March 4, 2002  

Spring Notes

Arkansas Golden Falcons (16-3, 1st)

Everyone's pre-season pick for the 2002 championship didn't disappoint in spring training, running up a ridiculous .842 winning percentage and leading the league in fewest runs allowed (73) and run differential (+42), tying for third in runs scored (115).

Opponents, take note: Closer Trevor Hoffman didn't touch the ball all spring, and the team gave just one start each to SPs Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens. Darren Dreifort, Ted Lilly and Joe Kennedy each got three starts to shake out which will be the team's sixth starter: Probably Dreifort, who went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his three starts, though all three looked sharp.

The offense was going full speed, however, with Barry Bonds tearing things up in Florida (.353, 7 HR, 25 RBI in 51 AB), with a Ruthian 1.296 OPS. Lance Berkman also put up some gaudy numbers, hitting .359 with 7 2B and 18 R. The Falcons appear to be weak up the middle, however: Catchers Ben Molina and John Flaherty hit a combined .206 with 0 HR, 6 R and 5 RBI in 64 ABs, while middle infielders David Eckstein and Fernando Vina combined for .139 with 0 HR, 14 R and 8 RBI in 115 ABs.

Stanhope Mighty Men (11-8, tied for 2nd)

The Mighty Men slugged their way to a three-way tie for the second-best record this spring, tying for most runs scored (117) and finishing second in runs allowed (76), just one run behind Arkansas for best run differential (+41).

The Mighty Men lived up to their nickname, slugging 30 homers and 50 doubles. Todd Helton was the team's offensive leader, hitting .333 with 10 2B, 5 HR, 18 R and 13 RBI with a team-best 1.099 OPS, but Moises Alou led the team in batting average (.386), hits (32) and RBIs (18). Bernie Williams (.333, 3 HR, 15 RBI), Tino Martinez (.333-4-14) and Mike Lowell (.324-1-9) are also primed for big years.

Rookie Erik Hiljus apparently made the squad with an impressive spring (2-1, 3.78 ERA), and the bullpen appears to be among the league's best, blowing just one lead after 7 innings and allowing only three out of 24 inherited runners to score, a league-best .125 percentage.

Honolulu Sharks (11-8, tied for 2nd)

If spring training is any indicator, there will be some wild games in Honolulu this season, as the Sharks cobbled together an offense that tied for first in runs with the league's fourth-worst pitching staff. But the results were a third-best +15 run differential and a first-place tie atop the Hanover Division standings.

Shawn Green sparked the offense, leading the Sharks in batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.718), OPS (1.128), hits (26), HRs (7), runs (19) and RBIs (21). Jason Giambi posted a team-best .438 OBP, hitting .297 with 3 HR, 18 R, 11 RBI and 16 BB, and Craig Biggio hit .325 with 5 2B and 14 R.

Rookie Roy Oswalt looks sharp (2-1, 3.34), with an eye-catching 35:6 K:BB ratio and an impressive 5-hit shutout in his final spring appearance. Russ Ortiz also is ready for the real thing after going 2-0 with a 4.32 ERA, striking out 24 in 25 IP. The bullpen got kicked around, with only Jeff Tam (1-0, 1 SV, 2.08 ERA in 4.1 IP) posting an ERA below 4.

Vancouver Iron Fist (11-8, tied for 2nd)

Scrapping to get to .500 for much of the spring, the Iron Fist reeled off four straight wins to finish at 11-8, joining the second-place logjam. But it may have been done with smoke and mirrors as the Iron Fist posted a -14 run differential, tied for 10th-best in the league.

The Iron Fist produced just 69 runs to tie with the Cutters for 11th place in offense. Jeff Kent, who decided to pay some Mexican kid $5 to wash his pickup truck every day, was the team's leading performer (.338-2-16). Sammy Sosa cracked a team-leading 4 HR in 41 AB, and Roger Cedeno swiped 8 bases and scored 10 runs despite hitting just .235 with a .293 OBP. However, the Iron Fist sat several key players, using Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez and Eric Chavez only sparingly.

Seven of their 11 wins were by one run, and the team was undefeated (9-0) when they were winning or tied through the 7th. The credit has to go to the team's bullpen, with four relievers (Jason Christiansen, Jesus Colome, Billy Wagner and Jeff Zimmerman) combining to go 3-0 with 8 SV, 0.81 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 28 K in 44.2 IP. The Iron Fist, despite saving their top three starters (Greg Maddux, Al Leiter and Brad Radke) for the regular season, allowed just 83 runs, fourth-best in the league.

