Outside of being, say, Barry Bonds’ public relations man or one of the guys who collects urine samples, there aren’t many jobs in baseball worse than the ones Ryan Dempster and Bobby Jenks have.
Closer–as in last one out the door after a fire or explosion.
If you come in with enough games on the line long enough and somehow survive with your nerves and sense of humor intact, you could find yourself immortalized. A member of the fraternity, Bruce Sutter, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer.
But for every Hall of Fame reliever–all four of them now–there are hundreds who wind up remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Until Dempster gave up that three-run homer to Mike Piazza, who knew he had converted 26 save opportunities in a row? Given that most of those came in the second half of the Cubs’ woeful 2005, you can be forgiven for not paying attention.
But given how the Piazza home run ruined what would have been a 3-1 victory for Greg Maddux, it was must-have footage for highlight shows and became the first thing currently that flashes to mind when Dempster is mentioned.
In the two years Dempster has made it his specialty, he has converted 40 of 43 save chances. That’s a 93 percent success rate, which is so remarkable that he has been selected as the closer on the ninth annual Chicago Tribune All-City team over Jenks, who is showing that he has both the fastball and mental toughness to have a long career in this trying role.
Jenks entered the season with something to prove. After all, he didn’t become the primary closer until last September, so his October run was a revelation of historic proportions. Jenks’ earned-run average is soaring, but he has been good in the only stat that really matters, save success (11 of 12). Most years that would have been enough to land an All-City spot, but Dempster is setting that bar high.
Leave it to the Cubs to have a good closer with a weak team.
46 Ryan Dempster
SV 7
IP 19.0
H 12
SO 17
ERA 2.84
Maybe next year …
45 Bobby Jenks: Everyone–except hitters–has fun watching him work.
The set-up men
It’s tough to leave off Neal Cotts, who has been invaluable for the White Sox, but Eyre and Howry have done a textbook job for the Cubs. The bullpen is one of the reasons the Cubs have a chance to dig themselves out of their hole, and these guys have done the job GM Jim Hendry envisioned when he signed them as free agents, surrendering draft choices in the process. Eyre’s extroverted nature has come in handy in recent weeks, helping to keep others’ loose as the Cubs try to find themselves. It would have been nice if he hadn’t flipped that ball to Derrek Lee with his glove a month ago in Los Angeles, but he’s an excitable guy and bad things happen. It wasn’t his fault Lee was caught flat-footed.
47 Scott Eyre
GM 19
IP 21.0
H 12
SO 22
ERA 1.71
62 Bob Howry
GM 20
IP 20.0
H 16
SO 13
ERA 2.25
Maybe next year …
18. Cliff Politte, Sox: Hasn’t been nearly as effective as a year ago, when he threw zeroes.
37. Matt Thornton, Sox: Mariners aren’t kicking themselves yet for letting him go.
46. Neal Cotts, Sox: As good as his arm is, it’s amazing he remains happy in a set-up role.
55. Brandon McCarthy, Sox: Forced into an important role while learning bullpen ropes.
57. Boone Logan, Sox: He won’t stay on the staff much longer if he doesn’t show something.
Maybe next year …
44. Roberto Novoa, Cubs: Late start put him behind, but he could get better as season develops.
48. Scott Williamson, Cubs: With 1.3 strikeouts per inning, he’s a good fourth bullpen option.
50. Will Ohman, Cubs: He has been a disappointment so far after encouraging 2005 season.
The rotation
You can’t tell it by the Cubs’ won-loss record, but these are great days for Chicago fans who love pitching. It says a lot that the White Sox’s Freddy Garcia, riding a six-game winning streak, can’t make All-City when the bad health of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood has created openings on the staff. Some years we recognize only four but this year could have gone seven deep, as Sean Marshall also has had his moments.
