Very little that is good ever happens in spring training. Never has, never will.
About all that happens is that teams are damaged by injuries and the dreams of players–sometimes on the way up, sometimes on the way down–are shattered. Neither is much fun to be around. Todd Hundley has it right when he says he just wants to get it over with as painlessly as possible.
With damage control as the primary goal, it was a great spring for the White Sox and a decent one for the Cubs. Excluding the two Tucson tempests in a teapot–Frank Thomas’ disappearing act and the damaged-goods charges over Mike Sirotka–about the only troubling story was Tom Gordon’s health. That makes it a good spring on both sides of town.
Both teams are scheduled for Monday openers. They figure to have very different seasons, with very different objectives. The White Sox have about as good a chance to reach the American League Championship Series, if not Chicago’s first World Series since 1959, as the Cubs do of finishing .500.
A few observations after seeing the teams play in Arizona . . .
White Sox:
1. The most important player on the team just might be Jim Parque. By cutting his earned-run average by almost a full run last season, Parque showed he’s ready to replace Sirotka as a guy Jerry Manuel can count on for 15-plus victories and 200-plus innings. That’s a crucial role given the various aches and pains of David Wells, James Baldwin and Cal Eldred and the inexperience of Mark Buehrle. Parque has attitude, which is good. He thinks the media doesn’t notice his good starts and only turns to him when something has gone wrong. He should have a lot to say this year. Beginning with Friday’s Comiskey Park opener against Detroit, Parque’s putting the pedal to the metal.
2. Nobody needs a fast start more than Harold Baines, who could give us all lessons in dignity. His role is more limited than at any point in his 22 big-league seasons. Manuel values Baines as a bat off the bench, but whom does he hit for in this lineup? Royce Clayton and the catcher, either Sandy Alomar Jr. or Josh Paul, might be it.
3. Buehrle isn’t going back to the bullpen. He’s going to win big as a starter. There’s a serenity about the strike-throwing machine that is almost scary. And there’s something about an unsung prospect from a small community college outperforming can’t-miss prospects such as Kip Wells and Jon Garland that is the essence of baseball.
4. Jose Valentin is fine in center field but will wind up sharing the position with Chris Singleton and Julio Ramirez. If Valentin is needed elsewhere–and over a long season he will be–the Sox will be just fine with a Singleton/Ramirez platoon.
5. The Sox aren’t going to score as many runs as they did in 2000, but they’re going back to the playoffs. While Ray Durham has set 1,000 runs as the team’s target, it’s asking too much to improve on the majors-leading total of 978. But Clayton and Alomar are defensive upgrades and there’s even more pitching. This is a team that should win 90-plus games and not be much fun to play in October.
Cubs:
1. Next to Sammy Sosa, the key players on the team are Rondell White and Hundley. If these guys hit like they can, the Cubs are going to score a lot more runs than they did last year. But 1997 was the last season both Hundley and White were healthy at the same time. If this is a DL-free season for Sosa, Hundley and White, the Cubs will have a shot at .500.
Hundley’s situation is especially critical because he’s signed through 2004. He wasn’t throwing well during the spring. The Cubs can’t afford teams running on them.
2. Third base is no longer a problem. Bill Mueller is a great fielder and a solid No. 2 hitter who won’t be out of the lineup very often. The question is whether Mueller’s play could combine with the rise of prospect David Kelton to influence assistant GM Jim Hendry to pick USC right-hander Mark Prior instead of Georgia Tech third baseman Mark Teixeira with the second pick of the draft.
3. Where are the kids? The Cubs needed Corey Patterson to earn a share of the center-field platoon if only to serve as a preview of the future. White, 29, is the only Cubs regular younger than 30. For it to be a good year, Kerry Wood needs to win again while Patterson earns a quick promotion to Wrigley.
4. Julian Tavarez is a great addition to the pitching staff. But Gordon is the wrong closer for a team with a thin bullpen. Don Baylor will need to be a magician to get the ball to Gordon.
5. At least there won’t be another Sosa circus at midseason. There’s no reason the re-signed Sosa should not have his usual year–50 homers, 140 RBIs–but the key to avoiding another losing season lies elsewhere. If Baylor gets the Cubs to .500, he should be manager of the year.
