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 Everything going wrong for Wright
Posted: Tuesday June 08, 1999 11:37 PM
If Jaret Wright is going to iron out his pitching problems, it may have to happen in the minor leagues. Less than two years after he nearly won Game 7 of the World Series, the Indians are considering shipping the right-hander to Class AAA. Wright has never had textbook mechanics but he did have tremendous confidence. Now he seems to have lost that. Cleveland officials were shocked to hear Wright admit he was afraid to pitch inside against Boston recently after a suspension for beaning and then brawling with Darren Lewis. If Wright is sent down, look for Mark Langston to go into the Cleveland rotation. Believing in BostonDo you believe the Red Sox are for real? Consider this: One AL executive called the Yankees "the wild card favorites," adding that Boston has more depth and is playing better baseball than New York. Nomar Garciaparra is a true MVP kind of player -- someone who makes his teammates better. That includes Brian Daubach, who was released by the Marlins after last season, considered playing in Japan and wound up in Boston because his winter ball manager, Dave Jauss, is the Red Sox first-base coach. Daubach has hit better than .300 while sharing the No. 3 hole in front of Garciaparra with Reggie Jefferson and Mike Stanley. Tough jobIn this era of hyperoffense, the only job that's tougher than being a pitcher is being a pitching coach. When the Dodgers fired Charlie Hough last month and the Mets canned Bob Apodaca last week, they proved once again it's easier to blame the pitching coach than the manager. Disregarding expansion teams Arizona and Tampa Bay, 20 of 28 pitching coaches have held their current position for less than three seasons. In just the past 15 months, 13 teams have changed pitching coaches. Only five have changed managers in that time. Dubious distinctionLast year we had the great home run race. This year? We have the great whiff race. Mike Cameron of the Reds and Jose Hernandez of the Cubs were both on pace to break Bobby Bonds' 29-year-old record of 189 strikeouts in a season. Only five players have struck out at least 180 times -- Bonds, Rob Deer, Pete Incaviglia, Cecil Fielder and Mike Schmidt -- but they each hit at least 26 home runs while doing so. Cameron and Hernandez don't figure to come close to that kind of power while challenging the record for punchouts. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated.
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