Contreras, who is expected to come off the disabled list Sunday after missing two starts with a pinched nerve in his lower back, has been the best pitcher in baseball since last July. He benefited from the presence of Orlando Hernandez last season but has been just as effective with his Cuban role model in Arizona this season.
Maddux, sharper after working hard on his conditioning, and Buehrle (who might one day have to pay more attention to his), are masters of making more with less. They work fast and throw strikes, using fielders to get the outs. Both have had ugly moments this season but have accounted for a lot more good than bad. If there is any other pitcher in baseball who could have gotten a victory after giving up seven runs in the first inning, it’s Maddux. Well, it would be if he played for a team that could score eight runs.
Vazquez, a pitcher’s pitcher, has flirted with one no-hitter and just might get one before the season is over. Freed from the responsibility he has carried for most of his career, he’s capable of emerging as a stretch-run ace for the White Sox, as Contreras did a year ago. Zambrano was winless in April, when the Cubs could have used some dominating performances, but has been sharp lately. After his last start, he had struck out 26 more men than any other pitcher in town.
52 Jose Contreras
REC 5-0
IP 44.2
H 28
SO 21
ERA 1.41
31 Greg Maddux
REC 5-2
IP 49.1
H 46
SO 36
ERA 3.10
56 Mark Buehrle
REC 4-2
IP 52.2
H 58
SO 22
ERA 3.42
33 Javier Vazquez
REC 4-3
IP 53.1
H 48
SO 39
ERA 4.22
38 Carlos Zambrano
REC 2-2
IP 56.2
H 46
SO 62
ERA 3.34
Maybe next year …
34. Freddy Garcia: Sox are averaging 6.5 runs per game behind him, and he has needed them.
20. Jon Garland: He’s getting killed but hasn’t started nibbling on the corners; that’s a good sign.
53. Rich Hill: His stuff is almost always better than the results; could he be the Cubs’ Neal Cotts?
45. Sean Marshall: Confident rookie has been tough to hit but sometimes suffers control lapses.
33. Glendon Rusch: He’s filling the all-important Mike Remlinger role.
34. Kerry Wood: Patient approach with his latest rehab could pay second-half dividends.
Bats off the bench
38 Pablo Ozuna
GM 20
H 16
HR 1
RBI 6
AVG. .432
8 Alex Cintron
GM 18
H 16
HR 0
RBI 3
AVG. .267
While the more highly advertised Rob Mackowiak tries to adjust to the AL, Ozuna and Cintron have been valuable parts for Ozzie Guillen. Ozuna has been on base more than half the time this season, a remarkable feat for anyone and almost impossible for someone playing irregularly. He has gotten most of his playing time in left field but also has played third base, second base and right. The switch-hitting Cintron, acquired from Arizona in a trade for expendable reliever Jeff Bajenaru, lets Guillen rest Juan Uribe against tough right-handers. He’s a great insurance policy while Robert Valido and Pedro Lopez mature.
Maybe next year …
10. Rob Mackowiak, Sox: Starting slowly and getting fewer at-bats than used to in Pittsburgh.
4. Freddie Bynum, Cubs: Late spring acquisition hasn’t helped.
15. Jerry Hairston, Cubs: He has played on a lot of bad teams in his career.
17. John Mabry, Cubs: Baker was too slow to give him an extended look after Lee was injured.
13. Neifi Perez, Cubs: After getting two-year extension, he’s playing like guy Giants released.
3. Ryan Theriot, Cubs: Added when team was in the tank and still hasn’t played very much.
Manager
13 Ozzie Guillen
Starting pitchers can get away with saying that their job is to keep the game close, but not managers. They have to win the close ones. Since the start of 2004, Guillen’s White Sox are 72-42 in one-run games; Dusty Baker’s Cubs are 48-55.
Guillen has been blessed with a much healthier team than Baker, although he does his part in keeping it healthy by handling his pitching staff wisely. He won with a thin lineup a year ago and set a good tone for 2006 in spring training, emphasizing the need to start over.