Carolina Mudcats (10-9, tied for 5th)

The Mudcats were having an awful spring, winning three of their first nine games, but got hot halfway through and closed out the spring with five straight victories. The team has the third-worst pitching staff, allowing 103 runs, but their offense tied for third-best with 115 runs scored for a fourth-best +12 differential.

New addition Kevin Millar socked a league-leading 8 HR, plus led the team with 17 R, 19 RBI and a .705 slugging percentage; Jim Edmonds hit .359 with a .468 OBP, slamming 10 doubles. Rondell White (.343-5-10) and A.J. Pierzynski (.345-1-11) also had memorable springs.

The team's pitchers got roughed up pretty good -- Tim Hudson (1-2, 3.77 ERA) was the only starter with an ERA below 4.75. Cory Lidle went 3-0, but posted a 6.00 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP. Closer Bob Wickman recorded five saves, but did blow two leads and was hung with a loss.

Philadelphia Endzone Animals (10-9, tied for 5th)

Last year's worst team improved to the middle of the pack in spring training, balancing a mediocre offense with a fair defense for a respectable sixth-place in run differential at +6.

Three starters -- Shawn Estes, A.J. Burnett and Jason Johnson -- combined for a 7-0 record with 2.54 ERA over eight starts. Jon Garland was only fair (1-1, 4.40), and, remarkably, #1 and #2 starters Chan Ho Park and Jon Lieber combined to go 1-5 a 7.81 ERA in their 8 starts. The bullpen went 3-for-4 in save opportunities, but co-closers Jose Mesa (0-0, 1 SV, 5.87) and Armando Benitez (0-0, 1 SV, 21.60) were shaky.

J.D. Drew led the team in batting average (.373), slugging percentage (.678) and OPS (1.102), but rookie Albert Pujols posted team-best 9 2B, 6 HR, 13 R and 14 RBI despite hitting just .260. Robert Fick (.229-4-13), Troy Glaus (.212-3-8) and Mark McGwire (.150-3-8) struggled when not hitting the long ball.

Harrison Rats (10-9, tied for 5th)

Part of the massive fifth-place pile-up, the Rats also tied for fifth-most runs scored, with 94; they also tied for the fifth-most runs allowed, with 92, giving them a +2 differential, good for 7th.

Newcomer Frank Catalanotto had a spring for the ages, hitting .403 (31-for-77) -- tops in the league for players with 40+ ABs -- while scoring 17 runs and going 3-for-3 on the base paths. Catalanotto's table-setting helped Mike Sweeney (.342-3-11), Gary Sheffield (.293-6-16) and Fred McGriff (.250-3-10) put up runs. Despite a woeful .187 batting average, Reggie Sanders hit 6 HR, scored 15 runs and knocked in 13.

Garbage man Ramiro Mendoza had an excellent spring, striking out 16 without walking a single batter. He went 2-1 with one save and a team-best 2.25 ERA, while leading all relievers with 12 games and 16 IP. Of the starters, veterans Shane Reynolds (1-2, 3.63) and Steve Trachsel (0-2, 4.19) were better than their records, but talented youngster Tony Armas (3-0, 5.06) wasn't.

Brooklyn Bean Counters (10-9, tied for 5th)

Despite the league's worst pitching staff and 9th-ranked offense -- good for a -25 run differential, second-worst in the league -- the Bean Counters somehow posted 10 wins.

This is a veteran squad, with Mark Grace leading the team in batting average (.323), OBP (.384) and hits (21), and Ruben Sierra setting the pace in HR (7) and RBI (19). But rookie Paul Lo Duca also is off to a hot start, hitting .290 with 5 HR, 5 2B, 17 RBI and a team-leading .927 OPS. The source of the team's offensive woes? The starting outfield of Bobby Higginson, Brian Jordan and John Vander Wal combined for a .207 batting average, 3 HR and 14 RBI over 203 ABs, though Raul Mondesi will likely get into the mix during the regular season.

