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The indirect approach

Rangers hoping improved gloves, bats help pitchers

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Posted: Wednesday December 02, 1998 10:22 PM

Ranger with range: The defense of Royce Clayton (airborne) helped lower Texas' ERA AP

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- The top priority for the Texas Rangers this offseason was supposed to be improving their creaky pitching staff. Indirectly, they have.

By re-signing shortstop Royce Clayton and bringing back Rafael Palmeiro after a five-year absence, the Rangers have given their pitchers a better defense and a more potent offense.

Having reliable fielders gives pitchers confidence to throw strikes. A stout lineup can score the runs that give pitchers more margin for error.

But after spending $63 million on Clayton and Palmeiro, Texas general manager Doug Melvin is still stuck with a starting rotation of Rick Helling, Aaron Sele, John Burkett and Esteban Loaiza.

It's not for a lack of trying. The Rangers offered Randy Johnson $50 million to anchor their rotation the next four years, but the left-hander picked Arizona. Todd Stottlemyre also headed for the desert after telling the Rangers he wasn't interested in staying.

The best hired gun on the market is Kevin Brown, but his unhappy history in Texas makes him unlikely to return. Roger Clemens can be acquired in a trade from Toronto, but it would take more players than the Rangers are ready to lose.

So Melvin decided to take the indirect approach.

Clayton, acquired from St. Louis for the stretch last year, agreed to an $18 million, four-year deal Monday a few hours after Johnson said no. A little over 24 hours later, the team agreed to pay Palmeiro $45 million over five years.

Clayton's wide range and strong arm at shortstop helped lower the Rangers' ERA after he arrived last summer. Palmeiro, who won Gold Gloves the last two years in Baltimore, is an improvement over Will Clark, whose arm and glove became suspect last year.

Knowing the guys behind you will stop balls hit near them gives pitchers more reason to aim for the heart of the plate rather than trying to be perfect on every pitch. The result can be shorter at-bats and fewer walks, leading to longer outings.

"Having that shortstop is so important, maybe more so with our staff than others," Melvin said. "Signing a shortstop like Royce is probably like adding a No. 3 or 4 starter to your rotation, if not better."

Starters also may have the luxury of pitching with the lead more often Palmeiro in the lineup. He's hit .321 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 79 at-bats at The Ballpark, which opened the year after he left Texas for Baltimore. The short porch in right field is ideal for his left-handed pull swing and in fact was built with him in mind somewhat.

But the Rangers still need arms. Melvin doesn't deny that, he just has to figure out which ones and how to get them.

Save for Brown, the remaining free agents are no better than what Texas already has. And there's little out there to help a bullpen whose closer, John Wetteland, is coming off elbow surgery. Melvin has indicated that, considering the options, money would best be spent on a reliable setup man.

Palmeiro mentioned that his buddy Kenny Rogers also would like to return to Texas. But the left-hander's Oakland contract was recently changed to let him be free after next season, making it more likely he'll rejoin the Rangers in 2000.

"We've gotten to the playoffs two of the past three years by having a pitching staff built on depth," Melvin said. "More than likely, we'll have that [again] unless there's some No. 1 pitcher that another club is willing to trade."

Another thing Texas must consider is whether its new-look team can hold off the Anaheim Angels, who last week made Mo Vaughn baseball's highest-paid player with an $80 million, six-year deal. The Angels and Rangers fought until the last week of the season.

Off the field, Texas has some other wars to wage.

The Rangers last week hiked ticket prices for the third straight year hoping to help keep pace with the rise in player's salaries, although team president Tom Schieffer said it's a lost cause.

"I just don't think people understand the depth of the problem baseball faces with these exploding salaries," Schieffer said.

Schieffer said the team lost $3.5 million this year despite drawing 2.9 million fans. The reason? A $62 million payroll.

Texas already has more than $53 million committed to 12 players next season. Schieffer predicts the team to be $14.6 million in the red despite raising $10 million through higher ticket prices.

 

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