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Mended Sox Alomar, Everett make team legit contenders in AL CentralPosted: Wednesday July 02, 2003 1:05 PMUpdated: Wednesday July 02, 2003 7:37 PM
Click here to send a question to Tom Verducci's Mailbag. The White Sox were on the verge of canning manager Jerry Manuel and packing in the season only a few weeks ago, and now here they are being proactive in the trading market by adding Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett, two veteran switch-hitters playing for new contracts. Hey, the Sox might even reach .500 soon. The best thing going for Chicago is that it plays in the AL Central, and for all the bleating about what can be done to create more competitive balance, the central divisions have quietly been the best unintended response to payroll disparity. The very forgiving AL Central is even more so this year because the Twins have been mired in a baffling funk. So give the Sox credit for not panicking early and for acquiring two professional hitters -- two hitters, by the way, who have way too many tags on their suitcases. Alomar and Everett have played for 13 organizations between them. Alomar is facing a particularly critical three months in which he will try to resuscitate his career and his image as a future Hall of Famer. He was brutal with the Mets, hitting .265 for a club that finished in last place in 2002 and is in the cellar once again this year (he was a main reason they have been so bad, not the other way around), dropping to his knees to field groundballs, becoming wholly ineffective as a right-handed hitter, bunting at inopportune times and adding no presence to the team, all very odd considering he nearly won the MVP award in 2001, his last year in Cleveland before being dealt to New York. If it takes a trade to a contender to "motivate" the 12-time All-Star, then shame on him. If, as some scouts believe, Alomar's skills are eroding and he no longer has the same life in his bat or spring in his step, he is staring at a huge pay cut come December. Maybe Royce Ring, the minor league reliever and the key player the Mets picked up in the deal, becomes a good major league pitcher someday. For the White Sox, it was a risk worth taking because of the potential upside in Alomar. Chicago has the best starting pitching in its division. Alomar and Everett are big improvements over Willie Harris and Aaron Rowand. The trades, and the weak AL Central, assure that the Sox are a real contender for the rest of the season. Can the Royals stay in the AL Central race all year? Do you think they'll still deal Carlos Beltran? How do you see the Central division playing out? Which team has the edge?
I thought Minnesota was 10 games better than anybody else in that division. And the Twins still may be, but I have doubts because of the way they're playing. So, yes, I think Minnesota has opened the door for the Royals to hang around. And don't look for Kansas City to move Beltran now. The organization has begun to build some goodwill in the city, and they'd bankrupt it if they moved Beltran. I know it's been asked before, but what will it take for the Twins to move Johan Santana into the starting rotation? This guy has proven himself over the last year and a half and has pitched better than any of Minnesota's starters this season with the possible exception of Kyle Lohse. With the starting rotation performing as poorly as it has been, how much longer will the team wait before putting Santana in the rotation?
I, too, am baffled as to why Santana doesn't get a long look as a starter. There's no doubt he has the quality stuff to get hitters out two and three times through a lineup. Minnesota seems to think that the hard-throwing left-hander is more valuable pitching three or four times a week out of the pen -- a sound theory as long as your starters are keeping you in the game. I'd give Santana some starts to stabilize that rotation. Great column on Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. I just hope the reality of today's game (free agency) does not split them up. In two or three years, both could reasonably demand very high salaries. How far do you think Carlos Zambrano is from joining Wood and Prior on the "young elite pitchers" list? I think Zambrano is right there. What's your opinion?
I like Zambrano a whole lot, especially because he's only 22 years old and he's a big guy who looks like he'll be a workhorse. I think the right-hander is a solid No. 3, possibly a No. 2, big-league starter for a lot of teams. Do you think the New York press and the general public are being a bit harsh on Armando Benitez? I'm not a Mets fan, but I think people should give the guy a break. Relievers blow saves all the time, even the great ones. It comes with the territory. Mariano Rivera blew the save for the Yanks in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the D'backs, and in terms of criticism he got nothing compared to what Benitez gets for blowing a few regular-season games. What do you think? Is Benitez just getting a raw deal being in the spotlight?
There's no doubt that New York has been rough on Benitez. But the guy's m.o. is that he runs up very favorable statistics but then blows the real big game that everybody remembers. I'm not sure I like the Rivera comparison because Rivera was the greatest postseason reliever in history before his throwing error and a broken-bat hit doomed him in 2001. The guy had earned a lot of rope. I just don't trust Benitez to keep the ball in the park or throw strikes in a real big spot. What do you think about the D'Backs this season? Can you recall so many rookies enjoying this kind of success? Why isn't anybody in the media talking about Brandon Webb?
Wow, I'm amazed at what the D'backs have done with so many young guys on their roster. It's one of the great stories of the season, especially after Bobby Valentine wrote them off on Baseball Tonight on May 20. Ouch. Webb is the real deal. Scouts are saying he has one of the nastiest sinkers in the game. Why would a major league GM be willing to spend big dollars on a guy like Juan Gonzalez, who continues to prove that he'd rather put up big numbers for cellar dwellers than play for contenders? This is the second time he's refused a trade that would have put him in the playoff race. Is he getting bad advice or does he just lack a spine?
Remember, Gonzalez is a two-time MVP for postseason teams and had one of the all-time great playoff series against the Yankees a few years ago. The only knock on Gonzalez is that he needs a certain comfort level to perform at his best, which is why you won't see him play through minor injuries. He's a very proud person who does not want to risk failure. Also, there's no way I can hold it against a player for invoking a clause he fairly bargained for. His family is with him in Texas. He signed to play there because he likes it there. So I don't have a problem with him choosing to remain with the Rangers. These guys are not rotisserie players. What do you think of the idea of the Braves acquiring Jeff Weaver? Greg Maddux looks very hittable, Shane Reynolds has been awful lately, and Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton ain't exactly Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. I'm sure Weaver could become more consistent under pitching coach Leo Mazzone. Do you think Atlanta will add a starter?
The Braves have had great success getting pitchers back to throwing fastballs and have also helped them regain success and confidence. Weaver might be worth that risk -- though, to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of his. He's a very good pitcher, but I've just never seen the command and makeup of a No. 1 starter. Maddux, Ortiz, Hampton and Horacio Ramirez isn't a bad foursome. Reynolds does seem to be a red flag right now, so yes, I think Atlanta should be on the lookout for another starter. I've been broadcasting baseball in the Atlantic League this season, and I can't get over the fact that Rickey Henderson actually thinks a big-league team would need him. True, he is playing well in the Atlantic League, but against pitchers who've never had success at the highest level of baseball. Maybe in September a pennant contender could use Henderson in select situations, but I think a jump from Independent baseball to the majors would throw him off balance. Could he do it, and if so, with how much success?
Two things Rickey still has: his legs and his batting eye. His bat is too slow to hit for average or much power anymore, but I think he has a lot to offer a big-league team as long as he's willing to come off the bench once in a while to do it. I do think he belongs in the majors. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.
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