CNN/SI - Baseball - Cleveland vs. Florida: World Series Thumbnail Sketches



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Cleveland vs. Florida: World Series Thumbnail Sketches

Posted: Fri October 17, 1997 at 3:50 p.m. EDT

FIRST BASE

JIM THOME may be the Indians' answer to Florida OF Gary Sheffield, at least in turns of taking pitches. Thome has walked 246 times in the last two years and drew the key base on balls to keep alive the game-winning rally in Game Two of the ALCS. Thome hit a career-high 40 homers and made the transition from third to first base to make room for Matt Williams. A solid defensive player who made a key stop in Game Five of the Division Series with the Yankees. He was just 1-for-14 in the ALCS and has yet to homer during the postseason.... JEFF CONINE, an original Marlin, had just two hits in 18 at-bats in the NLCS, but one was a game-winning single in Game Five. He started all three games in the Division Series against San Francisco and hit .364. DARREN DAULTON has started just one game in the postseason and has just four at-bats.... Edge: Cleveland.

SECOND BASE

The depth is evident for the Indians. When BIP ROBERTS was unable to play in Game Six of the ALCS against Baltimore, TONY FERNANDEZ stepped in and hit the game-winning homer. Fernandez, a four-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, also led the Indians in hitting in the ALCS (.357). He is normally a better hitter from the right side, yet homered from the left side against the Orioles. Roberts was acquired just hours before the deadline to submit postseason rosters and hit .337 with runners on scoring position this year. ... The Marlins engineered a steal in acquiring unknown CRAIG COUNSELL from Colorado, and he has done the little things to help the Marlins advance. KURT ABBOTT shares the duties with Counsel and is considered the the better hitter, but it was Counsell that hit .429 in the NLCS and will start against Cleveland's right-handed rotation. Edge: Cleveland.

THIRD BASE

The Indians are not in the World Series without MATT WILLIAMS, and the main reason ironically is his defense. He made a series of key defensive plays in Game Six of the LCS, including two that saved runs. He hit .217 against the Orioles, but had a key RBI single in Game Three. Williams took a while to get adjusted to AL pitching, but finished with 32 homers and 105 RBI. It is the second Fall Classic for Williams, who was 2-for-16 in the 1989 series for San Francisco. ... BOBBY BONILLA atoned for a dismal performance in the 1996 ALCS with Baltimore (1-for-20), hitting .333 against the Giants and driving in key runs in Games Five and Six against the Braves. An improved fielder, Bonnilla suffered a slight hamstring injury on Tuesday, but that is not expected to be a factor. He earned a "Good Guy" award from the Florida media after battling for years with the New York press. Bonilla has assumed the role of team leader. Edge: Cleveland.

SHORTSTOP

Defense helped put the Tribe in the World Series and no one was more responsible than OMAR VIZQUEL, who for the second time in three postseasons is proving he is among the elite at the position. Vizquel hit .500 in the Division Series against New York then went 1-for-25 against Baltimore. He will not be gettting a Christmas card from Orioles catcher Lenny Webster, who swears Vizquel admitted to tipping the ball on the game-winning botched squeeze in Game Three. Vizquel quietly stole a career-best 43 bases this year. ... EDGAR RENTERIA covers plenty of ground for the Marlins and had the game-winning hit in the team's first-ever postseason game. He hit .277 in the regular season, but struck out 108 times, a high number for someone that hit just four homers. The 21-year-old has tremendous range and committed just 17 errors. He had a team-high 13-game hitting streak during the season. Edge: Cleveland.

LEFT FIELD

BRIAN GILES made 97 starts in the outfield this season because injuries limited the ability of David Justice to play in the field. His biggest contribution was throwing out Tino Martinez of the Yankees at home plate in Game Five of the Division Series. Giles plays when Roberts moves to the infield against right-handers. Neither Giles nor Roberts is exceptionally strong defensively. ... MOISES ALOU may be the most important player brought in as part of the Marlins' $89 million spending spree, driving in 115 runs after escaping exile in Montreal. A wrist injury may have contributed to his 1-for-15 performance in the NLCS, but he did tie for the team lead with five RBI against the Braves. Alou has no major weakness at the plate. Edge: Florida.

CENTER FIELD

MARQUIS GRISSOM earned MVP honors in the ALCS, hitting a game-winning homer in Game Two and scoring the winning run in Game Three after he misplayed a fly ball to prolong the game. He hit .444 in the 1996 World Series for Atlanta and he owns a .402 average in World Series play, the second highest in baseball history with a minimum of 50 at-bats. ... DEVON WHITE is in the only Marlins regular with World Series experience, appearing in 1992 and 1993 with Toronto. He is in the lineup for his defense, so a grand slam in the Division Series clincher over the Giants was a bonus. He hit just .245 during the regular season and spent time on the disabled list. White was 4-for-21 in the NLCS. Edge: Cleveland.

