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Baseball '00: Midseason Update

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Posted: Monday July 10, 2000 04:57 PM

CNNSI's midseason baseball reports are designed to update you in a flash. Find out what you missed in the first half of the season, what to look for down the stretch and who the top prospects are for each team. Select a division from the menus below and get in the game.

Plus, we have second-half predictions and storylines to follow from Sports Illustrated's baseball writers, and Jeff Pearlman's Hot List. And don't miss "Who Would You Choose?", a photo gallery with polls allowing you to vote on everything from the biggest surprise of the season to the best player never to make an All-Star team.

Seattle Mariners

Prospect Watch Brian Lesher, 1B Lesher leads Class AAA Tacoma in hits (92), home runs (17), RBIs (62) and slugging percentage (.557), and is tied for second in walks (43). Unfortunately for Lesher, 31-year-old John Olerud, in his 12th year in the majors, doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Flashback. Losing Ken Griffey Jr. may not turn out to be as devastating as Mariners fans feared. Heading into the break, Seattle was not only atop the AL West by 3 1/2 games, but the team also had a better record than it did on that date last year. Pitching woes have plagued the Mariners, though. After winning 17 games last year as a rookie, Freddy Garcia suffered a hairline fracture of his right tibia April 22. Left-hander Jamie Moyer missed more than a month with a shoulder injury and Brett Tomko and Gil Meche also did stints on the 15-day DL. Veteran closer Jose Mesa has struggled. The injury bug also has bit Seattle catchers Tom Lampkin and Dan Wilson. The latter went on the 15-day DL on June 14. Lampkin suffered a season-ending torn ligament that will require Tommy John surgery.

Fast Forward. The AL West race should be close. Seattle, which finished four games under .500 last year and third behind Texas and Oakland, was gaining momentum going into the break. The team is second in the league in RBIs (475) and runs (501), thanks in large part to 37-year-old Edgar Martinez's big bat. The Mariners' second-half success depends on its pitchers continuing to get well, and staying that way. With a healthy rotation, manager Lou Piniella will be hard-pressed to find a spot in the starting rotation for Garcia.

You Oughta Know. Martinez (87 RBIs), Alex Rodriguez (77), Jay Buhner (54) and John Olerud (60) have driven in 279 runs, more than any other AL foursome. Starting August 4, the Mariners take their bats on the road to face the Yankees and then travel to Chicago to visit the red-hot White Sox.

Oakland Athletics

Prospect Watch Barry Zito, LHP Zito, a first-round draft pick last year, has ridden his devastating curve all the way to Class AAA Sacramento. He is 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA and opponents are batting just .238 against him.

Flashback. After a nine-game June winning streak, the A's headed into the break just three games back of Seattle in the AL West, and it's not hard to figure out why. Attribute Oakland's success to a youth movement -- six of the team's nine regulars are 25 or younger, and the club has defied conventional wisdom that patience at the plate comes only from experience by leading the majors in walks. Jason Giambi and Jeremy Giambi aren't exactly the Bash Brothers, but at midseason first baseman Jason led the A's in nearly every major offensive category and had been elected to his first All-Star Game while right-fielder Jeremy hit a respectable .280. Meanwhile third baseman Eric Chavez and Left-fielder Ben Grieve bounced back from disappointing '99 seasons. Starter Gil Heredia (9-7, 3.99 ERA), setup man Jeff Tam (3-2, 2.40 ERA) and closer Jason Isringhausen (19 of 22 save opportunities converted) have anchored a solid pitching staff.

Fast Forward. The A's will have the rest of the West shaking in its boots in the second half if their lineup can perform better against lefty pitchers. Left-handed hitting DH Matt Stairs has been particularly ineffective, slugging .246 against southpaws. But then, Stairs has struggled against righties as well, slugging a weak .421 overall. From 1996 through 1999, his slugging percentage was .538. There are signs that Stairs will pick things up down the stretch -- he has hit seven home runs since May 24, raising his slugging percentage by 41 points.

