Gammons: Ten Spring Questions Left to Answer

[haltz]

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- With less than three weeks until Opening Day, there is still much we do not know. OK, we do know that there have been phenom sightings --Bronson Sardinha with the Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury with the Red Sox, Nick Adenhart with the Angels, Travis Buck with the Athletics, Kevin Slowey with the Twins, and Adam Miller with the Indians.

But with six to eight American League teams that could make it deep into October and virtually as many in the National League, here are 10 questions still begging to be answered:

1. The Yankee rotation
And no, they are not expecting Roger Clemens to fly in sometime around the longest day of the year. With Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, they have a solid front three. Even though Joe Torre is impressed with Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf has made himself noticed despite getting out of whack Monday, and Philip Hughes has enormous upside, Torre says, "We are counting on (Carl) Pavano and (Kei) Igawa in the rotation."

Igawa doesn't come with the buildup or following of Daisuke Matsuzaka, but he throws curveballs and changeups for strikes. "He's really a Jamie Moyer wannabe," says a scout. So what's wrong with wanting to be a 216-game winner?

Pavano threw pretty well Monday against the Red Sox, touching 86-91 mph. He tired in the third inning, but after missing so much time, he is building back his strength and his stamina. And maybe, just maybe, after being labeled everything from playboy to delinquent, he is figuring out that he needs to tell the world where to go and to use the them-vs.-me mentality as a motivating factor. "I think I'm starting to focus that way," says Pavano. "I can't believe some of the stuff that's been said, or written. I was hurt at times, and I tried to come back, sometimes too soon. But I have to say to hell with them and move on."

The Rockies were one of the teams watching Pavano's second outing of the spring, but Torre says, "We need the Carl Pavano we signed." With Mariano Rivera (if he throws a changeup ... puh-leaze) at the end with Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Myers, Sean Henn and a couple of the kids (Kevin Whelan with the putaway split, for instance), the bullpen will determine a lot of the 8-5 games that the Yankee lineup can produce.

Incidentally, Sardinha's bat is this spring's Don Mattingly pick to click. Torre was shopping at his local Safeway on Maui and ran into the big rookie outfielder from Honolulu, who was on Maui visiting his girlfriend, a good way to catch the manager's eye.

2. The Boston bullpen
Stop Me If You've Heard This Before. The decision had been made to put the reliable, accountable Mike Timlin at the end, but a muscle pull might prevent the 41-year old from being ready for the opening trip. So, right now, the next in line is Julian Tavarez. Their thinking is that if Tavarez struggles, they won't lose him, as they might with Craig Hansen or Manny Delcarmen. Hansen was better Monday, but he's still too long -- back to radar gun watching -- and not throwing the ball out of his shirt as he did before arriving in Boston two years ago, which gives left-handers very good looks. Hansen and Delcarmen might find themselves, or the Red Sox might turn to '06 draftees Justin Masterson or Bryce Cox for looks along with J.C. Romero, Brendan Donnelly, Joel Pineiro and Hideki Okajima. Most of their people don't trust Chad Cordero's stuff in the AL East.

If Jon Lester is ready in August, would Jonathan Papelbon go back to the bullpen? The Red Sox don't even discuss it. They'll keep looking at relievers on other teams -- like Houston's Chad Qualls -- and figure they'll get a mess of innings out of the starting rotation. "Once Timlin is back," says one coach, "we'll have someone we know will throw strikes and accept every ounce of responsibility, and that'll go a long way (toward) stabilizing the entire pen."

3. The Cardinals' rotation
Tony La Russa likes to say, "We may not be really good, but we will play really hard." Can they be an 88-win team? They think despite the losses of Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver and Jason Marquis that there are more questions about the bullpen than the rotation. "I believe our rotation is going to be fine, pretty good," says Dave Duncan.

Remember, before discounting the Cardinals, they have the best player in the game in Albert Pujols and the best starter in the league in Chris Carpenter. Duncan is sold on Adam Wainwright. "Remember, until Jason Isringhausen went down, all Wainwright had been in his entire career was a starter," says Duncan. "That's one reason his stuff played out so well in the pen -- he had four pitches." Then there's World Series Game 1 starter Anthony Reyes, Kip Wells (who's had a good spring) and Braden Looper, who La Russa claims has been a revelation thanks to Duncan's September suggestion that he might be better as a starter than a reliever.

But while Isringhausen is about to start pitching in games, there is still concern; the left hip/right shoulder injury combination is not easy to overcome. Now Josh Kinney has had surgery and is out for the year. Brad Thompson and Ryan Franklin are being stretched out as starters but can relieve. La Russa says, "We have some work to do. But we have some possibilities, and we may be all right."

Jim Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion are on the way back, La Russa and Scott Rolen are evidently on the same page, David Eckstein and Adam Kennedy reunited for the first time Tuesday, and La Russa calls Yadier Molina "the best catcher in baseball."

In a division where 85 wins could mean playing in October, don't dismiss the Cardinals too early.

