Big Spikes To Fill

While Willy Taveras was off to a blazing start, here's how five other players who replaced stars fared in the first week of the season.

Player, Pos., Team
Player Replaced

Danny Haren, RHP, A's
Tim Hudson
Hard-throwing Haren (above) pitched well (6 K's) in a no-decision

Benito Santiago, C, Pirates
Jason Kendall
Known for defense and leadership, he had six hits in five games

Jose Valentin, 3B, Dodgers
Adrian Beltre
His two home runs and eight RBIs helped power L.A.'s 4-2 start

Javier Vasquez, RHP, Diamondbacks
Randy Johnson
Received rude welcome back to NL: 0-1, 15.43 ERA after two starts

David Wells, LHP, Red Sox
Pedro Martinez
Bombed--19 hits, 10 earned runs--in losing his two starts