You Oughta Know. Playing before not-so-packed houses at the Oakland Coliseum (average attendance: 18,912, second-worst in the AL), the A's are 23-21. The daunting news: the A's close the season with a seven-game homestand against division rivals Texas and Anaheim. On the bright side Oakland is 25-17 on the road, the second-best winning percentage away from home in baseball.

Anaheim Angels

Prospect Watch Seth Etherton, RHP A member of the Southern Cal squad that won the College World Series in 1998, the 23-year-old with the deceptive diving palmball was called up from Class AAA Edmonton in May and filled in ably (3-1, 4.98 ERA) for injured starters.

Flashback. Anaheim's prospects looked bleak when veteran starters Ken Hill , Jason Dickson and Kent Bottenfield went down with injuries between May 10 and June 8, joining Tim Belcher on the DL, where he had been all season. But a number of young hurlers -- including Scott Schoeneweis , Brian Cooper , Ramon Ortiz and Seth Etherton -- pitched effectively and kept the Angels in contention in the surprisingly competitive AL West. The hitting of Darin Erstad , Troy Glaus , Mo Vaughn and Tim Salmon also helped; the four have combined for 83 HRs, 242 RBIs and a .308 batting average.

Fast Forward. With the aforementioned pitchers rebounding from injuries -- and left-hander Kent Mercker attempting to come back after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage May 11 -- the Angels will try to make a run at the wild card. Manager Mike Scioscia would like to see Garrett Anderson return to his form of old; despite his 26 home runs, the center fielder's average has not reached .260 since April 24. If the Angels can stay in contention, they can make up some lost ground in crucial season-ending intradivision series at Texas and Oakland, and at home against Seattle.

You Oughta Know. Anaheim is fifth in the AL in batting average (.286) and second in home runs (144), yet the team has scored only 479 runs -- that's fifth in the league and 55 behind the league-leading White Sox.

Texas Rangers

Prospect Watch Pedro Valdes, OF Valdes was one of two Oklahoma RedHawks selected to play in the Class AAA All-Star Game. The 27-year-old lefty is batting .341 with 92 hits and 64 RBIs.

Flashback. The two-time defending division champs have taken a tumble, landing 8 1/2 games back of Seattle going into the break. A mid-June slump saw the Rangers lose 10 of 11 and dip below .500. The overhaul of the pitching staff has been a bust. Starters Mark Clark (3-5, 7.98 ERA) and Darren Oliver (2-4 6.66 ERA), as well as Esteban Loaiza (5-5, 4.19 ERA) have been big disappointments. The 28-year-old Loaiza -- normally a starter -- earned the first save of his career June 25. With the bullpen in shambles, it's not out of the question that Loaiza could be called upon to make more relief appearances down the stretch. If he's not traded, that is.

Fast Forward. Unless catcher Ivan Rodriguez starts playing all nine positions, it doesn't look as if the Rangers will overtake Oakland for the AL West title. Owner Tom Hicks said he thought the team would need 30 days to get back into contention, and time's up a week after the All-Star Game. Look for general manager Doug Melvin to make changes in Arlington after the break. Reliever John Wetteland, eligible for free agency at the end of the season, could be traded if the slide continues. Pitcher Doug Davis, 24, who started the year 8-3 at Class AAA Oklahoma, was called up July 1. Matt Perisho and Ryan Glynn should be given full-time jobs in the starting rotation in the second half.

You Oughta Know. With poor pitching and a limited bullpen to boot, the Rangers have been pressed to produce runs. Texas is hitting an AL-best .295 but ranks sixth in runs scored (461). Thanks are due to Pudge, (.366, 80 RBIs), David Segui (.343, 52 RBIs) and Rafael Palmeiro (.299, 70 RBIs) for keeping the Rangers in most games. Left fielder Rusty Greer (.291, 3 HRs, 26 RBIs) also has been hot at the plate. On June 25 he set a Rangers record with his eighth consecutive multihit game.

 

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