RIGHT FIELD

MANNY RAMIREZ started slowly in the current postseason before collecting a key two-run double in Game Five against the Yankees and batting .286 against the Orioles. Ramirez has excellent power, collecting 26 homers in the regular season. He went to the same New York City high school as Marlins infielder Alex Arias. ... A .235 average in the NLCS disguises the importance of GARY SHEFFIELD, who drew seven walks and was a major concern of the Braves every time he came to the plate. He signed a $60 million contract with the Marlins and went out and had a miserable season at the plate (.250, 21 homers) and in the field. He helped atone with an outstanding effort in September and in the Division Series against the Giants (5-for-9, 1 homer). Both Ramirez and Sheffield have strong arms, but can make fly balls an adventure. Edge: Florida.

CATCHER

It has been a charmed season for SANDY ALOMAR of the Indians, who had a 30-game hitting streak in the regular season and several key hits in the playoffs. He was just 3-for-24 against the Orioles, but one was the game-winning single in Game Four. Alomar does not get the credit he deserves for his ability to call a game behind the plate... Anyone that did not know good CHARLES JOHNSON of the Marlins is does by now. The gold-glove winner did not make an error all season and hit 19 homers. He was charged with two errors in the NLCS, but one was on a questionable call. One of the biggest plays of the NLCS was when he threw out Kenny Lofton trying to steal in the late innings of Game Five. It was one of only two Atlanta steal attempts in the series. Johnson has thrown out 4-of-7 base runners in the postseason, but hit just .125. Edge: Even.

STARTING PITCHING

OREL HERSHISER started Game One of the 1995 World Series for the Indians and does the same against Florida. Owner of an 8-1 record in postseason play, Hershiser lived up to his repuation as a dominant October pitcher with his brilliant outing in Game Three against Baltimore. JARET WRIGHT was not as impressive against Baltimore as he was in the Division Series against the Yankees. The 21-year-old will regain the edge he had against New York when he once again opposes a team he has never previously faced. CHARLES NAGY had his best performance when his team needed it the most, lasting into the eighth inning of the shutout clincher over Baltimore. CHAD OGEA had two solid starts against the Orioles, but what the Indians really need is a lefty starter. ... The Marlins somehow managed to get by the Braves with KEVIN BROWN suffering from a viral infection and ALEX FERNANDEZ going down with a cuff injury. Filling the void was LIVAN HERNANDEZ, who won in relief in Game Three and tied an LCS record with 15 strikeouts in Game Five. The reward is a start in Game One of the World Series. Brown won 16 games and would have won even more with better run support. His effectiveness depends on him keeping the ball down like he did in Game Six against the Braves. AL LEITER struggled in the Division Series, but was adequate in his one NLCS start and starts game Three. Fellow lefty TONY SAUNDERS handled the Braves and now must find a way to beat someone else when he faces the Indians in Game Four. Edge: Cleveland.

BULLPEN

Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove will use four or five relievers in a game and why not? Of Baltimore's 19 runs in the ALCS, only five were scored from the seventh inning or later. The bullpen won four games in the ALCS and had two saves. JOSE MESA, who overcame early-season legal troubles, has three postseason saves. PAUL ASSENMACHER and MIKE JACKSON are the primary setup men. Ohio native BRIAN ANDERSON was the winner in Game Six of the ALCS. ... The deepest part of the Marlins' team is a bullpen that starts with closer ROBB NEN (35 saves) and includes JAY POWELL, journeyman DENNIS COOK and ED VOSBERG. The hard-throwing Nenn has a win and two saves in four playoff appearances. Hernandez was a valuable member of the bullpen, a role that must be filled with him becoming a starter. Edge: Even.

DESIGNATED HITTER/BENCH

DAVID JUSTICE was everything the Indians wanted after coming over from Atlanta, hitting .329 with 33 homers and 101 RBI. In the NL park, Hargrove will have to find a place for the man who hit the game-winning homer for Atlanta in Game Six of the 1995 World Series. ROBERTS, FERNANDEZ and GILES are first off the Indians bench when not in the lineup. KEVIN SEITZER is hitless in eight at-bats in the postseason.... When the Marlins were spending freely, they made sure to add super-sub JOHN CANGELOSI and JIM EISENREICH, a career .294 hitter. The duo, however, are a combined 1-for-9 in the playoffs and Cangelosi made a rare base-running mistake in Game Three of the NLCS, getting doubled off first base on a line drive. Eisenreich played in the 1993 World Series for Philadelphia and was 6-for-26. ALEX ARIAS and either Counsell or Abbott are used as infielders off the bench. DAULTON and EISENREICH are the candidates to serve as DH for the games in Cleveland... Edge: Cleveland for DH, Marlins for bench.

MANAGER

MIKE HARGROVE has felt the heat of managing a team with high expectations and the reward was a trip to the Florida sunshine. His 265 wins over the last three years are the most in baseball. He has made the most of his pitching staff this October, using everyone available. His best move may have been calling for the "wheel play" that helped end an Orioles rally in Game Six. .... The fourth time was a charm for JIM LEYLAND, who finally won an NLCS and is in the World Series for the first time. Widely regarded among the best in baseball, Leyland wears his emotions on his sleeve. He is not afraid to listen to his players as evidenced in Game Six of the NLCS when he listened to the plea of Kevin Brown and did not remove his ace pitcher. Only Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox have more wins among active managers. Edge: Florida.

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