4. The Minnesota rotation
The Twins are really good. They have one of the best bullpens in the game, and they have the best living pitcher, Johan Santana. The question is, who fits into the other four spots? Ramon Ortiz has thrown well and might get a spot, and they're trying to get Carlos Silva back. Then come the rest, including Sidney Ponson. If Matt Garza is healthy, he and Kevin Slowey might have the highest upsides. They know Boof Bonser battles, they know Scott Baker has to start driving the ball down in the zone on both sides of the plate, and they like lefty Glen Perkins. "We have a lot to be determined," says GM Terry Ryan. And in the deepest division in the game, the Twins will be very dangerous. How dangerous will be determined by what is to be determined.

5. Junior Griffey's position
No one in the Reds' organization wants to slight one of the game's great players, but his legs might need protection. Manager Jerry Narron wants his best defensive team on the field, and Roy Hobbs ... err, Josh Hamilton ... might be a terrific center fielder. So when Junior is ready to play, they will see. They might get more games out of Griffey playing a corner position, rather than running all over the outfield and crashing into fences.

6. Weaver and Colon
Will Jered Weaver and Bartolo Colon be ready and healthy by mid-April? Hector Carrasco will start for now, but with Garret Anderson looking like the real Garret Anderson (he hit .302 with an .805 OPS after the All-Star break), if the enormously talented Erick Aybar can allow Chone Figgins to stick to third and they get production out of Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman -- Kendrick is a given -- they will be right back if the pitching can get healthy.

7. A's prospects
Will Oakland let Travis Buck and/or Daric Barton get into the lineup with Mark Kotsay and Bobby Kielty out? Likely, just as it's likely Milton Bradley takes off with a monster year.

8. Devil Rays pieces
Watching Tampa Bay is like watching the NFL Combine; there are so many athletes. How do they fit together? Delmon Young, with one of the game's best arms, will be fine in right alongside Rocco Baldelli and Carl Crawford, and Elijah Dukes might have more all-around talent of all of them. Slimmed-down Joel Guzman has looked so good at third that they wonder about Akinori Iwamura's role, and B.J. Upton is trying to adjust to life as a second baseman/right fielder.

This might be a team that's as much fun as any in the six second divisions.

9. Can Pittsburgh contend again?
Jim Tracy points to its 37-35 finish, the fact that the Pirates had more one-run games as of July 4 than any team ever, and how Adam LaRoche hitting between Jason Bay and Xavier Nady gives the lineup much more flexibility. Tracy believes Ian Snell and Zach Duke are emerging as front-of-the-rotation guys and that Salomon Torres can close behind Matt Capps, John Grabow, Damaso Marte, et al. It's been awhile, but in a division where the Brewers are rising and everyone can win 75-87 games, the Buccos seem to be fighting their way back to respectability.

10. Can Eric Gagne be Trevor Hoffman?
"Yes," says Gagne's former manager, Tracy. "If he can throw 91-92, he'll throw harder than Trevor. He's got the great changeup, breaking ball and the makeup. I believe he can come back, as a different style of pitcher, but he can come back."

[heyzeus]

Thanks for posting this article. Still can't believe Espn hides Gammons under Insider.

My notes?

1. The last time the Red Sox tried closer by committee, it was a disaster. They seem to be tempting fate again.

2. Clemens will be a Yankee, it's just a question of when and how much it'll cost.

3. Reports are that Eric Gagne's mechanics are way off; wouldn't count on his comeback.

[Hungary Jack]

I admire the Twins greatly, but how on earth are they going to piece together a rotation behind Santana? Counting on Silva, Ponson, and Ramon Ortiz sounds like a recipe for disaster. Heck, they should have signed Jason Marquis.

[Jocephus]

3. Reports are that Eric Gagne's mechanics are way off; wouldn't count on his comeback.

dont say that....

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I admire the Twins greatly, but how on earth are they going to piece together a rotation behind Santana? Counting on Silva, Ponson, and Ramon Ortiz sounds like a recipe for disaster. Heck, they should have signed Jason Marquis.

They've got Bonser and Garza too. Garza is a stud, and Bonser was very solid in a half season for them last year with a similarly solid minor league background.

[cabby7588]

Thanks for posting. I think it's a good and fair read on the Cards rotation.

[Hungary Jack]

I admire the Twins greatly, but how on earth are they going to piece together a rotation behind Santana? Counting on Silva, Ponson, and Ramon Ortiz sounds like a recipe for disaster. Heck, they should have signed Jason Marquis.

They've got Bonser and Garza too. Garza is a stud, and Bonser was very solid in a half season for them last year with a similarly solid minor league background.

True, but that still leaves 2/5 of the rotation at risk. I guess there situation is similar to ours: an uber-starter followed by 2 very promising young arms followed by 2 reclamation projects.

[TGantz]

Gammons is the only one at ESPN that has a clue IMO.

[vinsanity]

Gammons is the only one at ESPN that has a clue IMO.

IEO - In Everyone's Opinion

[Radbird]

But while Isringhausen is about to start pitching in games, there is still concern; the left hip/right shoulder injury combination is not easy to overcome.

Can someone help me understand the basis for Gammons making this statement? Are there precedents - have others suffered this injury combination and not been able to come back? Or is it just due to the strain the pitching motion puts on these 2 areas?