Larry Dierker lost his job as Houston Astros manager because he couldn’t win in October. His successor, Jimy Williams, hopes to build an intensity that owner Drayton McLane believed was lacking under Dierker.
Williams set a tone with the early spring workouts. The difference in styles was noticeable for the Astros’ veterans.
“I don’t think you have as much standing around as in years past,” closer Billy Wagner said. “He likes to do fundamental things right and not waste time. He likes to be out there and be part of it. There are some young guys who wouldn’t know what Jimy wants, but he goes out there and shows them. That way there are no excuses. You need that on a team full of young guys and veterans who have been able to do what they wanted in the past.”
Williams talked to the players for an hour before the first workout. He will require all players to ride the team bus to exhibition games, ending an era when many players drove their own cars around Florida. He also listed his rules for the regular season, including a no-denim policy and required sportcoats when traveling.
“Do your job, worry about yourself, work hard and give 100 percent interest, and you’ll get along with Jimy,” Wagner said. “Nobody likes a loudmouth who decides when and if he’ll play. Don’t show up late. Expect respect. If you act like a man, he’ll treat you like a man.”
The Astros, who have lost Moises Alou and Vinny Castilla since last season, face a serious challenge from St. Louis and the Cubs. It’s hard to see how these changes can elevate a team that has averaged 90 victories since 1997. But it’s also hard to have sympathy for the Houston players, who somehow blamed their October shutdowns on Dierker.
Williams came to McLane highly recommended. Players are impressed by his hands-on style in workouts, which right-hander Wade Miller said is “like old-school baseball.”
But if you believe the numbers crunchers with Total Baseball, the Astros may only have replaced one unsuccessful manager with another.
Using runs scored and runs allowed in a formula that calculates how many games a team should have expected to win, Total Baseball gives managers their version of a plus-minus rating. Dierker, according to these ratings, cost Houston 2.4 victories per season. Williams has cost his teams in Toronto and Boston an identical 2.4 wins per year.
At least that’s better than some longtime managers, including Jim Riggleman (minus-3.0 per year), Preston Gomez (minus-3.8) and Bobby Bragan (minus-4.8).
The impossible dream: It’s still hard to believe any hitter could be as productive as Barry Bonds was a year ago. He set major-league records for slugging percentage (.863) and walks (177) while breaking Mark McGwire’s homer record. He also hit .328, his highest average since 1994, and had a .515 on-base percentage. Those are Little League numbers. No wonder he’s worried about how he follows up that act.
“I’m nervous about this year, to be honest, because of the expectations of the media, the people,” Bonds said. “It’s nerve-wracking because you’re trying to figure out how to do it again. How do you put these pieces together? I have to put it in the back of my head and forget about it.”
Bonds’ objective is the same as a year ago–to help the Giants win the National League West.
“I don’t have to outdo myself,” he said. “I have to play good enough to win. We all need to win here. We have a great team and we have a great chance of winning.”
Looking good: Here are a couple of hitters who arrived in Florida ready to have big seasons–the Cardinals’ J.D. Drew and the Rangers’ Gabe Kabler.
Drew is no secret, of course. But he appears determined to put up MVP-type numbers after having a breakout 2001 season ruined by a David Wells pitch that broke his wrist. He hit .323 with 27 homers and 73 RBIs. Those numbers project to 40-107 if he had played in 160 games, not 109.
Kapler was a disappointment for Texas a year ago, hitting .267 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs. But highly respected hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo was excited by what he saw in the first week of camp. He says Kapler is much “freer” as a hitter after changing conditioning coaches and preparing himself as a baseball player, not a bodybuilder.
The challenge is finding time in Texas’ crowded outfield, as it appears there are only two spots to be divided among Kapler, Rusty Greer and Frank Catalanotto. It’s possible Kapler or Catalanotto could be traded for pitching. Interest in Kapler could be limited by his being guaranteed $3.375 million next year.
Hard-headed: The play of the year came when Minnesota first baseman Matthew LeCroy ran headfirst into a television camera last September at Comiskey Park.
LeCroy fell to the ground, as if he were dead, then bounced back on his feet. The camera was dented. LeCroy was fine.
“I’m just happy I didn’t get a bill or anything,” said LeCroy, who figures to get some DH time after hitting .328 with 20 homers at Triple-A Edmonton last year.
Cubs luck: When the Cubs asked to work out a deal to hang on to Rule 5 pickup Scott Chiasson last spring, Oakland general manager Billy Beane began talks by asking for one of the Cubs’ top prospects. Andy MacPhail wasn’t biting but did agree to give the A’s third baseman Eric Hinske, who had hit .259 with 20 homers at Double A.
“He was a late throw-in,” said J.P. Ricciardi, then an assistant to Beane. “We just kind of dug him up statistically, really. No one saw him. . . . Once we got him, boy, we stumbled into something. Once in a while it happens. You can throw scouting right out the window, huh?”
Shortly after being hired as Toronto’s GM, Ricciardi acquired Hinske from Oakland in the Billy Koch trade. He could be one of three kids in a Blue Jays infield expected to include shortstop Felipe Lopez and possibly second baseman Orlando Hudson.
Whispers: Jay Bell is the likely replacement for Diamondbacks third baseman Matt Williams, who is out with a broken leg. Non-roster infielder Chris Donnels and Danny Klassen are the other in-house options, with a trade for somebody like Milwaukee’s Tyler Houston or Mark Loretta possible. If Bell gets a job, it will save him from being an $8 million backup. . . . Ken Griffey Jr., the subject of stinging criticism from ex-teammates Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young, is spending the spring living on his boat at Sarasota marina. . . . Devil Rays catcher Toby Hall could be a bargain for fantasy leaguers. He hit .323-23-102 between Triple-A Durham and Tampa Bay last year and is likely to hit fifth for Hal McRae. . . . Chicago fans will wait until March 10 to see their first televised exhibition (Angels-Cubs on Fox), but fans in Japan can see the Giants-Mariners March 8. That will be the first U.S. meeting between Ichiro Suzuki and Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
The last word: “He’s the most beloved person in Tigers history and should have a statue at Comerica Park. If I have one, he should have two.”–Al Kaline on 84-year-old broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who announced he’s retiring after this season.