Baker, like Hendry, has been slow finding a response to the Derrek Lee injury. He might look a lot smarter in July and August, provided he has Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Lee back.
Designated difference-maker
25 Jim Thome
GM 39
H 40
HR 16
RBI 40
AVG. .292
In fairness to the Cubs, we don’t pick an All-City designated hitter. But there’s no way to leave Thome off this roster. He’s an early candidate for American League Most Valuable Player, putting himself on an early pace for 60-plus home runs and more than 160 RBIs. There’s no question his addition has been most responsible for the White Sox scoring more than one run per game above their 2005 average. He and Konerko give Guillen a David Ortiz-Manny Ramirez combination without the drama. Thome is thrilled to be back near his Peoria home, and it shows.
Catcher
23 A.J. Pierzynski
GM 34
H 42
HR 1
RBI 11
AVG. .339
This was a tough call. Michael Barrett is a more productive hitter but Pierzynski is a tough out and much better–reputation aside–at the other parts of the job, like handling a pitching staff.
It’s easy to see how Pierzynski’s constant yapping made him an easy target in San Francisco, but along with Chris Widger he has been an ideal extension of the White Sox pitching staff. He handles Mark Buehrle differently than he does Javier Vazquez. He knows AL hitters and works with advance scouts, pitching coach Don Cooper and Widger to formulate a plan to get them out.
One of the difficulties Dusty Baker labors under is that while Barrett is generally one of the three best hitters on the team, many of the pitchers like working with backup Henry Blanco, who every year hits well in winter ball and turns into an easy out in the big leagues.
Maybe next year …
8. Michael Barrett, Cubs: Opponents never shy to try to steal a base with him behind plate.
24. Henry Blanco, Cubs: He’s the preferred receiver of Mark Prior, Greg Maddux and many other Cubs.
36. Chris Widger, Sox: Ideal backup who delivers occasional sucker punch off bench.
First base
14 Paul Konerko
GM 40
H 47
HR 9
RBI 30
AVG. .315
There’s no doubt who’s the captain on the best team in the majors. Instead of feeling under the gun because of his five-year, $65-million contract, Konerko has appeared at ease. Perhaps that’s because newcomer Jim Thome is shouldering much of the power load. Konerko has averaged 32 homers and 96 RBIs the last five seasons and could hit those levels by Sept. 1 this year.
Derrek Lee was quietly off to a solid start when he broke his right wrist on April 19. The Cubs have used Todd Walker and John Mabry at first base, and they’re hitting below .200 with less than one RBI every 20 at-bats in Lee’s place. Yikes.
Maybe next year …
7. Todd Walker: Doing nothing special, but still one of the tougher outs in the Cubs’ lineup.
Second base
15 Tadahito Iguchi
GM 36
H 44
HR 4
RBI 17
AVG. .295
Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is not going to sell him as his MVP this season, but Iguchi continues to show why his teams–in Japan and here–generally have won. He has hiked his batting average while continuing to field his position excellently.
Walker probably would have given the Cubs a solid second baseman but he has started fewer games there than at first. GM Jim Hendry has assembled a 25-man roster inexplicably loaded with Neifi Perez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Freddie Bynum and, for the last two weeks, Ryan Theriot. Glenn Beckert could post ’em all up.
Maybe next year …
7. Todd Walker: See first base
Shortstop
5 Ronny Cedeno
GM 38
H 40
HR 1
RBI 11
AVG. .282
Yes, we know this is a guy who threw a live ball into the Cubs dugout–on purpose. But the rookie from Venezuela is a good player who is going to get better. He could be the shortstop for the next 10 seasons.
Juan Uribe, one of the many White Sox heroes last October, is under the team’s control through 2008 but is in danger of losing his standing based on how he has gone backward as a hitter. His ability to get outs on balls all over the left side of the infield gives him lots of supporters on the pitching staff. Alex Cintron is a long-term option, as are prospects Robert Valido and Pedro Lopez.
