Just asking

Key questions facing each club entering spring training

Ah, spring training is finally here -- SPF factors replace windchill factors, the Pirates, Tigers, Brewers and Royals lay another brick in their 15-year rebuilding plans, Airstreams dot the parking lots, Whitey Ford throws BP and Jesse Orosco searches out the best early-bird specials. It's the time when an entire world of possibilities awaits, more so this year as teams prepare to play regular season games in Japan and Puerto Rico.

Nobody ever won a world championship in spring training. It's the 162-game marathon of the regular season that slowly reveals the answers. No, this is the time for questions, and we've got them. What are the most pressing matters for every big league club? Funny you should ask. Here they are, presented in order of how the teams finished in 2002.

AL EAST

New York Yankees: Is Jose Contreras an $8 million set-up man or the best pitcher in the Yankees' rotation? Is there any way Hideki Matsui won't be a star? Will anybody with information about the whereabouts of Rondell White and Sterling Hitchcock please contact stadium lost and found?

Boston Red Sox: Can Grady Little pull off running his bullpen without a traditional closer? Why shouldn't the Red Sox turn around their awful record in one-run games (13-23)? Can Jeremy Giambi make this team forget about the Tony Clark Era?

Toronto Blue Jays: Can Frank Catalanotto play the outfield on a regular basis? Is Kelvim Escobar a valuable trading chip? Did anybody notice that Roy Halladay became a legit ace?

Baltimore Orioles: Is there any reason to think the league's second-worst scoring team will be much more productive this year? Can Rodrigo Lopez win 15 games again? Is Camden Yards, even with this team in it, still the prettiest palace in baseball?

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Will Lou Piniella rush rookie outfielder Rocco Baldelli to the big leagues? How long before Piniella wants laid back Travis Lee, Ben Grieve and Rey Ordonez gone? Did you know the Rays, in the diamond version of American Idol, are bringing 29 non-roster players to camp?

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota Twins: Don't you expect the Twins, who had no pitcher in the top 15 among ERA qualifiers last season, to perform better this year? Shouldn't Cristian Guzman (.292 OBP) be a better player? Does the crop of young Twins outfielders here and on the way remind you of the Angels of the mid-'90s?

Chicago White Sox: Is this the year somebody discovers that Magglio Ordonez and Mark Buerhle are stars? Is any contender more shaky up the middle than the Sox? Isn't Frank Thomas a way better hitter than his .252 average from last season would indicate?

Cleveland Indians: Does any team have more major league-ready prospects than the Indians? Is Eric Wedge, who has the lowest profile among major league managers, the next Jim Tracy? How long before Victor Martinez is behind the plate?

Kansas City Royals: Can you name the Royals starting rotation and, if so, don't you think you should get out a little more? Should K.C. trade Carlos Beltran sooner rather than later? How is it possible that the Royals can rank last, 12th, last, and last in the AL in one-run games over the past four years, respectively, losing 66 percent of those contests?

Detroit Tigers: Is there one impact player in all of the majors who was developed by the Detroit organization? Did you know the Yankees outscored the Tigers by 322 runs last year or that most Detroit teams from the turn-of-the-century dead ball era outscored the '02 Tigers? Did Oakland know what it was doing by giving up so quickly on Carlos Pena?

AL WEST

Oakland Athletics: Is Ken Macha the only rookie manager who must get his team through the first round of the playoffs? What date do you have in the Erubiel Durazo injury pool at the office? Uh, can we lose the white spikes one of these years?

Anaheim Angels: Do you get the idea that John Lackey will lead the staff in wins this year? Do you believe the scouts who think Anaheim could backslide to being a .500 team? Isn't watching Frankie Rodriguez make good hitters look bad one of the guilty pleasures in baseball?

Seattle Mariners: Don't you think Joel Pineiro will turn out to be the best pitcher on the staff? Is this a breakout year for Gil Meche? Will Mike Cameron and Jeff Cirillo bounce back?