Rookie Dave Williams was the surprise of the spring, going 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in his four starts. Joe Mays (1-1, 3.29) and Jeff Suppan (1-1, 4.44) also had good camps. But Dustin Hermanson (1-2, 6.19) and Paul Abbott (1-1, 7.85) were bitchslapped regularly, and closer Robb Nen posted a 9.00 ERA, despite a 12:1 K:BB ratio. He had four saves, but blew three other chances.

Tijuana Banditos (9-10, 9th)

The Banditos scored 94 runs, tying two other teams to claim the league's fifth-best offense, and they allowed just 85 runs, tying for the sixth-best pitching staff. Their +9 differential was fifth-best in the league. Yet they finished in 9th place, proving that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

The Banditos went with the varsity team this spring, giving their stars plenty of playing time. Bret Boone hit .364 with a healthy 1.057 OPS, leading the regulars in those categories as well as HRs (5) and runs (13). Sean Casey hit .316, though he slugged only .392, for 11 runs and 8 RBI. Ellis Burks hit .309 with 4 HR and a team-leading 13 RBI, and Rafael Palmeiro had 4 HR, 12 runs and 11 RBI despite hitting just .218.

Ramon Ortiz had one of the best camps of any pitcher this spring, going 2-1 with a microscopic 0.86 ERA over 21 IP. Bud Smith (2-0, 3.72) and Randy Wolf (2-0, 3.75) also looked impressive. Javier Vazquez (0-3, 5.68) and Steve Sparks (1-2, 5.19) struggled. Closer Matt Anderson blew half his save chances, but his numbers looked fine (2.25, 1-1, 1 SV, 1.0 WHIP).

Phoenix Dragons (8-11, tied for 10th)

The Dragons were having a decent spring, despite the league's second-worst pitching staff, but broke camp on a sour note after dropping their last three. The team's high-octane offense was good enough to tie for fifth in the league, giving them a ninth-best -11 run differential.

It was a feast-or-famine spring with the Dragons' pitching staff. When they were good, they were very very good: Closer Troy Percival went 5-for-5 in saves, and he and Jim Mecir didn't yield a run all spring. Starters Jamie Moyer (1-0, 2.60) and Bruce Chen (0-2, 3.18) also had good starts. But it got ugly in a hurry, from Jeff Nelson (1-3, 9.75, 2.17 WHIP) to Hideo Nomo (0-3, 8.62) and David Wells (0-1, 13.50). Of the 13 pitchers on the Dragons' staff, six posted ERAs of 3.18 or lower; six posted ERAs of 6.75 or higher.

On offense, the Dragons promise to be one of the most exciting teams in the league, with plenty of daredevils on the basepaths. Burner Jason Tyner led the team with a .356 batting average in 45 ABs, along with speed demons Ichiro Suzuki (.345, 14 R, 4 SB) and Juan Pierre (.313, 10 R, 2 SB). Luis Gonzalez benefits from all the runners on base ahead of him, hitting .333 with a robust 1.211 OPS and a team-leading 8 HR, 19 R and 21 RBI. The team struggled up the middle with Todd Walker (.225-1-7), Juan Uribe (.219-3-8) and Jorge Posada (.212-1-4) not providing much help.

Wanaque Wolverines (8-11, tied for 10th)

Like the Dragons -- the team they tied for 10th place -- the Wolverines got off to a good start but stumbled into the regular season, dropping their last four spring training games. Though the pitching staff was a respectable fifth-best, the team's offense was second-worst, scoring just 64 runs, for a third-worst run differential of -20. They led the league with four come-from-behind rallies in the 7th inning or later, a dubious distinction given only the last-place Rattlesnakes were in as many games (12) where they trailed through 7.

Brad Fullmer (.333-4-12) and Bubba Trammell (.333-1-11) were the team's leading hitters, with Fullmer posting a .948 OPS. Alex Rodriguez had 6 2B and 5 HR, but hit just .254; Jeff Cirillo was atrocious (.130, 0 HR, 1 RBI in 77 ABs). The team kept a lot of offense in reserve, however -- Carlos Delgado, Mike Cameron and Richard Hidalgo rode the pine much of the spring.

Young guns Jeff Weaver (1-1, 3.04) and Matt Morris (2-1, 3.60) were impressive, along with veteran Robert Person (1-1, 1.52). Bartolo Colon (0-2, 6.52) and Mike Hampton (0-2, 6.94) will want to put this spring behind them. In the 'pen, Kaz Sasaki (1-0, 5 SV, 2.70) and Jack Cressend (0.69 ERA in 7 G) look sharp.