Maybe next year …
5. Juan Uribe: White Sox thought he had figured something out as a hitter: wrong!
Third base
24 Joe Crede
GM 39
H 42
HR 8
RBI 28
AVG. .307
This guy is the chia pet of All-Star third basemen. He has bloomed right before our eyes, getting a little better every year until–wow!–look at him now. Crede covers the infield like Michael Buble covers Frank Sinatra, and he has become money in late-inning at-bats. If Crede stays healthy all season, he is on pace to hit .290 with 30 home runs and 90-plus RBIs. Then he probably will do his best work in October. That’s the way it worked in 2005, anyway.
What has happened to Aramis Ramirez? He has turned into a good-field, no-hit contact hitter who no longer fits in the middle of a lineup, especially one as thin as the Cubs’. He has been the biggest disappointment to the organization, and he still has almost $30 million left on the contract extension he received before last season. Didn’t see this coming, especially not in spring training when he hit .483 with five homers and 20 RBIs in only 58 at-bats.
Maybe next year …
16. Aramis Ramirez: It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who killed the ball in the spring.
Left field
22 Scott Podsednik
GM36
H 41
HR 1
RBI 12
AVG. .295
This guy always looks like a slump waiting to happen, but he is locked into something good lately, raising his average from .206 on April 24 to nearly .300. What he does is play an excellent left field–not many balls drop between him and Brian Anderson–and drive pitchers to distraction when he’s on base. He makes a lot of outs for a guy who doesn’t drive in many runs, but he fits the leadoff profile.
Matt Murton has been more consistent than any Cubs hitter who has not gone on the disabled list. He is a smart hitter with a great knowledge of the strike zone and an ability to shorten his stroke. Not a great left fielder but has made big plays.
Maybe next year …
19. Matt Murton: Understands hitting and has a great approach when ducks are on pond.
Center field
33 Aaron Rowand
7 Kenny Lofton
Come back, please. Your old bosses wish you never had left.
As slowly as Anderson has started, it’s the Cubs’ Juan Pierre who has been the bigger disappointment. At least Anderson is a solid defender. Pierre, with an arm that has been worse than advertised, has had problems in all areas of the game. The most conspicuous shortcoming has been that sub-.280 on-base average. He almost never walks, which means he needs to hit .300 to be a good leadoff man, and he has been hitting way too many balls in the air for a guy with popgun power. The Cubs gave up pitchers Ricky Nolasco, Sergio Mitre and Renyel Pinto to get Pierre, who can be a free agent after this season. Pierre is a pro, and he’s only 28; don’t be surprised if he becomes a force this summer.
Maybe next year …
44. Brian Anderson, Sox: Still trying to recover from .161 April made tolerable by Sox winning.
9. Juan Pierre, Cubs: In such a funk he makes Scott Podsednik look like an RBI machine.
Right field
23 Jermaine Dye
GM 31
H 32
HR 10
RBI 31
AVG. .317
Here’s a difference between Chicago’s two organizations–both found themselves needing right fielders after losing perennial All-Stars, but the White Sox were better shoppers. Dye is not only more productive than Jacque Jones, but he came for less money and a shorter commitment. General manager Ken Williams took a gamble on a guy with a history of injury and it has paid off in a big way. Jim Hendry went for a safer play, overlooking a downward career arc, and has put Jones in what is proving to be a tough place for him to succeed.
With a deep lineup, Guillen was able to keep Dye hitting sixth for most of last season, which helped him get established. Jones has been under greater scrutiny for the Cubs, especially since Lee was injured. Dye quietly is having his best season since 2000 and projects to be one of three (and possibly four) 100-RBI men for the White Sox. The other two outfielders overshadow him defensively, but Dye is solid in right field.
Maybe next year …
11. Jacque Jones: Cubs kidded themselves if they thought he suddenly would hit lefties.
