What began as a marketing dream turned into a tough call: Should the White Sox keep Bo Jackson for pinch-hitting duties or cut him loose? The answer came Wednesday. “Bo stays,” announced General Manager Ron Schueler. “He’s one of our best 25 players.”
This is what Roger Clemens, the Boston pitching star, said after he faced Jackson 1 1/2 weeks ago: “I’m not going to discredit what he’s done. He’s put a lot of work into it and has a big heart. But everything that was there when he was with Kansas City, before he got hurt, I don’t see now. He’s still strong but he’s average, I guess. Maybe a little less than average running.”
The scouting report: “His swing is all arms and wrists. He’s getting very little hip action. Used to run to first base in less than four seconds; now it’s 4 1/2 seconds, below average for a right-handed batter.”
The economics: If the Sox had said, “Thanks for the memories, Bo,” the cost of buying out his contract would have been peanuts, $150,000. Now, Jackson is guaranteed $910,000 plus incentives which, if earned, could come to a maximum $2.41 million.
Obviously, the money was a secondary consideration. There was only one question: Would Bo help the club?
To this point, Jackson hasn’t done much. But chairman Jerry Reinsdorf likes Jackson as a person. His White Sox teammates also seem to enjoy his company. Nonetheless, the Bo Watch, or more accurately, the Bo Show, has become somewhat of a distraction and is wearing thin.
Last week when pitcher Kirk McCaskill had a strong outing, a reporter asked him to assess his performance.
McCaskill’s reply: “Why don’t you ask Bo?”
Seldom, if ever, has a player received so much ink for 71 at-bats. After “selling” Jackson to the public with repeated encyclicals to the effect that he is Superman, etc., there was the understandable reluctance to admit he has been unable to recover his skills and is now a below-average ballplayer.
After Jackson suffered his hip injury, only the Sox were willing to bet he could make a successful comeback. They signed him just about two years ago to the day, during the final week of the spring training season. What to lose? Even if he failed, there would be this wonderful blizzard of publicity.
Jackson sat out almost the entire 1991 season. He was back in uniform in September, got into 23 games and batted .225 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. He also struck out in one-third of his at-bats. He missed all of last year while working out and becoming more accustomed to his artificial hip. Courageous, he returned this spring presumably for one final shot.
Manager Gene Lamont has tried him at first base and left field. He has made three leaping catches, one at first, two in the outfield.
Said one big-league scout who has been following the White Sox: “I’m amazed every time Bo gets off the ground.”
Jackson hasn’t done the job in the field, but his offensive stats are impressive: a .372 average (16 for 43) with no home runs and nine runs batted in. If the Sox had released him, some fans certainly would have asked, “How can you cut a guy hitting .372?”
But what they don`t understand is that Jackson isn’t swinging well. He’s been muscling the ball. Also, and this is of greater importance: Spring training averages are of no consequence. Everything changes when the championship season begins.
There is a roster problem. Initially, Lamont indicated he would open with 11 pitchers and six outfielders. Before Wednesday’s announcement, Jackson figured to be the No. 7 outfielder behind George Bell, Tim Raines, Lance Johnson, Dan Pasqua, Ellis Burks and Mike Huff.
Huff is excellent defensively, a good man for the late innings but could be sent down to accommodate Jackson. Like Jackson, Huff is having a good spring. His .464 batting average is almost 100 points higher than Jackson’s. If Huff goes, I doubt anyone will ask, “How can you cut a guy hitting .464?”
Both Jackson and Huff could make the team. It would be an easy adjustment. During the first month of the season, 11 pitchers are a luxury; 10 are more than ample. The elimination of one pitcher allows a seventh outfielder.
Bell, who had expressed concern that Jackson would replace him as the DH, has softened his view. Obviously, he now has seen enough to know that Jackson is no longer a threat.
Bell has few equals as a run producer: 909 runs batted in during the last nine seasons, an average of 101 a year. Even when he was healthy, Jackson was never as good a hitter as Bell.
There is one puzzling aspect to Wednesday’s announcement. Do the Sox brass really believe Jackson can help the club? Or is it a public relations ploy? We should have the answer in September, or sooner.