Hoboken Cutters (7-12, tied for 12th)

At the halfway point this spring, the Cutters were a respectable 5-4, but they got cold as the weather warmed up, 8 of their last 10 to finish in a 12th-place tie. The Cutters gave up the third-fewest runs in the league, 79, but also scored the third-fewest runs in the league, 69, washing out to a mediocre -10 run differential, eighth-best.

Hoboken's bullpen had a tremendous spring, with double-barreled closers Billy Koch and Jason Isringhausen combining for a 2.45 ERA over 14.2 IP. Young starters C.C. Sabathia (2-0, 1.32), Brandon Duckworth (1-0, 2.51), Kelvim Escobar (1-1, 2.70) and Joel Pineiro (1-1, 3.00) all look sharp, and all are 26 or younger.

The Cutters' didn't put their best lineups on the field every day, but they were hobbled by dismal performances from three top players who did see a lot of action, Mike Piazza (.196-4-14), Brian Giles (.190-4-12) and Richie Sexson (.152-4-7), though the three tied with Garret Anderson (.254-4-6) for the team lead in HRs. Middle infielders Roberto Alomar (.246-0-4) and Omar Vizquel (.211-0-0) also struggled. Benny Agbayani hit .344 with a .400 OBP, but in just 9 games; the only other player to top .300 was Adrian Beltre, who went 6-for-19 (.316).

Newark Sugar Bears (7-12, tied for 12th)

The defending league champions still seemed woozy from last fall's champagne, coming up with one win in their first nine spring training games. But the veteran squad shook off the cobwebs by the final week, winning six of their last 10. The Sugar Bears finished 10th in offense and tied for 9th in runs allowed -- a -14 run differential, tying the Iron Fist at 10th.

The Bears' brightest star was Manny Ramirez, who led the regulars with a .379 average, 1.189 OPS, 25 hits, 6 HR and 19 RBI. Chipper Jones hit .308 with 4 HR and 11 runs, and Charles Johnson (.271-1-3) pounded out a team-high 8 doubles. Jeremy Giambi, despite hitting just .222, led the team in runs with 14. Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu and Cliff Floyd were held in reserve most of the spring.

Newark fans caught a glimpse of what's being touted as one of the league's best bullpens, with Keith Foulke, Chad Fox and Steve Karsay combining for a 1.21 ERA and 22 K in 22.1 IP. Minor league journeyman John Thomson (1-1, 2.40 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) may have pitched his way into a starting job -- perhaps bumping Eric Milton (0-2, 5.06) or Woody Williams (0-3, 6.19). Sophomore Eric Gagne may have been the worst pitcher of the spring, going 0-3 with a 16.20 ERA (24 ER in 13.1 IP). Randy Johnson had only one start this spring, blanking Arkansas with 3 hits and 9 Ks over 7.1 IP; Darryl Kile and John Burkett didn't see any action.

Columbia Rattlesnakes (5-14, 14th)

It looks to be another long year for the DMBL's longest-suffering franchise. The Rattlesnakes won just 5 games, scoring the league's fewest runs with 52 and posting a league-worst -33 run differential. The Rattlesnakes lost every time they were behind or tied in the seventh inning.

The Crusaders juggled their lineups a bit, spreading out the playing time to let everybody see some action -- only four players had 60+ ABs. Terrence Long, who hit .152, led the team with just 7 RBI, and Trot Nixon (.265, 7 runs, 5 RBI in 34 ABs) led the team with 3 HR. The only players to hit above .300 were Cristian Guzman, who hit .486 with a 1.228 OPS in 37 ABs, and reserve catcher Einar Diaz, who hit .385 in 26 ABs.

But it's not all bad news. The Snakes' pitchers allowed a sixth-fewest 85 runs, and rookie southpaw Mark Buehrle went 1-3, despite a respectable 3.52 ERA with two complete games in four starts. Terry Adams was the only pitcher to post a winning record, going 2-1 with a 3.29 ERA and 21 K in 27.1 IP. Closer Jeff Shaw closed out all five Columbia victories, though he did blow one save for a loss.

TWIB may have Ozzie Smith, but we have the better Smith! Zane Smith, former pitcher for the San Antonio Slingers and Sacramento Seahawks, now writes this column exclusively for the Diamond Mind Baseball League. Click Here for past articles.