dreaded the big ol' stadium. Burks is a great, great veteran clubhouse presence who can definitely help the Indians (look no further than his 2000 numbers: .344, 24 HR, 96 RBIs). Still, at age 36, he's no guarantee. Burks has two of the most gnarly, nasty, banged-up knees in baseball. The Indians figure they can get 100 or so games out of Burks in the outfield, and maybe 30-40 more at DH.
Are baseball teams setting up programs for hitters and pitchers concerning
the high strike zone? We keep hearing about how seriously the umps are taking the
new strike zone, and I wonder if the organizations are also taking it
seriously.
Tommy P, last week I had a good discussion about the new strike zone with several Yankees. The New York approach (and one most teams will likely follow) is: Seeing is believing. Teams won't prepare differently, because too many times they've heard talk of changing this and altering that, only to see everything stay the same. As Yankees utilityman Clay Bellinger, said: "Umps have been calling balls and strikes one way for 25 years. I'm not sure how much they can change in a few weeks." My guess: little, if at all.
How does the Yankees' Mariano Rivera rank among all-time closers, and is he
worth almost $10 million per
season?
That's tricky. It's probably too early to rank Rivera vs. the all-time closers. Guys like Goose Gossage, John Franco, Lee Smith and Rollie Fingers all had at least six more seasons of productivity. But Rivera's greatness in pressure situations can't be ignored. No closer (remember, the gig has really only been around for 20 or so years) has had such a key role in so many world titles. Five more seasons similar to the last four, and he's a Hall of Famer. Worth the money? Unquestionably.
Is this the year Bartolo Colon puts it all together and wins 20-plus games,
or is he the poster boy for the old adage "great tools but no
toolbox"?
Colon is the poster boy for "Blubbery athletes aren't athletic." Everyone knows Colon has killer stuff: a 98-mph fastball, an 83-mph curve, a deceptive changeup, but his confidence (up and down, up and down) and his weight (up and down, up and down) have taken a huge bite out of his potential. I was shocked at how large Colon was early last season. It looked as if someone had taken a beige inner tube, over-inflated it with air, then pushed the thing into a Colon jersey. The tools are awesome. Colon must decide whether to use 'em or not.
Looking at Ken Griffey Jr.'s career stats, I am beginning to wonder whether
the 2000 season was a sign of things to come, rather than an "off
year" for the slugger. Junior is 31 years old -- is it fair to expect him
to "bounce back," or should we expect more of the
same?
First off, "more of the same" ain't so terrible. Everyone dumps on Griffey's so-so 2000, during which he had only 40 home runs and 118 RBIs. Gimme a break. I don't consider 31 to be old, and Griffey keeps himself in very, very good shape. The thing to look for with a hitter on the decline is bat speed. When Cecil Fielder began struggling a few years back, scouts agreed he wasn't getting around on pitches anymore. Griffey still has a lightning-fast bat. Last year there were a lot of distractions: The FBI protection, coming home, the new league, squabbles with Jack McKeon. I'd be shocked -- SHOCKED! -- if Junior doesn't rebound with a 50-plus-homer year.
We know with the loss of A-Rod that Seattle needs to beef up its offense, and the
ownership is willing to pay "respectable" money to do so. Our pitching
and defense will keep us in the hunt for the AL West title, but we need someone
at third base or shortstop to add some pop. Who do you think will end up playing
there for the Mariners by the trade
deadline?
Ffej Namlraep, my psychic alter ego, says the Mariners will grow frustrated with power-deprived David Bell at third sooner than later. Unfortunately, the options aren't plentiful. If Montreal struggles, wacky Fernando Tatis would probably be available. The Padres could surely part with Ed Sprague or, if the right prospects are dangled, Phil Nevin . Tampa Bay would love to exorcise Vinny Castilla's contract. But, really, it's waaaaaay too early to tell. Maybe Bell is the answer. Maybe beer is good for you. Click here to send a spring training question to Jeff Pearlman. |
