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Pinstripe problems
Yankees' training-camp 'trouble' -- too much depth
Posted: Friday February 23, 2001 5:22 PM
Throughout spring training, CNNSI.com will feature regular dispatches from
Sports Illustrated staffers assigned to scout camps in the Grapefruit and Cactus
leagues.
By Stephen Cannella, Sports
Illustrated
TEAM: New York
Yankees
SITE: Tampa,
Fla.
WEATHER: After morning clouds burned off, bright sun and breezy, upper
70s
PLAYER I SAW WHOM I REALLY LIKED AND WHY: Joe Oliver. A Mariner
last year, Oliver was signed to plug one of the Yankees' glaring holes in 2000:
A quality catcher to back up Jorge Posada. Posada caught 142 games last
year, tied for most in the American League. Oliver, one of the better defensive
receivers in the game, will allow Joe Torre to give Posada more days off,
a luxury lost when Joe Girardi left New York for the Cubs after the '99
season. "It's the perfect situation for me," says Oliver, whose mouth
is already watering at the prospect of catching the Yankees' ace-ridden
rotation. "It's not like on my days I'll be catching some rookie just up
from Triple A. It's like when I was in in the National League and we played
Atlanta. Which one of these guys are teams supposed to get excited about
facing?"
AROUND THE HORN:
The Yankees get larger crowds at Legends Field for early camp
workouts than some teams do for their spring games, and the fans on Friday were
more vocal than those you'd find at Toronto's Skydome in September. The loudest
in the crowd of roughly 300 were, of course, the young women squealing for
Derek Jeter. The matinee-idol shortstop endured much abuse from teammates
around the batting cage as various high-pitched voices proclaimed their love for
him. One girl held up a banner -- yes, Yankees fans bring banners to workouts --
reading HEY #2, MAKE ME #1 IN YOUR HEART! Another fan tried to spread the love
by shouting to Paul O'Neill, "You the man Paul! Don't worry about
that number two!" The fan who called out to O'Neill, however, was a
guy.
There's an adage that says pitchers report to camp ahead of the
hitters, and the Yankees' Friday workout was proof that clichés become
clichés for a reason. Torre put the team through more than an hour of
live BP, having hitters face pitchers who were trying to get outs rather than
lobbing the ball over the plate. It wasn't a pretty sight: The first hitting
group, which included Jeter, O'Neill, Chuck Knoblauch and minor league
catcher Bobby Hughes struggled to hit the ball out of the infield against
youngsters Randy Keisler and Craig Dingman. Clemens, Pettite,
Mussina and El Duque, they weren't. "It's torture for [the
hitters] because they've been in camp two days and they're facing guys trying to
make the team," Torre said after the workout. "Especially when I'm
standing behind the cage and the pitchers are trying to impress
me."
As you stroll around the Yankees' camp you're beaten over the head
by how deep this team is. I have a better chance of making the Twins
roster this spring than most of the rookies in the Legends Field clubhouse have
of wearing pinstripes on Opening Day. In a particularly tough spot is shortstop
prospect Alfonso Soriano, who would have been rushed to the majors by
most organizations by now. The Yankees are getting Soriano, whose name surfaces
in virtually every Yankees trade rumor, some work in the outfield this spring.
"We still think he's a quality infielder, but when you look at Jeter and
Knoblauch, middle infield is a tough position [to break into here]," said
Torre, who is convinced Soriano will one day be a dangerous offensive player.
"We hate to devalue him by making him a utility player, but to make this
club
..."
Torre also implied that Soriano might welcome a trade. "When
there's talk of major trades and your name comes up you have to feel good,"
Torre said. "We just signed our shortstop for 10 years, so [maybe Soriano]
doesn't want to be here. That's his
position."
Life is good when one of your biggest camp concerns is how to shoehorn a
top-flight prospect onto the roster. The task for most Yankees this spring is to
stay healthy and shave a few strokes off the handicap. Bench coach Don
Zimmer, beginning his 53rd season in baseball, knows the drill: He received
an ovation during the team's morning meeting in celebration of the hole-in-one
he shot during Thursday's round of
golf.
Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella will check in periodically
with reports from his tour of spring camps.
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