Texas Rangers: How long before Mark Teixeira is playing third base? The bullpen can't be any worse -- can it? Wouldn't you like to see Juan Gonzalez healthy for a whole season hitting next to Alex Rodriguez?

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves: Will Mark DeRosa oust Vinny Castilla at third base? Who wins more games this year: Mike Hampton or Tom Glavine? Will the Braves miss Mike Remlinger more than any other pitcher?

Montreal Expos: They don't dare trade free-agent-to-be Vladimir Guerrero, do they? Will crowds of 7,000 hold the interest of Orlando Hernandez? Who wins more games, Javier Vazquez, whom Montreal held on to, or Bartolo Colon, whom the Expos shipped to the White Sox?

Philadelphia Phillies: Which is more likely, Pat Burrell and Jim Thome combine for 90 home runs, or 325 strikeouts? Do you trust the bullpen? Shouldn't Jimmy Rollins be way better than a career .316 OBP guy?

Florida Marlins: Isn't it about time the Marlins young guns throw up some big win totals? Would you be shocked if Derrek Lee hit 40 homers? Neifi Perez, Jeff Cirillo, Dante Bichette and Vinny Castilla couldn't do it, so can Juan Pierre actually be better for leaving Coors Field?

New York Mets: How many among Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz and Roger Cedeno will be better? How many will be worse? Does Art Howe know what he's getting himself into?

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals: Come May, do the Cardinals need Chuck Finley or some other established starting pitcher? Can you name another team with four everyday players in their prime better than Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols and Edgar Renteria? Is any pitcher more important to his team than Matt Morris?

Houston Astros: Are the Astros in trouble if Shane Reynolds isn't fully recovered from back surgery? Is middle infielder turned center fielder Craig Biggio the next Robin Yount or Juan Samuel? Does Jimy Williams have the quickest hook in the game?

Cincinnati Reds: How long do you give the Adam Dunn-as-leadoff-hitter experiment? Should anybody be surprised when Ken Griffey Jr. hits 40 homers? Isn't Danny Graves more valuable as a starting pitcher?

Pittsburgh Pirates: Is this the breakout year for Kris Benson? How could Jason Kendall have only three more extra-base hits than Rey Ordonez? Aramis Ramirez can't possibly be as horrible as he was last season, can he?

Chicago Cubs: How would you like to see Kerry Wood and Mark Prior on back-to-back days? Will Dusty Baker play youngsters over veterans? Is there any chance Corey Patterson could be as bad as he was in the second half last year?

Milwaukee Brewers. Will Ned Yost's enthusiasm make a difference? Think the Brewers can improve upon their nine wins against left-handed starters? Which leaks worse, the Milwaukee bullpen or the roof?

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks. Anybody want to bet against Randy Johnson winning another Cy? Who will win more games, Elmer Dessens or Byung-Hyun Kim? Is Lyle Overbay ready to inject some new blood into this aging team?

San Francisco Giants. Would you trade Dusty Baker, Jeff Kent, David Bell, Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and Russ Ortiz for Felipe Alou, Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo, Marquis Grissom, Jose Cruz Jr. and Damian Moss? Aren't the Giants a serious contender as long as Barry Bonds is in the lineup?

Los Angeles Dodgers. Sure, Kevin Brown has been hurt lately, but don't you pencil him in for at least 15 wins? Can Kazuhisa Ishii recover from taking a line drive off the face? Isn't it time for Adrian Beltre (.303 OBP, 20 errors) to live up to the hype?

Colorado Rockies: Can Preston Wilson rediscover his passion for the game? Will Charles Johnson's defense pick up? Is Jose Jimenez the game's most underrated closer (41 saves), or proof that the job is overrated (10 losses)?

San Diego Padres: Is losing Trevor Hoffman the biggest possible blow for the Padres? Can Jaret Wright make a comeback? Is Oliver Perez the staff leader?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers the baseball beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.

 

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